PREVIEW: Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma

Fans of Rune Factory can finally sigh in relief: we finally have word on the new Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma title! We were fortunate enough to be given a first-hand look at the game courtesy of Marvelous, who was excited for fans worldwide to experience this new take on the Rune Factory series. Taking place in the far-off land of Azuma, instead of the series' typical location of Adonea, we see a Rune Factory game with a brand new Asian-inspired aesthetic—and the changes aren't just skin-deep.

Playing the game, you have the option of choosing which gender protagonist to use, as per usual. That said, your chosen hero or heroine functions differently from the other Earthmates--because they're not Earthmates. Instead, they're "Earthdancers;" while their role in reviving the land is similar, the execution is completely different. In Azuma, Earthmates restore the land through dances performed with special relics called Sacred Treasures. Instead of your ordinary farming tools, your Sacred Treasures are used to tend to your fields--as well as purify certain blights. On your travels, certain kinds of Blights might block your progress or obstruct fields. These can include venomous vines or miniature volcanoes. Using the right Treasure is key to purifying these blights. The Sacred Treasures include a magic fan, a flaming sword, an enchanted rice-paper parasol, and a special drum. Some of these relics have a secondary effect, like the Parasol allowing you to glide after a jump, or the Fan allowing you to run faster. These relics are also your tools for farming, watering crops, or tilling the earth. But there is a twist with how your farming works...

Unlike other Rune Factory games, Guardians of Azuma doesn't feature dedicated fields in its towns--because you have to make them. As per the central conceit to Guardians of Azuma, your chosen Earthdancer must not only restore the land but also its people, reconstructing the four Villages (Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring). This not only includes creating places for the people to live but also creating fields for growing crops. You can create fields as large or as small as you like. Best of all, restoring the villages allows you to allocate villagers to specific tasks. These can include manning certain stores or helping out with your crops. The latter means you can delegate watering crops or picking crops to the locals while you handle other matters.

As for the RPG mechanics, you can rest assured that these have also been improved. Guardians of Azuma allows you to choose up to three different characters to join you as you explore the wilderness around the village. This includes encountering all sorts of monsters that you can battle at your leisure. The weapons are a bit different this time, given a more Japanese feel: the standard short sword has been replaced with a katana, for example, and a new ranged weapon exists in the form of talismans. But your options will nevertheless be familiar to any Rune Factory veteran. Also, an option is your Sacred Treasures, which can be equipped as side-weapons at any moment. These help you purify Blights on the field (in many cases, unlocking new places to explore) and can also be used as weapons in battle at the cost of some Rune Points. While I wasn't able to experiment with it, monster taming is still a mechanic in Guardians of Azuma, but with a few changes (monsters are pacified with gifts, not with brushing).

During my time, I was allowed to explore a dungeon. Progression is as you expect: run through rooms and dispatch monsters as they present themselves to you. Bosses are found at the end of dungeons, and you can "relive" the battle against them (read: fight them again) once you reach their lairs. Bosses are damage sponges until you whittle down their Stamina meters, at which point they collapse and take extra damage for a time. Bosses might also be weak to specific Sacred Treasures or weapons, requiring a different play style. Players also have their dodges and blocks to evade damage, making battles engaging. It's also possible to unleash flashy special moves once you've built up enough energy from damaging monsters.

As a final treat, I was also allowed to play around with some of the romance mechanics. For longtime fans frustrated with the options in Rune Factory 5, Marvelous heard your cries. Guardians of Azuma features 16 romantic options (eight male, eight female). And the romantic interests are not gender-restricted. In that light, I went ahead and went on a date with Murasame, a gruff-looking samurai. As usual, you improve your relationship with paramours by talking to them daily, inviting them on your excursions into dungeons, and offering them gifts. Going on dates with them allows you to explore their personal storylines while growing closer to the character. My time was sadly limited, so I couldn't mingle very much with the other paramours.

Once the date ended, so too did my time with Guardians of Azuma. Sadly, we'll have to wait for its eventual release this May 30th on Steam and Nintendo Switch. Newcomers to the Rune Factory series and dyed-in-the-wool fans alike can look forward to a fun time in Azuma in the meantime!