Review - Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma

Roberto Nieves
Jun 5
7 min read

Updated: Jun 6

Publisher: XSeed (North America), Marvelous Inc

Available On: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Steam

Review Console: Steam via Steam Deck

A cataclysmic collapse. Monsters and darkness have infected the land. In the darkness, there is a light, and a hero must rise to face this challenge, for it has been prophesied. The hero is not alone, for it is the everyday people who make the land of Azuma. The villager, the blacksmith, and the carpenter all play a role. To face evil and save the land, it takes the strength of an entire people to win the day and create a future. This is the message of Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma.

Since 2006, the Rune Factory series has been a solid spinoff of the Story of Seasons series. Known for their life-sim, farming, and dungeon combat combination, the Rune Factory games have established themselves as a strong RPG franchise. Now, in 2025, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma sees itself reimagined for the present era. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is a remarkable game and perhaps the best in the series yet.

It takes a village

The Land of Azuma is a land steeped in Japanese tradition and folklore. It is inhabited by the people of the four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Winter, and Autumn. It is a land balanced by the Gods and their divine powers, as well as the villages that inhabit them. This all ended when a cataclysmic event called the Celestial Collapse occurred. A mysterious object from the sky crashes into the land, obliterating the land and sending Azuma skyward. The gods lose their power and retreat into slumber. It is said that at this collapse, an Earth Dancer will appear to restore the land.

Waking from a nightmarish dream, the Earth Dancer awakens to find themselves in one of the villages. Gifted with the Earth Dance, as well as combat skills, the Earth Dancer is destined to restore the land of Azuma. The Earth Dancer will resummon the Gods, bring the seasons together, and end the plight that has inhabited the nation.

These humble words

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is a JRPG that combines life-sim and farming elements into its gameplay structure. Players play as the Earth Dancer, the fabled hero who will restore the land of Azuma. Players choose between two protagonists: Saburu or Kaguya. It is entirely the player's preference as to who shall be the hero of this story. Following this choice, the game begins with a tale of two dragons clashing in the sky.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma has three different gameplay modes: Farming, life-simulation, and dungeon-focused exploration and combat. Players are not only responsible for fighting monsters and cleansing the land of the darkness, but also for building a village and relationships. Learning all three systems and working with each one unlocks the true Rune Factory experience.

The Village Chief

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma does a fine job of explaining each system. The first few hours are spent teaching the systems, but the pacing and orientation feel meaningful and purposeful, not dragging the player through throngs of menus. Firstly, players are introduced to the farming mechanics. The village of each season is integral to healing Azuma. Building structures, constructing homes, and farming for crops bring villagers. The happier the villagers, the stronger the village. The stronger the village, the more magic is brought back to Azuma.

The Earth Dancer isn't alone in this endeavor. Villagers and character lend their aid with advice, resources, and even special items. One item is a drum given by the Goddess Ulalaka. This drum can restore withered trees and heal party members in combat. Another item given later is a flaming sword that can form a fire circle to incinerate enemies in combat. Every tool and item given has a usefulness in both farming, construction, and combat.

Earth Dancing

Players are introduced to the most important part of Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma: Recipes. Everything has a recipe, from building to forging a sword. Once a recipe is gained, the item can then be made by the appropriate person. A blacksmith handles weapons. A Carpenter handles buildings. A chef handles food items. The more time invested in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, the more recipes can be unlocked.

Farming begins with growing and harvesting turnips, but soon evolves into building homes and Soy Sauce factories. A neat feature in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is how farming can be done. New to this entry is being able to use the top-down view to accurately farm. While farming can be done in the third person, this top-down view was quick, effective, and enjoyable. I was able to remove obstacles with ease and place structures exactly how I wanted to.

Stronger Together

If done right, villagers begin wandering into the village. As the Earth Dancer, players assign the villagers to their respective work roles. As more villagers come in, profit can be made. However, more villagers mean more homes need to be constructed. Harvested items may also be sold in the shipping container for more profit toward constructing buildings and forging weapons. Of course, farming and construction need materials. That's where the combat comes in.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma has thrilling dungeon-crawling combat. Setting across the wilderness, the goal is to slay the Oni that ravage the land, as well as other monsters. Combat is the traditional action hack'n'slash with different weapons. New to the series is the use of the bow and arrow, as well as other additions to the combat. Some monsters are easier to deal with than others, as some have weaknesses to certain weapons. Short blades can be used in quick succession. Long blades are slower but deal more damage. The bow and arrow are effective in long-distance combat.

Blades of Steel

Fighting and combat are thrilling, fast-paced, and a constant drip of reward. Every enemy slain yields materials for construction, selling, or eating. The land features ore deposits for mining and construction. Slaying larger beasts levels up the Earth Dancer and supporting characters. These enemies aren't pushovers, however. The Oni come in various shapes and sizes, some requiring strategy to truly defeat. The boss fights, in particular, are exciting and a blast to take down. Taking things behemoths down involves breaking their stamina bar and rushing in when weakened.

Combat helped the village by collecting resources for construction, but also the request board. The request board in each village gives numerous tasks to be completed for gold and resources. Completing each one earns XP, which leads to one of the core aspects of Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, creating runes. The runes are a level-up tree that enhances the players' various stats in attack, defense, and so on. The more runes acquired, the more powerful the Earth Dancer becomes. This brings us to one of the big draws of Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma: The life simulation.

Forged bonds

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma introduces a cast of characters to interact with, all of whom are more than willing to help you. These include chefs, carpenters, and even Gods. These characters are drawn to your Earth Dance abilities, and while they are each happy to help, they each have their own personality and requests. A key part of Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is not only befriending these characters but also building bonds. By building bonds, more quests can be unlocked as well as items for the village.

Eventually, if the bonds reach a certain point, players can hang out with the characters. These include talking, cooking, hanging out in the forest, and eventually, enjoying a hot spring and dinner together. Inevitably, these characters can be asked to marry, and if they say yes, a marriage can be formed, along with the chance to have children. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma supports same-sex marriage as well. Most importantly, these characters can join in combat and exploration, providing valuable support in the heat of battle.

Life is better with Friends

Interacting with these characters is a blast and a big highlight of my time with Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. Their rich personalities were a cozy and heartwarming experience, highlighting the importance of hard work and the beautiful moments of friendship. The cast, who are fully voiced in Japanese or English, bring their heart to the role, and it is infectious on-screen. I couldn't help but want to solve everyone's requests and also learn from each character. There is a big heart with Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, and its beats are too strong to ignore.

When everything comes together, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is a great game, where everything comes together in a seamless and remarkable fashion. There is a lot ot enjoy and I couldn't help but want to keep playing. What wins here is this constant sense of reward, whether it's through defeating an enemy, building a village, or forging a bond with a character.

A land rooted in tradition

The world is steeped in a remarkable art style that is clearly inspired by Japanese fantasy. There is a strong sense of color, music, and writing. Every moment felt aesthetically pleasing and elegant. The team took their time to create an immersive and colorful experience that would separate itself from the competition. This is complemented by a solid music score and audio that heightens the experience.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma ran great as well, with no technical issues or glitches to speak of. Controls were intuitive and responsive, and the interface for construction was fantastic in particular. It's clear that the team took to heart some of the technical problems that plagued previous entries and ensured everything worked to a tee. I never once encountered a bug that halted my progress or prevented my enjoyment of the game.

Fire Up the Rune Factory

It's hard not to recommend Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma to most players. If a player is looking for a life sim, it's an engaging life sim with a multitude of characters to befriend with unique storylines. If players want that farm life, it's a thrilling farm life with profits, resources, and buildings. If players want an action game, there are plenty of monsters to fight and bosses to slay. Most games cobble different mechanics together, but few make it work. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is one of those games that make it all work.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma follows in the footsteps of its predecessors but makes so many improvements to the formula that I can safely say this is the best Rune Factory yet. It's a game where everything moves and clicks seamlessly. Nothing feels outlandish or sticks out. I'm most pleased with my time with Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma and believe everyone who can play this should play this. It's a terrific game. Prepare yourself for the adventure of a lifetime with Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma.