The Rune Factory series is one with a strong pedigree behind it. A spinoff of the Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons series, it takes a different approach to the gameplay by merging the traditional series playstyle with action RPG elements. The series went through a period of uncertainty with regards to its future, but now is back with Rune Factory 4 Special, and Rune Factory 5 on the way. But what makes Rune Factory 4 Special stand out as worth your attention? Well the answer to that is simple; the amazing gameplay.
Rune factory 4 Special sees you journey to Selphia where you play as either a male or female character, and are ambushed on your way and stripped of your memory. Initially mistaken for a visiting prince, you are given the chance to make big decisions about the city and help the townspeople. Along the way, you must get to know the people of the town, do some farming, and go on adventures. This sounds simple, and on the surface it is, but the gameplay has a surprising amount of depth to it.
Each part of the game is involving and very addictive, whether you play for the story, just go for farming or other quests you can find. The more optional side quests you do, the more prince points you gain. These points are used to upgrade various things, such as shops, your room, parts of the town, your storage and more. The more you progress in the game, the more options you will find. Another point system to keep track of is the Rune Points. Rune Points are used for a variety of purposes, including magic, but also farming, mining, cooking, forging and more. You need to be mindful of how many Rune Points you have left, run out of them and it is your HP that is drained instead. As you level up each skill, such are fishing, farming, longsword, shortsword and so on, you will gain more RP and soon find yourself needing less RP for each skill.
The dungeon crawling is well done here, but you may find yourself overwhelmed at times. The solution to this is to have a follower and build a relationship with them so they will stay by your side. The use of magic also helps, and building the magic skills are essential to your survival. The dungeons vary in their design, from forests, to haunted houses to fortresses and so on. There is a nice diversity here, and thanks to a fast travel system available in the game, you can revisit the dungeons when you want. This is good for both level grinding as well as resource gathering, as there are plenty of supplies to find and areas to mine. You can even fight bosses over and over, for special items gained by defeating them.
There is something so charming about Rune Factory, with its various tasks, the townspeople in Selphia, and the farming that you do, that it is easy to get lost in the game. You can easily spend over a hundred hours before the main quest is done with everything there is to do here. There are also the new modes added for this release on Switch with Newlywed Mode and Another Episode. Another Episode takes the form of small visual novel segments that only last a few minutes. Newlywed Mode on the other hand offers a lot more, but may not be enough for those who played the game on 3DS. This mode is available once you marry one of the Bachelors or Bachelorettes, and serves as a new side mode that shows off the married life in more detail. This mode actually has gameplay and the scenarios will last you around 45 minutes, so there is definitely new content here. There is even new dialogue recorded and new options for you to take.
Rune Factory 4 Special has that elusive IT factor. It is a game that makes you want to keep playing no matter what, and never loses its fun factor in that time. I cannot recommend this game enough, as it is truly special. Those who played the original version on 3DS may or may not have enough to bring them back, but newcomers will definitely be in for a treat.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided