Rune Factory 4 is nostalgia


I still remember the time I bought RF4 for the 3DS XL. Good times. So good, I decided to buy it again for my Switch.

Rune Factory 4 is a fantasy RPG that seamlessly blends sim-farming on one hand and an RPG with real-time combat on the other. If you're familiar with Harvest Moon, then Rune Factory is definitely for you. Players will experience the staple of farming, crafting, and ranching. In addition, players will explore and fight monsters to find materials. They will also need to make friends and be able to get married in the game as well. Unlike in RL where getting married is intense. 

The Rune Factory 4 Special for the Nintendo Switch is the full package. As the main character, part of story is building friendships and relationships thus these friendly characters have to be acting as themselves rather than the player controlling them including combat. This is what stood out for me on game design in general. The graphics do look dated on the Switch, but the gameplay is still solid. In my opinion, any RPG with real-time combat and AI companions in a story mode is a banger. I prefer real-time combat mechanics, over turn-based combat but that doesn't mean turn-based RPGs are bad. Not at all. 

In addition, the farming mechanics require players to till, plant, and water so the player is kept in motion; this keeps the pace on combat (as it is real-time) so they complement each aspect well. Players will explore the town of Selphia as well as the outer maps laid out in a dungeon crawler fashion. It's another inspiration that influenced my game design. Anyway, this entry serves as a reminder that Rune Factory 5 is coming. In fact, it has already been released in Japan, but we're still waiting for the North American release.

After all these years, I just noticed this dialogue.

The special edition has newlywed mode, a short game scenario involving your in-game spouse, and costume DLCs. Rune Factory 4 is worthy for any farming sim gamer. Plus players can play it on a bigger screen via docked. This enhanced version aims to reminds folks too why farming sim gamers should look forward to the upcoming Rune Factory 5.
THE HARVEST GAMER
Sam1, a portmanteau for someone, is an aspiring novelist in the romance, comedy, and horror genre. He is a university graduate with a degree in Business Administration and Applied Computer Science. He is an indie game-developer on itch.io and also an avid gamer. He currently works as an Exams and Adaptive Technology Coordinator.

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