Rune Factory 4 is a role-playing video game developed by Neverland Co. and published by Marvelous AQL for the Nintendo 3DS handheld console. It is the sixth installment in the Rune Factory series and was released in Japan in July 2012, and in North America and Europe in October 2013. In the game, players take on the role of a young character who has lost their memory and is mistaken for a prince or princess in the town of Selphia. The player is tasked with managing and improving the town, farming crops, raising animals, and battling monsters in order to protect the town from various threats. The game features a diverse cast of characters that the player can interact with and build relationships with, including potential romantic partners.
The game features a diverse cast of characters that the player can interact with and build relationships with, including potential romantic partners. One of the unique features of Rune Factory 4 is the ability to tame and befriend monsters. The player can recruit monsters to fight alongside them in battles and use their abilities to help with various tasks on the farm.
Rune Factory 4: Special review – fun revival of a retro franchise
T he Rune Factory franchise was thought long dead when its developer, Neverland, declared bankruptcy in 2013, but last year it was revived by publisher Marvelous, with many of the original staff attached. The first new game, a remake of Nintendo 3DS’s Rune Factory 4, is finally out on Switch, and in many ways it’s like pulling on an old, comfy blanket: it’s not the most beautiful thing out there but you’re glad to see it anyway.
A fantasy-themed spinoff from the slightly more grounded Harvest Moon franchise, Rune Factory is part farming simulator, part dungeon crawler, part life sim. Unlike the superficially similar Animal Crossing, though, Rune Factory is more about time efficiency and constant micro-goals of progress than simply enjoying the pleasures of small-town life.
Delights in granularity … Rune Factory 4: Special. Photograph: Xseed
Certainly there’s joy to be found in routine – waking up, watering your crops, tending to your animals, saying hi to fellow villagers on your way to whatever tasks you’ve chosen for the day. But with a clock slowly counting down to midnight every day, there’s always the keen awareness that there is more you could be doing.
That’s because Rune Factory delights in granularity. Almost every action you make – from hitting stumps with an axe or throwing objects to eating – fills its own experience bar, which feeds your overall level bar as well. Every food item, vegetable or crop has its own value, which can be altered by applying fertiliser or formula, rotating crops and so on. From filling out a catalogue of possible recipes, or completing your shipped items checklist, or running your own shop, or winning its various festival mini-games, Rune Factory is stuffed with things that give you a tiny dopamine rush of progress.
The story, involving a cast of eccentric and endearing characters, largely serves as an excuse to set you up with a farm and run you through increasingly difficult dungeons. Rune Factory’s gimmick has always been the addition of top-down action-role-playing game combat in the style of a Diablo or Ys, though the joy is not so much in the combat as in its interaction with the rest of the game’s crafting, farming and levelling systems.
Good for busy-bodies … Rune Factory 4: Special. Photograph: Xseed
You need, for example, top-end armour and medicine to beat the more challenging dungeons, which might mean you need to harvest good crops, which requires better farming tools. But you need good loot to craft those tools, which necessitates a trip to the dungeon for the day, perhaps with a companion or two in tow. The way the game’s systems fold into one another is masterfully compelling, at least while the loop holds.
But once the (somewhat rote) story loses steam, once credits roll, you might be at a loss; the game doesn’t feel as strong when you’re simply existing in the world, trying to figure out your own goals. The writing is fun, and there’s a lot of character- and world-building to uncover, but once you’re used to the escalating challenge of exploring more and more dungeons, it’s difficult to return to mundanity. The game does have post-credits content (whole story arcs, in fact) to kick the loop back into gear, but it doesn’t address the problem.
Rune Factory 4 is a near-direct port of an eight-year-old game for a handheld system, and it shows. Though frame-rate and resolution are greatly improved, it’s still mostly upscaling relatively blocky characters and art, which is obvious on a TV and on the Switch’s built-in screen. The user interface in particular is not built for the system, a fact made most apparent by ridiculously tiny text on item descriptions and the like – thankfully, there is a button to awkwardly zoom in, but it’s not exactly an elegant solution.
There are a handful of other additions for the Switch version – dual Japanese and English audio, a more challenging difficulty mode, a Newlywed Mode and Another Episode skits/minigames. Unfortunately for veterans, much of the latter two modes are locked behind end-game goals like marriage (which remains irritatingly heterosexual only, for the moment) and DLC downloads not available at time of review, though they’ll at least be free for the first month from launch.
In some ways, then, RF4:S is a fun revival of a unique franchise, but it’s very much a product of its time – and of its original system. One hopes that Marvelous is saving true innovation for the sequel, Rune Factory 5, out this year.
Soon after, though the runes are coming back, Ventuswill still asks the protagonist to bring back the final Guardian, Leon, who resides at Leon Karnak. However, it is found out that Leon Karnak has been infused with the Forest of Beginnings, and that there is a small chance of getting there safely, and even smaller chance of getting out. This, and Ventuswill's illness, motivates the entire town of Selphia to try and find a way to get the protagonist to the Forest of Beginnings and back again. After several days of everyone researching, Arthur says that he knows of someone who once went to the Forest of Beginnings, and was trying to get in contact with them. This person turns out to be Barrett, and he gives the protagonist a homing ring, and a few words that will trigger the ring to allow them to return. However, it only works once, and if messed up, the protagonist would be stuck in the Forest of Beginnings forever.
The game also features a robust crafting system, allowing players to create their own weapons, armor, and other items using materials found throughout the game world. Rune Factory 4 received positive reviews from critics, who praised its charming characters, engaging gameplay, and addictive farming and crafting mechanics. The game was lauded for its blend of role-playing, farming, and relationship-building elements, which contributed to its overall immersive and enjoyable experience. Overall, Rune Factory 4 is a captivating and highly enjoyable game that offers a unique blend of role-playing, farming, and relationship-building gameplay. Whether you're a fan of the Rune Factory series or new to the franchise, this game is sure to provide hours of entertainment..
Reviews for "Discovering the hidden treasures of Selphia in Rune Factory 4"
- John - 2/5 - I was really disappointed with Rune Factory 4. The graphics were outdated and the gameplay felt repetitive. The story was lackluster and I didn't feel invested in any of the characters. Overall, it just didn't live up to the hype for me.
- Sarah - 3/5 - I found Rune Factory 4 to be just okay. The controls were clunky and took some getting used to. The farming aspect felt tedious and I didn't find the combat to be very engaging. The game had potential, but it just didn't capture my interest like I had hoped.
- Mike - 2/5 - I wanted to like Rune Factory 4, but I couldn't get past the overwhelming amount of content and options. It was too much to keep track of and it felt overwhelming. The pacing was also slow and the game seemed to drag on. I ended up losing interest and giving up on it.
- Emily - 2/5 - I didn't enjoy Rune Factory 4 as much as I thought I would. The dialogue was cheesy and the voice acting was subpar. The character development felt shallow and the story didn't hook me. I also had issues with the game's performance, experiencing glitches and lag. Overall, I was disappointed.