Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma Review

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If I could have a brief moment of your time, let me share some thoughts on progression systems in RPGs, which are relevant to the game Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. For those who just want the main points: it’s a good blend of farming and village-based RPG with average combat, poor dungeon design, an acceptable storyline, and likable characters. The game features several intriguing progression systems that could have been captivating or rewarding, such as flying through expansive skies, tailoring your gear for customization, and home decorations that boost stats passively. However, upon closer inspection, these features turn out to be less substantial than expected. It’s a bit like Potential Man – full of promise but never quite fulfilling it.

In general, I prefer to classify Role Playing Games (RPGs) based on the experience they offer as you advance through them. A game with a mediocre narrative but exceptional progression can significantly enhance the overall gameplay. For me, Final Fantasy VIII is a perfect illustration of this concept. The story in FF8 isn’t terrible, but it didn’t captivate me as much as 7, 9, or 10 did. However, the drawing and junctioning aspects are right up my alley. Yes, you could potentially break the game if you knew what you were doing, but the fact that FF8 offers such depth in its mechanics makes it a standout “great” feeling game for me.

In simpler terms, “Final Fantasy XVI” is a game where the straightforward mechanics actually work against it. The narrative isn’t exceptional, and the gameplay, while supported by a weak storyline, relies on a thin system. Your divine sword, forged from rare materials and imbued with an Eikon’s power, can be upgraded only five times, according to the game itself, which it admits makes for a mediocre weapon. The monotonous, frustrating progression leaves a bitter taste.

Let’s move on to discussing “Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma”. Although the game demonstrates potential in various aspects, it doesn’t quite reach its full potential. This was my inaugural experience with the Rune Factory series, and several reliable sources had convinced me that if I enjoyed complex mechanics, I would definitely appreciate “Rune Factory 4”. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to play that game, but I was eager to discover what a contemporary adaptation of Rune Factory would offer. As it turns out, the experience is somewhat similar to “Genshin Impact”, albeit less satisfying.

In essence, the game Guardians of Azuma shares a striking resemblance to Genshin Impact in terms of gameplay mechanics. Unlike Genshin Impact, there’s no stamina meter to worry about, but apart from that, the controls are remarkably similar. You can dodge, run, and jump, and your basic attacks are simple combos. As you progress, you gain access to several elemental abilities (divine artifacts) that perform three key functions: a standard elemental attack, a more powerful attack requiring one energy bar, and an ultimate attack requiring two bars of energy and playing a cinematic sequence.

In simpler terms, the abilities in this game only cause damage, heal, or have minor effects on the battlefield. Essentially, you’re exploiting enemies’ vulnerabilities to deal extra damage. While it’s not necessarily a problem since many RPGs do this, it feels quite similar to Genshin Impact. To add more excitement to the combat, why not introduce an elemental interaction system like in Genshin? For instance, if you burn enemies, they could be hit with wind magic to create a fire tornado. This would make the battles more intricate and enjoyable. In other words, I’d like to see a system where different abilities can interact and combine to produce interesting outcomes. Put another way, the combat in this action RPG feels quite dull compared to other games.

Inadequate battle mechanics can sometimes be compensated by intriguing features elsewhere; let me discuss customization options such as stats and equipment. While the game Guardians of Azuma offers gear customization, it primarily involves placing gems (Magatama) into slots for benefits like +3 Strength or +3% Water Damage. Frankly, that’s not overly exciting. In contrast, I found a guide for Rune Factory 4, where items could acquire traits from others, such as extended range or status-inflicting abilities. That sounds much more engaging and appealing! If Guardians of Azuma has this feature, it wasn’t evident in the main story – all I was able to do was craft gear, enhance it, and add gems.

In simpler terms, you can boost your character’s stats within the village simulation feature, such as increasing Strength by 50 from an Imp Statue. However, due to the ample space for placement, it’s quite straightforward to arrange items without much thought or strategic planning required. As for the various stats, I couldn’t find a clear explanation of what Mind does or how it impacts your character. I tried looking for a menu option to understand this but was unsuccessful. Similarly, I couldn’t determine the purpose of tags like “Farming Fun” on certain items, such as the Wheelbarrow. I assumed these were categories, but I couldn’t find any way to search or utilize them in-game.

In this game, there’s a striking absence of clear guidance or instructions. It’s challenging for me to understand what my stats mean or how to access different item categories without explicit directions. Furthermore, I can’t seem to find a way to uncover the benefits associated with your RPG, which is causing some frustration.

Upon finishing the game, I discovered several unexplored warp points, yet I was convinced that I had fully explored the game world up until that point. This suggests there might be additional post-game content available. However, I’m struggling to figure out how to activate this post-game content.

When I completed the game, a message appeared saying “The adventure isn’t over! Focus on your relationships!”… but it didn’t provide any further instructions. It seems that maximizing every single bond is necessary to unlock more challenging combat content, but I’m unwilling to invest the excessive amount of time required to max out 25 party members for only slightly tougher, yet still uninteresting battles. While I enjoy the cast of characters, I don’t wish to spend an astronomical amount of hours on this task.

To double-check I hadn’t missed any hidden details in the game, I opted for a second aerial exploration of all the locations. However, I found myself growing weary of the overworld travel experience. It seems they managed to make the thrill of soaring on a dragon and discovering fragmented islands feel mundane by requiring me to sit through the same landing sequence repeatedly, and making me press the ‘skip’ button for a few moments before advancing until I unlock the warp. As you might guess, these islands are barren, containing only nodes and fish. Occasionally, an island hosts a dungeon portal, but they’re all tied to the storyline, so you’ll inevitably come across them by progressing through the narrative. There’s no hidden island, secret area, or anything unique to uncover – just empty islands filled with weak creatures and mining spots.

At roughly that time, I expressed my annoyances in the staff chat for the RPG Site, only to learn from several individuals that the post-game content in other Rune Factory games becomes accessible only after marriage. Feeling compelled, I went ahead and got married…but nothing else followed, apart from another round of credits. No new dungeons appeared, no additional cutscenes played beyond the wedding scene, and I was left without a clear path forward except for improving Relationships and elevating Village ranks. However, the way to achieve both these tasks doesn’t seem enjoyable to me, so why should I bother?

The collection of characters in this anime is truly impressive, featuring just about every cliché you can imagine. For instance, there’s the energetic younger sister who surprisingly proves herself to be a formidable fighter, the intelligent yet quirky nerd with an exceptional gaming skillset, the somewhat pretentious boy who transforms into an actual puppy when he gets overly excited, and many more. I did appreciate these characters, but the repetitive daily interactions needed to strengthen relationships seemed less enjoyable compared to the overall experience.

The visual appeal of the game is satisfactory, and being a resident of Japan, I could instantly identify elements like the Autumn Village that seem to draw inspiration from renowned shrines such as Kibune Shrine or Fushimi Inari Taisha, particularly around Kyoto. However, this level of detail in the village designs leaves me questioning the lack of creativity in the dungeon layouts.

For instance, the dungeons are: a canyon with vegetation and water, an underground water-filled cave, a house resembling a clockwork ninja, an ice cave filled with frozen water, an urban demon underworld city, and a holy shrine with water. Despite completing these dungeons initially, the subsequent, slightly tougher round simply involves traversing repetitive hallways populated by groups of enemies or the same Blight puzzle repeated numerous times. Solving the Blight node removes a barrier to another Blight node, which in turn clears the final obstacle hindering your advancement.

Despite the appealing details, there’s an odd sensation about these environments that seems… incomplete. I may lack the artistic vocabulary to express it accurately, but they appear “two-dimensional” or lacking depth. Notice the screenshot below; it showcases some intricate elements, yet overall it appears quite flat and monotonous. This location is crucial in the game – one of the four frequent destinations, known as bases. Somehow, it gives an unfinished vibe, even though it’s not. While I might be off-base due to my lack of art knowledge, this inconsistency caught my attention enough that I felt compelled to bring it up.

One concern I had with this game is the climax of the main storyline, specifically the final dungeon. To paint a picture (with minimal spoilers), you are on a mission to prevent evil forces from reviving a deceased deity who plans to annihilate the world. The only access point for people is via an aerial fortress with cannons. However, you have a dragon that can fly, allowing you to infiltrate the platform and sabotage it from within. Doesn’t that sound exciting? Fight your way through to reach the core of the platform, where you must thwart the villain as the entire fortress hurtles towards its doom in mid-air.

In the dungeon, the walls and floors are plainly textured, with occasional flashes of distant lightning illuminating a murky sky. The same Oni adversaries you’ve encountered since level 5 and tedious Blight puzzles that can halt your advance for up to thirty minutes at a time fill the space. It was so dull, I actually dozed off when I reached a checkpoint – something I’ve never done before in the penultimate stage of a game. I should be charging ahead, eager to end the battle, but instead, I found myself nodding off due to sheer boredom.

I considered rating “Guardians of Azuma” a 7, as the game itself isn’t horrific, but it falls disappointingly short on a broader level. The dungeons are dull, the combat is uninspiring, the character development is shallow, and the customization leaves much to be desired. However, a lively cast of characters, decent voice acting, and effective village editing tools offer some redeeming qualities. Unfortunately, these aspects don’t quite compensate for the monotonous gameplay experience.

If you’re primarily interested in character interactions and finding your perfect match in Azuma, then the combat and village management might seem like a tedious hurdle. On the other hand, if you’re seeking engaging progression systems, I’m sorry to say that you may need to look elsewhere.

If you don’t mind, I think I’ll step away now to immerse myself in Rune Factory 4. It looks like all the elements I hoped to find in Guardian of Azuma might actually be present in that game instead. That could make me a bit frustrated.

6

The following versions of the game, “Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma,” can be played on both the current Nintendo Switch console and the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 system.

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2025-06-02 10:28