Marvelous has been busy this morning as it shared a ton of information and gameplay about Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma in multiple livestreams across the world. Fans were able to get an even more in-depth look at the game, from romance to combat to village building, in gameplay seen for the first time.
The Marvelous Europe livestream featured Ovilee May as host, also bringing in Brandon McInnis and Suzie Yeung, the voice actors for Subaru and Kaguya (the protagonists) respectively.
The voice actors explained that the game is full of story, which is fairly normal for a Rune Factory game. Its setting, Azuma, is an Eastern country that was scattered into pieces after the Celestial collapse. Players will need to unite these pieces to restore peace to Azuma, facing an evil known as the Blight.
Azuma is full of Japanese influences, from festivals to events to monsters. However, there are Western influences, as well, particularly in the food. There are also characters that have traveled from the West as well. A beautifully detailed image showcasing a bit of Azuma and the main characters was shown off as well:
The protagonists are both part of the game and have known each other since they were kids. They were betrothed when they were younger, and the Celestial collapse of Azuma made things complicated. That’s all the actors were allowed to say on that, but given the romance options, it’s clear the betrothal isn’t set in stone.
With 16 romanceable characters, there’s someone for every player. The cast is full of quirks, which is a Rune Factory specialty. Both McInnis and Yeung pointed out that the game’s romances are very detailed, more so than any of the past games.
Romancing characters includes going on dates, inviting them to different areas, and even having intimate options with them. The closer the bond, the more options there are. Players will need to choose options that the character will like — for example, having an intelligent conversation isn’t everyone’s favorite pastime, though the option is there.
The characters are part of the bread and butter of what makes Rune Factory games what they are. In Guardians of Azuma, players will need to take care of the villagers. In turn, they’ll take care of the player, too.
The development zone is the area in villages that players can customize and farm on. The villagers are always down to lend a helping hand, and players can assign them to various roles around the zone, including several farming roles. Each villager has skills that will help them do various tasks, and some are better at running stores than others.
Players can customize and build in the development zone in the third person or an overhead view. The development zones are included in every village, and some have multiple zones to customize.
Villagers can also help in fights. They have their own combat styles that will help in a fight, whether they’re buffing the rest of the party or attacking directly. Plus, they’ll keep things interesting with little quips throughout combat. Combat can also deepen relationships and improve villager’s skills.
Monsters can also be used in combat or for just exploring the world. They can be rotated in and out of the field. Between monsters and villagers, parties can have up to six members.
Combat also looks a little different. New weapons and the ability to craft an entire team to take on the world should make the fighting feel different from other games in the franchise.
Each enemy monster has weaknesses that, when used, can stun them. These weaknesses are very important for taking down major bosses. There’s also a perfect dodge feature that slows down time, allowing for the perfect parry.
While the combat looks similar to Rune Factory 5’s combat, it’s got a lot more options for tailoring combat between new weapons and new magic.
The protagonists are Earth Dancers, a new role in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. They use special dances to create magic and bring vitality to the land, which is a bit different than the Earthmates in the previous games. When exploring Azuma, players can use dances to get items or recipes.
They can also get sacred treasures, including a drum, sword, and parasol, that can be used in combat. In an off-hand comment, one of the localization team members pointed out that they get these treasures from the gods.
These sacred treasures can also help in other areas. For example, the drum speeds up crop growth. The sword lets players get seeds when used to harvest crops. The parasol can be used to water large areas of crops.
A collaboration with Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin was announced. The DLC brings Sakuna to the game, where she’ll be a villager that players can invite and bring to combat like any other. This comes ahead of Sakuna Chronicles: Kokorowa and the Gears of Creation and an animated TV show.
Excited fans can watch the Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma livestream and gameplay below and see the action for themselves:
Gameplay was also shown off in the Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma Japanese livestream. It was different footage than the Marvelous Europe livestream. It did show off different combat, with particular attention to close-quarters combat and more on the Blight affecting Azuma. The Japanese gameplay also had different romance interactions, as well. Players can view it below:
There are also several Japan-specific DLC, including new clothes for the bachelorettes that feature outfits from the bachelorettes in Rune Factory 4.
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma will be released on May 30, 2025 for PC and Nintendo Switch. Fans can find more information from the trailer last week here, along with the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase from last year.
