Written by Anthony L. Cuaycong
Title: Rune Factory 4 Special
Developer: Marvelous Inc., Neverland, Hakama Inc.
Publisher: Marvelous (XSEED)
Genre: RPG, Simulation
Price: $39.99
Rune Factory 4 Special isn’t exactly new. In fact, it’s a direct port of the RPG developer Marvelous worked on and released eight years ago for the Nintendo 3DS. That said, it’s a worthy addition to the already-expansive library of titles on the Switch as arguably the best in the Rune Factory series. While littered with elements followers of the franchise — and, yes, of other releases in the genre — know too well, it elevates itself with its crafty use of crafting, pun wholly intended, as critical to character development. And it’s certainly aided by a compelling story arc that has gamers invested in outcomes.
Rune Factory 4 Special begins with the main character heading to Selphia to deliver an offering to its deity, only to suffer from amnesia following a fight with hijackers. Ejected from the airship, he (or she, depending on gender choice at the start of the game) is then mistaken for royalty and tasked with running the town. Which he does even after the arrival of the real prince (who would rather do other things). And so he goes after its upkeep, maintains crops, makes friends, and even takes monsters as pets — all while, on whim and fancy, exploring dungeons in an effort to get to the bottom of a bigger mystery.
If Rune Factory 4 sounds a lot like a fantastic Animal Crossing: New Horizons, that’s because it is. It certainly puts its Harvest Moon roots to good use with a polished take on farming; Better tools and better grounds make for better fruits of labor. And, in this regard, it makes use of a sophisticated crafting system that accounts for items picked up after battles, as well as of intertwined skill trees that improves character stats. Gamers are continually provided with incentives to level up, and thus have the wherewithal to keep exploring dungeons for rare finds, which are then crafted for town improvement.
The cycle is evident, and, in Rune Factory 4 Special, repeated at leisure. Those who have already played the original on the 3DS will have no trouble getting hooked anew. Meanwhile, gamers picking it up for the first time on the Switch will be pleased to note the smoothness of the interface despite the absence of a second screen. Controls are spot-on and intuitive, and rightly serve to help rather than hinder. The visuals have been reworked for high-definition appreciation, but the unavoidable reliance on a dated source material is clear. Moreover, the translation has rendered the text sharp but small — perhaps too small for comfort. It fares much better aurally, and benefits from the option to toggle between Japanese and English voice tracks.
In typical Rune Factory fashion, Rune Factory 4 Special is likewise into relationship-building. Depending on gamers’ preferences, any of six characters from the opposite gender can be wined and dined, and then married. Make no mistake, though; wooing takes effort, and compatibility concerns do arise. Parenthetically, it bears noting that randomly triggered town events are crucial to progression. In other words, it’s a boon to those perfectly fine with idyllic settings and setups, and far from perfect for those who feel like time is a valuable resource that cannot be wasted.
On the whole, Rune Factory 4 Special earns its $59.99 sticker price, and not just because of the additional content not previously available on the 3DS. Filled with surprising depth and integration, it figures to keep gamers occupied for tens, even hundreds, of hours on end.
THE GOOD
- Pace dependent on choice
- Deep and engaging
- Interesting characters
- Varied gameplay elements
- Smooth interface
THE BAD
- Reliance on dated source material
- Still blocky visually
- Text can be too small to read without straining
- Randomly triggered events required to progress
RATING: 9/10
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