A Vibrant Blend Of Folklore, Farming, And Fate
Until recently, I was blissfully aware of the Rune Factory series of games. However, there is no doubt that this series is one with a rich history. Beginning as a spin off of the Harvest Moon franchise, Rune Factory has built up a decent number of releases over the years, allowing us to get to the point of this latest release – a game that goes by the snappy title of Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma.
Put together by those at Marvellous Inc and XSEED Games, I hope to explain exactly what this game is all about. Just let it be known, there’s some weirdness going on here; and it comes with a capital “wuh”.
Healing The Blighted Lands
Kicking off with the story, this one is pretty good, to be fair. We are an Earth Dancer, either a male or a female, depending on which you prefer. Our fate is intertwined whichever way we go, and the job of an Earth Dancer is to bring harmony back to a land that is affected by The Blight. You know it’;s serious when it is capitalised!
We need to use the power of dance (yes, really), as well as earning sacred treasures from the various deities that we meet, combined with the power of a good hard slap to bring life back to s series of villages we visit. The story and the overall aesthetic are heavily influenced by Japanese folklore, and the narrative that sits behind each village, what has befallen it and how we can try to fix it, is strangely engrossing. It’s a testament to the story telling that I found myself caring about the fate of the various people that popped up during this journey, and I did find myself spending altogether too long following side quests!
Seasonal Splendour
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma looks very nice indeed, and the presentation as a whole is pretty high grade. There are a couple of issues with the camera, as it is a bit dumber than I’m used to: locking on to enemies when fighting can lead to you being blindsided almost literally, as the camera shows the inside of a cliff or even of an enemy.
Other than this, the news is good, and the world we have to explore is large, busy, and full of folk to meet and get to know. Nicely, the design of these NPCs is pretty good. Seeing the world that we inhabit changing in response to our efforts is also very rewarding, as is watching a blight-ridden land transformed into a housing estate or lush farmland. That is aided by the fact that each village is modelled on a season, and they all embody the spirit of that season: the Village of Autumn is all in shades of orange, for instance, while the Village of Spring is all lush blooms and cherry blossoms.
Sound is also very well done, with the majority of the people we can interact with being fully voiced. Following our companions’ quests, growing closer to them and going out together, first as friends and later as more (if you play your cards right) is very well handled and never feels too cheesy. The battle sounds, the roars of the monsters and the lovely flourishes as we dance about the place all work very well too, and all in all, the presentation is more than a pass.
A Multitude Of Roles
Now settle in as the gameplay section of this review may take a bit of time, as there are a lot of different facets to unpack in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. The game is certainly packing a lot of different activities into its run time: will you be a farmer, a warrior, a lover, an architect or all these combined? Well, in order to succeed, you’d best have answered yes to the last one!
In Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma we find ourselves with the ability to not only farm ourselves, hoeing the land, watering and planting seeds, and the like, but also organising a workforce to do these tasks for while we’re away doing other things. Similar goes for lumberjacks, stonemasons and so on. And then once you have one village back on its feet, it’s time to move on to the next, and start the process all over again. And that is only the farming aspect: there is a lot more to Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma after that.
The Struggle For Impact In The Field
Each village will also require your help to go and rid the surrounding landscapes of vicious monsters. Unfortunately, here the news is a bit less good. You see, the combat is pretty numb, to be honest, and while there are different weapons to master and upgrade, as well as other heroes to recruit and bring out into the field with you, the overall feeling when fighting is numbness. The strikes you give, and the blows you receive, fail to bring any weight, no consequences almost, and so when you keel over it is a bit of a surprise. Still, the rest of the game makes up for this lack: especially the building of relationships with the other NPCs.
In fact, that’s one of the biggest highlights of Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. Spending time with others will raise their bond level, and as that increases, so too do options: will you give a gift, go to the shops or go out to eat together? Well, that depends on what you want to do; companionship or romance? I’ll draw a curtain over the intriguing possibilities there: I never kiss and tell!
Engrossing And a Great Entry Point For Newcomers
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is hugely enjoyable. There is so much to take in, across a variety of locales, and all tied together by an overarching narrative, that you will rarely get bored. You may wish to ignore the numb combat and focus on the rest of the game, but if you do, this is something that will eat up the hours.
Even if you’ve not played a Rune Factory game, Guardians of Azuma feels like a great way to jump in.
Important Links
Restore The Land In Rune Factory: Guardians Of Azuma – https://www.thexboxhub.com/restore-the-land-in-rune-factory-guardians-of-azuma/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/rune-factory-guardians-of-azuma/9PCW2TJD8PZW/0010
