Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma Review

I’ve spent the last week completely absorbed in the mystical world of Azuma. And as a long-time fan of the series, I feel confident in saying this has to be the freshest take on Rune Factory I’ve experienced since the series began. But let me start with the elephant in the room: after the technical issues that plagued Rune Factory 5, I was genuinely worried about jumping into another entry on a brand new platform. Thankfully, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma on Nintendo Switch 2 feels like a completely different beast and runs like an absolute champion, especially in the docked mode.

An intriguing story that hooks you

You wake up as either Kaguya or Subaru (your choice) after crash-landing through a shrine roof in the world of Azuma. Classic amnesia setup? Sure. But the twist here is that you’re not just some random farmer; you’re an Earth Dancer. An Earth Dancer is basically a nature-powered superhero tasked with saving the entire eastern land of Azuma from something called the Celestial Collapse.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma Review

9.0Superb

PlatformPC, Switch, Switch 2

Release DateJune 5, 2025

DeveloperMarvelous Inc.

PublisherXSEED Games, Marvelous USA

You see, fifty years ago, this massive object slammed into Azuma and shattered everything. The gods vanished, the land withered, and now there’s this creeping corruption called Blight spreading everywhere. Your job as an Earth Dancer? Restore four seasonal villages, bring back their guardian gods, and figure out what the hell actually happened.

The Japanese aesthetic is absolutely stunning. We’re talking traditional festivals, shrine architecture, and character designs that look like they stepped out of a Studio Ghibli film. Each seasonal village has its own personality, from the cherry blossom-filled Spring village that feels peaceful and tranquil, to the autumn area bursting with every color imaginable. It’s a genuinely beautiful world to explore.

Village building with some depth

Here’s where Guardians of Azuma really shakes things up. Instead of just tending your own farm, you’re rebuilding entire communities from scratch. You place buildings, assign villagers to jobs, and watch ghost towns transform into thriving settlements.

If it sounds overwhelming, don’t be daunted. The game introduces everything gradually, starting you with simple stuff like placing a bakery or flower shop, then working up to more complex layouts. The villagers aren’t just decoration either. You can reassign them based on their skills to improve their efficiency in the town. Got someone good at farming? Put them in charge of the crops while you handle combat or construction.

The progression system ties everything together beautifully. Almost every action you complete gives you skill points for something. Swing a sword? Combat skills increase. Cook a meal? Cooking abilities grow. Build a house? Construction experience. It makes every activity feel meaningful, which is something the series has always done well, but feels more pronounced and rewarding here with the more in-depth systems and bigger world.

Combat the feels fluid and fun

Even though it’s always had its charm, I remember how clunky combat used to feel in older Rune Factory games. Not here. The fighting system draws clear inspiration from Breath of the Wild; you’ve got dodge rolls, perfect timing that gives you slow-motion moments, and the sacred treasures you collect work like elemental abilities.

Your arsenal includes traditional melee weapons, bows (a series first!), and these magical artifacts that let you unleash fire blasts, healing auras, and wind attacks. Boss fights actually require a bit of strategy now. One ghostly autumn boss I fought, for example, kept teleporting around, forcing me to use ranged fire attacks instead of just button-mashing with my sword. With how fluid the combat is, each encounter feels fun as opposed to a chore.

You can bring three companions into battle, and they’re actually genuinely helpful. Once you bond with villagers, they’ll also join your party, and each has different roles. In traditional RPG fashion, you’ve got healers, tanks, and damage dealers. Even monsters can be tamed and brought along later. The variety keeps combat interesting as you progress without making it overly complex.

Farming and progression upgraded

The farming itself has been streamlined compared to earlier entries. You craft terrain tiles, plop them down, plant seeds, give them some water, and wait for them to grow. It’s less realistic than some farming sims, but way more convenient. Different villages specialize in different crops based on their seasons, so you’ll be managing multiple farms across the world of Azuma.

The relationship system got an overhaul too. Instead of just giving gifts to raise friendship levels, you can do activities together like cooking sessions, walks around the town, and even sharing meals together. There are quite a few romance options total (I think 15ish), and they’re all available regardless of your character’s gender. The voice acting is genuinely good, which helps sell the emotional moments and pull the whole experience together.

Feels great on the Switch 2

This is where things get really impressive. I haven’t played the original Switch version, but I’ve seen footage. The resolution bump on the Switch 2 is immediately noticeable; the character models look crisp, the environments have much more detail, and that annoying texture pop-in from the original Switch version is basically gone.

The frame rate improvement is the real game-changer though. Everything runs smooth as butter. No more stuttering when entering busy village areas or during combat encounters with multiple enemies. Loading times are noticeably faster too.

But the coolest addition? Mouse support with the Joy-Con 2 controllers. Village building becomes so much more precise when you can point and click exactly where you want buildings placed. It’s a small feature that makes a huge difference in the building sections which is one of the bigger aspects in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma.

The rougher spots

While Guardians of Azuma has improved on the Rune Factory formula in most areas, there are a few minor issues. For example, the story takes its time to really get going. The first few hours involve a lot of tutorial handholding and exposition dumps about the world’s history. However, once you get past that initial setup and reach the second village, things pick up considerably and the story is great the rest of the way.

Dungeon design is also pretty basic. Most areas boil down to “fight through enemies, hit switches, fight boss.” There is some exploration available to find crafting materials and secret areas, but don’t expect any complex puzzles or elaborate layouts throughout the dungeons.

The crafting system also feels simplified compared to Rune Factory 4. You can upgrade weapons and socket gems for stat boosts, but the deep item inheritance mechanics from previous games aren’t here. It’s functional in its current state, but not particularly exciting for min-maxers and fans looking for more depth in itemization for combat.

A bold and successful entry to the series

For newcomers to the series, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma might be the perfect entry point. The Japanese setting gives it a distinct identity, the village building adds strategic depth, and the technical performance on the Switch 2 is outstandingly solid.

All in all, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma succeeds by trying something different for the franchise. The village building mechanics add genuine depth, the combat improvements make dungeon crawling actually fun, and the world of Azuma is gorgeous to explore. The Switch 2 enhancements alone make this the definitive version to play.

After spending over 50 hours rebuilding Azuma, I’m genuinely excited to see where the series goes next. This feels like a successful reinvention that respects the series’ roots while pushing it in bold new directions.

If you’ve been waiting for a reason to jump back into Rune Factory, Guardian of Azuma is it. If you’re looking for launch titles to show off your new Switch 2, Guardians of Azuma delivers exactly what it promises: a beautiful, engaging world that’s actually fun to play.