Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma – A Harmonious Blend of Tradition and Innovation

The classic franchise of fantasy role-playing life-simulation games, Rune Factory, comes back with a completely new release keeping the tradition alive. With the first ever release in 2006, Rune factory has been continuously fulfilling the fans desire with more and more releases that keep the fans bonded with the sequel. This is going to be the 8th released game of the franchise. This is not a part of the main series rather it is a spin-off installment proving to be the 3rd game of this category.

The Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma opts the classic Action-RPG gameplay along with real life simulations providing the nostalgic feeling of the most beloved and popular gameplay from the previous releases to the fans. The game also adopts the anime styled rendering and graphics which also attracts the attention of anime fans increasing its popularity.

Story and Setting

. . . .

Story and Setting

The game adopts an adventurous and mythical storyline in which a new destruction hits the peaceful creatures of earth. In the eastern lands of Azuma, the colossal objects come crashing down resulting in a calamity known as the "Celestial Collapse". The disastrous collision sent the shattered fragments of the terrain everywhere from the heights of the skies to the depth of the seas.

This "Celestial Collapse" ceased the flow of power provided by the runes. Adding to the devastating effect of this calamity, the gods of nature also vanished mysteriously and the nature began to collapse. Mountains started to crumble away, fields withered, buildings and infrastructure falling, trees falling, rivers changing courses leading to floods and the colors of life started fading away. This disaster shattered the Earth and sent a devastating feeling of fear and hopelessness down the spine of all the earthlings who thought they will not even be able to get a peaceful death to escape this.

The story begins with the player, Subaru or Kaguya, waking up in a dragon shrine in Spring Village after a dream involving a white and black dragon. They learn they crash-landed there six months ago and are asked by Iroha, the proprietress, to clean the shrine. After performing a dance, they meet Suzu (Iroha's sister) and Sakaki, the village chief. Sakaki explains that Azuma has been in disarray since the Celestial Collapse 50 years ago, which depleted runes and stopped the sacred tree from blooming. The village population is declining due to poor land conditions.

The player dreams of Ulalaka, who claims they are an Earth Dancer and gives them a magical drum. They awaken to a flying creature, Mokoshiro (nicknamed Woolby), a descendant of the dragon god Mihoshi Habaki and the player's partner. The black dragon from their dream attacks the village, creating life-draining plants called Blight. Hina (an archaeologist) and Mauro (a treasure hunter) arrive in an airship and engage the dragon, which retreats after the player advises them to shoot its horns. Sakaki decides to cut down the sacred tree, but the player uses the drum to revive it, causing Ulalaka to appear. She asks for their help in restoring the village, and Woolby gives them a Terra Tiller for farmwork, which helps Ulalaka regain her powers. Sakaki makes the player the new village chief.

The player then helps find missing villagers, Takumi (a carpenter) and Kihachi (a blacksmith), both transformed by Blight into monsters. With the help of Murasame (a warrior), they defeat and restore them. Takumi helps build village structures, and a forge is built for Kihachi. The player receives requests to make weapons, engage in social activities, decorate the town, and improve scenery. They also repair the dragon shrine and a bridge. They meet Yoichi, an eggplant enthusiast. After the shrine is rebuilt, Woolby reveals his true form as the white dragon from the dream. Ulalaka asks the player to visit the other three seasonal towns to save the other gods and revive Azuma. A flashback reveals Azuma's devastation by a meteorite-like object before the Celestial Collapse.

In Summer Village, the player encounters villagers wanting to capture Woolby. They meet Kusatsu (innkeeper), Tsubame (merchant), and Hisui (fortune teller). They learn the summer god, Matsuri, a swordmaster, has disappeared, causing the volcano to go dormant and the hot springs to cease. Matsuri appears in a dream, asking the player to return her stolen sword to the shrine. After finding and slaying the Spectral Warrior, the thief, they recover the damaged sword and have Kihachi reforge it. Returning the sword to the shrine, the player performs a dance to revive Matsuri, causing the volcano to erupt. Matsuri, annoyed with the villagers and Woolby, helps the player repel attacking monsters. The player restores the village and becomes the new chief, opening the hot springs.

In Autumn Village, the player meets Kotaro, a shapeshifting tanuki, and Yachiyo, a tanuki girl. They learn about Kurama, the autumn god, and the Mikoshi Melee festival. A mysterious man, Cuiliang, provides history about Mihoshi Habaki. Kurama appears in a dream, warning the player to stop the Mikoshi Melee and gifting them a Sacred Fan. The player retrieves Kurama's missing mikoshi from Kotaro, who stole it under Kurama's orders. During the festival, the player performs the dance to revive Kurama, but accidentally unleashes a Great Storm Tengu, which is Kurama transformed. After defeating him, Kurama restores wind to the village and the player becomes the new chief, also learning about taming monsters.

In Winter Village, the waters are frozen. The player meets Pilika (a hunter) and Zaza (a dwarf blacksmith). Pilika mistakes Woolby for Kamurosaki, a shapeshifting god she hunts. They learn from Waterase (a fisherman) about a wolf that did not attack him. The player dreams of the winter god, who gifts them a Sacred Parasol and asks to be killed. The player realizes the wolf is the winter god, Fubuki, transformed by the Blight, and that he wants to be freed. After defeating the wolf, the player stops a blond-haired woman (later revealed as Clarice) from slaying it and successfully transforms Fubuki back to normal. Fubuki requests the player to restore water to the land, thawing the ice. The player becomes the new chief.

Ulalaka instructs the player to remove the barriers around the Celestial Collapse area by performing the ceremonial dance at the gods' seasonal shrines in the sky. After removing the first barrier, they encounter the black dragon and the other main character from their dream, who then retreat. In a meeting with the four gods, the player learns about Earth Dancers, the black dragon, and the existence of two more gods. Murasame eavesdrops and is challenged by Matsuri, who loses, prompting the gods to ask the player to help them regain full power through various activities and side quests.

The player dreams of their childhood friend and themselves being sent by their village elder to find Astral Shrines to revive Azuma using amulets. They ask Murasame and Hisui for guidance to the shrines. Mauro joins them, seeking treasure. At the second shrine, the player finds a journal from their friend, revealing their true motive to save them from an apparent fate. Mauro is disappointed to find no treasure, revealing he seeks the Heart of Viatrea. Kotaro (disguised as Yachiyo) provides information on the third shrine after receiving dango. Hina tries to stop them from entering the third shrine due to a dangerous rune, transforming into her beast form and fighting the player before joining them. She reveals her research on Viatrea. At the fourth shrine, they encounter Ikaruga, leader of the Jingasa Corps, who fights them. Ikaruga takes an amulet, revealing it's one of three Amulets of Sacrifice stolen from his corps, used to forge a pact with a god for a wish. A flashback reveals the player used their amulet to summon Woolby (in dragon form), who sacrificed their soul and memories to turn them into an Earth Dancer, explaining their amnesia. The player realizes their friend did the same with the black dragon. A mysterious group, Veyron, Hound, and Clarice, watches them.

In a second god meeting, the gods discuss the player's childhood friend and reveal Viatrea is the original incarnation of Woolby (from Mihoshi's soul) and the black dragon (from Mihoshi's body), born in the underworld. They seek help from the god of the underworld, revealed to be Kai. Kai agrees to help after the player helps restore his powers. Ikaruga forces Kai to uphold his agreement due to an enchanted tab. The player travels to the underworld with Kai, fights gatekeepers, defeats Lord Ura, and learns the black dragon originated from Mihoshi's body in the underworld. Kai gives them the Sacred Staff to access the Heavenly Realm and speak with Kanata, the god of the Heaven Realm and leader of the six gods. Kanata, appearing in a dream, discourages the player from reviving her. In the Heavenly Realm, they discover Rin, Kanata's servant, and learn Kanata disappeared after the Celestial Collapse. After the other gods speak to Kanata through the player's dream, they throw a party to cheer her up. The player discovers the mysterious young girl is Kanata and performs the ceremonial dance, restoring her true form and sunlight to the world. Kanata explains she tried to revive Mihoshi's heart (the meteorite) to save Azuma, which was dying before the collapse. She agrees to help remove the second barrier at the Spring Shrine. (Rune Factory Fantasy wiki)

Innovative Gameplay Mechanics

⚔️ Innovative Gameplay Mechanics

1. Sacred Treasures:
   The sacred treasures are multi purpose tools that the protagonist receives from the gods throughout his/her journey at key milestones and can also be achieved as rewards. They can be discovered after certain events such as winning a combat challenge, exploration and farming accomplishments. Each sacred treasure provides distinct elemental power to the protagonist upon acquisition and unlocks new combat dances and divine skills. For instance, the Sacred Parasol allows players to glide, water crops, and summon lightning, while the Sacred Drums can accelerate crop growth and heal allies.
2. Combat System: Combat has been enhanced with mechanics like targeting enemy weak points and a stun gauge that, when filled, allows for significant damage. A well-timed dodge activates a Bullet Time effect, slowing down enemies for counterattacks.
3. Village Restoration: Beyond traditional farming, players are tasked with rebuilding entire villages, attracting NPCs to return and contribute, and reviving deities to restore the land's vitality.

Characters

Characters

Players can choose between two protagonists, Subaru and Kaguya, whose destinies are intertwined. The game offers over 12 romanceable characters, with fully voiced scenarios. Notably, the game supports same-sex relationships, allowing players to pursue any character regardless of the chosen protagonist's gender.

System Requirements

System Requirements

Minimum:

• OS: Windows 10/11
• Processor: Intel Core i5-10400
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 20 GB available space

Recommended:

• Processor: Intel Core i7-9700
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER

Editions and Pricing

🛍️ Editions and Pricing

• Standard Edition: $59.99
• Digital Deluxe Edition: $69.99
• Super Digital Deluxe Edition: $79.99
• Earth Dancer Edition: $99.99

The Earth Dancer Edition includes a physical copy of the game, a 56-track original soundtrack, a 160-page art book, an Azuma-inspired folding fan, a plush Woolby keychain, and multiple DLC bundles

Check out the official trailer