Ever since the first entry launched on the Nintendo DS in 2006, Rune Factory has positioned itself as the more action-oriented, adventurous cousin of Harvest Moon. A blend of farming simulator and dungeon crawler, it added layers of social interaction and relationships with the inhabitants of your settlements—villages where magic was never far away. Equally present were the friendly monsters, mysterious ruins, and spiritual forces, all loosely inspired by Japanese folklore, yet often wrapped in a fairly generic fantasy coat.

But with Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, developer Marvelous takes a sharp turn and fully embraces a more culturally defined direction. No more vague fantasy realm, but a region that, from the first minute, breathes Azuma—or in other words: “the East.” A world deeply inspired by Japanese nature, mythology, and spiritual traditions. The game releases on June 5 for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. For this review, we played the PC version.

Dancing to the Dragon’s Tune

In Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, your adventure doesn’t start by planting carrots or milking cows, but with a strange vision of a flashy battle where both challengers face off while riding dragons. The dream ends abruptly when you wake up in the teahouse of Iroha in the village of Spring Village—your storage space and the place you’ll be spending every night. Iroha is kind, but she immediately asks—quite firmly—if you wouldn’t mind sweeping up some leaves outside. Thus, you’re handed a Plum Branch, but luckily, you’re also rewarded with your first ritual dance: the Dance of Bonds. You’re then expected—just shy of being forced—to perform this dance at the statue of the local dragon-like deity.

You might’ve already guessed it, but yes, the game holds your hand quite firmly in the beginning—maybe too firmly. Straying from the marked paths quickly leads to a stern “Please be serious” and immediately teleports you back toward the mission. It’ll take several hours before the game finally lets go and the tutorial storm—complete with mandatory missions, even some side quests—settles. Fortunately, this does change later, granting more freedom of movement. Dialogues also begin to include some moral choices: will you share food with the young Suzu? Will you take responsibility when a villager expresses concern? All these choices actually have consequences, so they never feel pointless.

Of Flying Sheep and Sacred Drums

The plot itself unfolds through Sakaki, a stoic samurai and the chief of the first village, who finally lays it all out clearly. It’s a tale of how the so-called Celestial Collapse destroyed the land of Azuma fifty years ago. Since then, due to some form of Blight—sigh—all the sacred trees are on the verge of death, and the gods who once watched over the land have weakened. This allows evil forces—including black dragons—to feast on the rune stones that once protected the realm. Honestly, the story won’t keep you up at night. But the narrative backbone is—thankfully—just sturdy enough to keep the colorful gameplay shell in place.

The story won’t keep you up at night.

Before long, you’re named an Earth Dancer, a chosen one tasked with healing the land and its people through ritual dances. This is also when Woolby shows up, a winged sheep who calls himself a Moko Dragon and clearly doesn’t take himself too seriously. Woolby becomes your assistant, gifting you a drum—a divine one, actually—which unlocks your first Kamiwaza ability: a ritualistic yet primarily healing dance. With this move, you cleanse the surrounding flora and fauna, as well as your party members. Performing abilities requires Rune Points, but these can be easily replenished through various food items you pick up along the way. Once you weaken the virtual chains that bind the goddess Ulalaka (yes, her), you’ll unlock the offensive variant of this dance, allowing you to slow down enemies during combat. Just one example of how a single mechanic holds multiple layers—and this is just one ability among a massive skill tree.

God Seeks Farmer, Farmer Seeks: Materials

From this point, things get even busier: suddenly everyone likes you so much that you’re made mayor of the village—or in other words, Sasaki just doesn’t want the job anymore. You’re handed the Terra Tiller, a sickle that lets you reshape the entire village in Builder Mode. You hack, chop, and deconstruct like Bob the Builder on ginseng. You can farm yourself using the farming tiles, but it’s smarter to assign tasks to villagers and let them handle the dirty work. Like managing shops or growing crops that can boost your drum dances—though limited to one plot per day. This is no Farming Simulator, after all.

Every harvest and every good deed (read: quests for villagers) increases your village level. This in turn boosts the Divinity level of the local deity, granting new blessings and benefits. Each night, after sleeping, you get an overview of your income, growth, and XP, which you can use to unlock more options in the Skill Tree. Cooking dishes like onigiri, either from recipes or by dancing at frog statues—yes, you read that right—boosts your stats. In short, everything builds logically on each other, although gathering materials for construction does become a bit grindy.

Momentum, Chaos, and Depth

It’s only when you step outside the village that the game truly comes alive, because at last, you can dive into combat. In semi-open zones, you learn combos, dodge moves, and counterattacks in fast-paced battles against various monsters and Blight-infected creatures, including evil chickens. Fights can be tough, especially when facing mini-bosses—or their even bigger siblings. These often require you to exploit weak points with elemental attacks or smart timing; otherwise, you won’t break their stun gauge in time.

There are, however, some issues during combat. Enemies sometimes behave erratically, with weird pathfinding and animations that can cause them to get stuck in the environment. And while cutscenes are generally light-hearted thanks to Woolby’s comic relief, some dialogues begin to repeat quickly. The game clearly targets a younger audience, but it doesn’t always explain everything clearly. Crucial info you’ll need later is buried in menus, making it less accessible for short play sessions. You’re constantly required to dig deeper—and juggle a lot of systems. Because yes, at its core, this still is a sim-management game.

What does stand out and stick with you is the cozy atmosphere and its accompanying charming visual style.

What does stand out and stick with you is Guardians of Azuma’s cozy atmosphere and its accompanying charming visual style. The cel-shaded look gives the world a soft, almost painterly aesthetic that radiates Japanese folklore—the world feels genuinely authentic. The soundtrack, with its blend of traditional instruments and modern elements, further enhances this Eastern vibe.

Final Thoughts

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is a vibrant, spiritual reimagining of the franchise’s classic formula. The cultural influences aren’t just cosmetic this time—they give meaning and identity to the gameplay, story, and world. Combat is fluid and varied, the farming system runs deep, and playing social worker finally earns the respect it deserves. But yes, there are downsides. The forced linearity, the repetition and grind, the sometimes messy combat… But beneath it all lies a game that dares to take bold steps, and that alone earns it a recommendation—especially for longtime Rune Factory fans, lovers of Japanese aesthetics, and players seeking a farming RPG that isn’t afraid to stray off the beaten path. In short, Guardians of Azuma won’t spark a revolution, but it certainly offers a refreshing twist within the franchise.

Additional Information

Release Date: June 5, 2025
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency via BeyondGaming.
Developer: Marvelous Inc.
Publisher: Marvelous Europe, XSEED Games
Official Website: https://na.runefactory.com/azuma
Relevant Links: Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma on STEAM

Share on: