When you think of Japanese-style RPGs, one developer and publisher continues to impress by releasing great games and content throughout the years. Over a decade has passed since XSEED joined the Marvelous team, and they have continued to put out top-of-the-line games that leave many fans clamoring for more.
In prior years, we have met with XSeed Games and Marvelous Inc. to preview and review some of their more prominent games. If you are unfamiliar with Marvelous Inc., they are responsible for Rune Factory, Story of Seasons, Farmagia, Loop8: Summer of Gods, and Fate/Extella Link.
At PAX East, Marvelous Inc. was giving guests the opportunity to preview their upcoming games, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar, The Big Catch, and Moonlight Peaks.
Since we had a semi-packed schedule, we only had enough time to preview Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma and The Big Catch. For Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, Marvelous Inc. had two different demos showcasing different aspects of the game. The first demo focused predominantly on combat, while the second demo revolved around farming/village life.
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma features two protagonists who are tasked with revitalizing the spring village and connecting with the other season’s gods.
Two different factions look to control the fate of the world, and you are stuck in between. As a hero whose lost their memories, you will have to not only uncover the mysteries of the land but also unravel the mystery behind your past.
For the first part of the meeting, XSEED had us do a demo revolving around the game’s combat system. Combat within the game is similar to other action RPGs, where you have attacks that can be used freely in combat, while other attacks require action points.
If you run out of action points, you will need to either rest at a bonfire or use restoration items. Magical weapons use action points, but can be powerful tools.
As you are exploring dungeons, you will have the opportunity to level your party, find new recipes, and get gear that can help take down enemies in your way. These dungeons can be a bit confusing at times, but the map gives clear indicators where to go and what hasn’t been explored.
You can see where the boss room is while exploring the dungeon and rest at the bonfire before the fight; resting at the bonfire allows you to recover your stats, make food, and modify your party.
In boss fights, you will be able to see what type of damage is most effective against them and plan around it. Switching weapons in combat is quick and easy, and makes it so that you can overcome an enemy.
For the demo, it seemed like we had most of the equipment unlocked, but it will be interesting to see how the boss fights are when you have limited gear. We were able to move around the battlefield with ease, but still had to be tactical with our movements; dodging enemy attacks could be a matter of life or death for us or the party.
After experiencing the combat demo for Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, we then switched over to the Farming/Village Demo.
As someone who doesn’t like cozy games or farming simulators, I was pleasantly surprised by the management system in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. The game tackles the management system in different ways; either you can play the game like Animal Crossing and manage everything directly, or you can manage it from above.
Either way you choose to manage the village, the assets cleared or reclaimed will be stored in a village inventory system. This system is able to be accessed in the menu, and objects can be quickly placed around the village in available spaces. You may need to clear off certain parts of the grid to make sure there is space, but this process is simple.
Unlike other cozy games with farming in them, you can assign villagers to take care of different tasks within the village. Additionally, if you do not want to go through the normal process of managing a farm, you can use your magical equipment to speed up the process. Use the Umbrella to water the crops and the fan to harvest different plants.
Outside of farming and upgrading your village, you can manage and expand your relationships with the different villagers. Growing your relationships with different characters is important to unlock new abilities, adventures, and romantic paths.
Forming a relationship with someone can lead to handholding, picnics, and even headpats. All characters are romancable (16), and as you build your bond, you will figure out what makes the character happy and the different nuances of their personality.
In the skill menu settings, there are a variety of weapon abilities and skills to upgrade. The player can choose which piece of equipment to upgrade and choose whether to use item-specific experience (gained from use) or All-Purpose XP; All-Purpose XP is semi-limited, so it is better to use it sparingly.
Although I have yet to play a Rune Factory beyond a demo, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma has made me want to. The combat was smooth and easy to understand.
On the other side, the farming and city building within the demo was refreshing and made me want to keep going. Rune Factory Guardians of Azuma is set to release on June 5, 2025, on PC, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is set to launch on June 5th for Windows PC (via Steam), Switch, and Switch 2.
