Customer Ratings & Reviews

This has been an amazing game in the two or so weeks so far with my Nintendo Switch 2. I am a long time fan of the Runefactory series, having started with Runefactory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon on the DS, and this game may just be the best of them all! New city-building mechanics are super fun and all the characters and voice acting just make the game amazing in my opinion. 5/5!

This is my first ever Rune Factory game - I've heard amazing things about the series but have never really gotten around to purchasing any of the entries. The Far Eastern aesthetic grabbed my attention quickly for this particular entry, and since starting it I've struggled to put the game down! The balance between the sim aspects and the action rpg elements is spot on, and it's easy to get sucked into both aspects of the game. After such a phenomenal experience, I'm definitely going to have to spring for future entries into the series, and maybe even go back to play previous ones!

It’s a fun game, it doesn’t feel grindy, has a great story focus and is super easy to relax and just press some buttons without thinking a whole lot at the end of a long day IRL. It’s a good escape game!

I love this ruin factory spin off! The story is interesting and fighting style is so dope.

Okay, this game is a solid action RPG with elements of farm sim in it. There's a lot to see and do in this title, plus you're not doing so alone either, you actually have a party backing you. The game looks beautiful, hitting a constant 60fps on Switch 2. The soundtrack is also decent, not a song feels out of place and nothing grates on the ears. All in all, a rock solid action RPG that can keep you occupied for almost 100 hours and that's without the DLC.

Marvelous improved a lot from 5 on this one. If you don't already know Rune Factory games are basically fantasy farming games with RPG elements. The leveling system has changed from every skill having its own level to a skill tree you spend xp on. Village management is a lot more polished though farming is in my opinion simplified, this isn't a bad thing and some things are definitely improved about ( one seed does a square instead of needing 4 seeds per square when the seeds can only stack up to 9 per stack). Items that are stackable can stack much higher (old limit was 9 for most things). Hard to tell until 6 comes out how many of these changes are due to Guardians of Azuma being a side game or not. The game has an autosave feature now but still uses save points to manually save which might be a stylistic choice at this point because its an odd choice, I also wish when developing villages I didn't have to physically move my character between different development zones in a village. Mouse mode is supported when developing but I personally don't use it much for the above reason. Another thing to note is this is technically a switch 1 game with an optional download (included) to upgrade it to a switch 2 version so it can theoretically work on a switch 1 even though its a red switch 2 cart. Overall highly recommend if you like farming and rpg games.

Guardians takes the normal Rune Factory formula and builds on it with a multitude of new subsystems. Rather than managing a single farm you now manage multiple villages. Farming elements remain but are only one small portion rather than a major timesink from your in game days. Construction being able to be done in an over the shoulder camera or top down feels smooth with the ability to work on d pad style grid navigation or use the new switch 2 mouse controls. The story and characters are solid with plenty of voice acting. Combat also feels smooth and the skill tree xp system feels like a great natural power progression without the need to grind to use it.

I’ve been lost in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma on my Switch 2 for weeks, and it’s easily one of the best solo games I’ve ever played. Waking up as an amnesiac Earth Dancer in the lush, mythical land of Azuma feels magical from the first moment. The story of rebuilding a broken world while uncovering my own past pulled me in and never let go. I love how every day feels meaningful without being overwhelming. I plant glowing crops at dawn, chat with quirky villagers who quickly become friends, then head out to explore floating islands or battle spirits in fluid, satisfying combat. Best of all, I can hand off routine chores to the community I’ve built, so I’m free to focus on adventure and relationships instead of endless grinding. The Switch 2 makes it all shine. It runs at a silky 60 frames per second, loads instantly, and looks stunning whether I’m playing on the TV or in bed. The Joy-Con pointer for aiming spells and navigating menus feels intuitive and fun. Animations are smooth, the music is soothing, and the Japanese-inspired world is packed with secrets that reward curiosity. For a solo player like me, this is pure joy: cozy, deep, and always respecting my time. I can’t recommend it enough.

This was my first Rune Factory game and I really liked it! The voice acting was really good and gameplay itself was casual and nice. I would consider this a cozy game with a little bit of battling.

Easily one of the best launch day games put on the Nintendo Switch 2. It takes everything people loved about the previous Rune Factory games, tossed on some really awesome Japanese lore, and wrapped it up with interesting combat. I've already put about 50 hours in and I'm still not done. It's a great game, and runs like a dream on the Switch 2.

Do you like GB era Links Awakening with fun items that alter how you navigate and interact with the world? Do you like building a farm and village? Do you wany to marry pretty waifus and handsome husbandos? If you answered yes to even just one of those questions, you will have a great time with this game. It is addicting, and I find myself engaging in every set of game mechanics despite trying to just focus down the main story initially. Not to mention, full game on the cartridge. It doesnt come bundled with the DLC, and we have to buy the accessory kit separately from Marvelous, but I want to give them the benefit of the doubt that they were in a rush to get it out for Switch 2 the best they could. The fact they know they rushed and are offering the box as an option is huge for fans. Oh, and of course you can just buy the Earth Dancer edition for Switch 1 and buy an upgrade pack. With all those options to play the game how you want, game on cartridge when other publishers are doing game key only, making sure people can get those cool collectors items, and it being just a very fun, good game, I implore you to buy this game if you are even remotely interested. We have to support these good publishers that care about their fans.

What a great game from start to finish, enjoyed every second of it from the nice little story to the nice little town building and farming crops and getting all that money

It’s a great game, and I’m happy I bought the Switch 2 addition. I haven’t finished playing yet, but from what I have played, it’s a pretty great farming simulator with little bits of combat.

Great story and easy to play. Only reason its not 5 stars is because there isnt much of an end game and the marrage/children feel like a last minute addition. Could have been designed better. Still a great game and I recommended it if your on the fence.

I haven't made it too far into the game yet, but so far it's beautiful and plays really well on Switch 2. Looking forward to spending hours on this one.

Mister Piggy is my noble dragon sheep steed thing, my dragon-pig airplane, and together we liberate imprisoned gods who immediately assist me in deforesting the local population for twigs and pocket lint. The highlight isn’t farming or friendships—it’s the sheer joy of clear-cutting entire regions and erasing the wildlife with unbridled precision. Truly inspiring. 10/10 recommend.

I have been blown away by this game. It’s the only game I have been playing. I’m 22 hours in and it’s very fun to play. It has a well written story and characters. It can be really funny. Farming is streamlined so even if you don’t like that it’s easy to do. Exploring is fun with lots of things to see and collect. Combat is fun with lots of options. If you like games like Zelda and Dark Cloud I highly recommend this game. It’s fully voiced too.

It runs pretty well. Beautiful graphics and fun Japan esque settings! Love the gameplay and the story.

It's like if you made an RPG with Genshin Impact's skeleton, Pokemon Legends: Arceus' UI and font (seriously), [insert preferred hack 'n' slash game title here], and a little bit of Rune Factory to round it all off. Pity about the lack of gyro for bow aiming though. Game struggles very slightly at 4K when there's more than half a dozen characters doing stuff on screen. Lower the resolution to 1080p in the Switch 2 settings if that happens.

Fun and runs great on the Switch 2. The farming sim mixed with action combat is great!