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There are games that mark generations, and a good example of this statement is what we bring you this time. Do you hear the franchise of Rune Factory? Having been born in Nintendo DS how an experimental spin-off from the series of Harvest moon (now Story of the Seasons) in which a greater focus was given to the fantastic role, the titles of this branch of the saga have evolved in various deliveries over the years, each adding completely new characters, as well as various novel tasks to be performed, improving and adapting Little by little to the new times.
That way, after its launch in Japan last year and after a few months of waiting, we already have among us Rune Factory 4 Special, the review of the popular game of Nintendo 3DS that marked so many years ago and now returns with two missions: to be more complete than ever and pave the way for the next big installment of the saga, Rune Factory 5.
So, thanks to Marvelous Europe and Meridiem Games, we will proceed to explain you as deeply as possible what brings this delivery again, as well as describe with maximum accuracy how is the Rune Factory experience for those upstarts who want to get into it taking advantage of the opportunity to lands for the first time to Nintendo Switch for your enjoyment to anyone who wants to give it a try.
Therefore, we begin. Is Rune Factory 4 Special what we expected from him? Or more importantly, is it a game worth your time? Join us and read on to find out!
The princely life is busy
Our story will begin on the back of a flying ship, embodying a character (who can be male or female, named after our choice even if his canonical ones are Lest and Frey) with a mission: to deliver something at all costs, and not to anyone precisely, but to a supposed deity that lives in a place known as Selphia. However, things get twisted, and in the middle of an unexpected attack, we end up landing in the beautiful city of the same name, only that without remembering our goal or who we are actually.
Consequently, a series of events and misunderstandings of the most varied they will be unleashed, so that we will end up with the responsibility of be the princes (or princesses) of Selphia, taking care not only of its organization and administration, but of all kinds of derivative work, such as forge friendship with its citizens (topic on which we will go into the subject later), go into dungeons while we solve a series of unexplained mysteries, or even devote ourselves to complete missions and grow all kinds of food in mechanics very similar to those we can find in the franchise's root series, Story of the Seasons.
Of course, what we tell you It's nothing more than the tip of the iceberg, since during the adventure we will meet more locations to explore, more characters what to know and more plot arcs Of those who enjoy. Because if, Rune Factory 4 Special It is one of those games where when the credits come out for the first time and we feel somewhat incredulous to believe that everything is over, really the thing has only just begun.
A game that suits you
A couple of paragraphs ago we told you that our work in the land of Selphia would occupy many disciplines of the most diverse, and when we affirmed this, we were not joking at all. So with everything, we have something to clarify: first of all, Rune Factory 4 Special is a role-playing game
As is, once this is clarified there is a latent question, How will our life develop in the game? Well, things will go such that: On the one hand, we will have plots destined to plant all kinds of crops in the purest Story of Seasons style: Plowing the land, planting seeds (which we can buy at the corresponding store or meet there) and watering them (unless it rains, of course) until they bloom.
These crops will go from food as potatoes and turnips, going by flowers to be able to give to our favorite neighbors to win their favor and reaching herbs to increase trust with our tamed monsters, to whom we can assign tasks to automate the entire process If ours is not farm life.
Justly, The biggest attraction of Rune Factory is that it has a range of activities to perform the most diverse, which start being simple and end up becoming extremely rich and complex. Being the agricultural activity previously described one of them, another in which the game makes special incision is in the one of the adventure, since in itself and as we mentioned before, the title defines itself, first of all, as an action role-playing game.
So for advance in the main plot of the game, we will have to explore a larger map than it seems, defeating the most diverse monsters and collecting all kinds of objects, solving the occasional hidden puzzle inside thematic dungeons that will go from a forest to a sinister haunted house. In addition, we will do all this using different magic and abilities that we will be unlocking, as well as a team that we can improve as we move forward and an extensive variety of weapons that will go from a scepter that throws fireballs to daggers, swords, axes and even fighting gloves, all of them with their respective special movements.
As if all this seems little to you, if neither being farmers nor being adventurous is your thing, you can always enjoy other aspects that the game offers, such as fishing, Cook with varied recipes, get to know our neighbors better (even making love flourish with them) or perform administrative duties (We remind you that we have a princely title that will enable this) as organize special festivals, unlock new features that are most useful or build modern facilities to Selphia, which will feel more and more alive with citizens who follow personalized routines Y stores with their own schedules which will vary according to the day and time that the game reflects.
Finally, if all this seems too much to you and you find it overwhelming, causing you to get lost and not know what to do (since in this game time flies by, something that we will deal with in a while with greater depth), you can always complete the missions entrusted to you Eliza, a being that, for some reason, only you can listen to and who you will try to help solve his mess while he assigns you more and more things to do. There is nothing!
With more heart than ever
Before we pointed out that time passes very quickly in the game (and out of it while we play it, why are we going to cheat you), and that is the planning What we do with it is another characteristic work that we will have to take charge of in the title.
First of all, Rune Factory 4 Special is configured following a system in which there are four months (each one representing a season of the year, so that in spring we will see how the cherry petals fall, while in winter we will contemplate the falling of the snowflakes) where days marked not only by the various events and festivals we organize will pass, but the birthdays of the neighbors that inhabit Selphia. Wait a minute … haven't we talked about them yet? What a foolishness!
Without further delay, we want to dedicate this section to try the relationship system with all of them, which will go by levels and will have more possibilities in this new installment, which we will explain below. Why Believe us, the thing has crumb for a while.
How could it be otherwise, let's start doing a review of all those characters that we can marry during the adventure, which will appear little by little along the plot (yes, keep in mind that these are not the only ones that will make an appearance in the adventure, since outside this selection, the game is full from endearing characters that we invite you to meet for yourselves as well as other surprises out of this list):
- Male suitors: Arthur, Leon, Vishnal, Kiel, Dylas, Doug …
- Female Suitors: Dolce, Forte, Margaret, Amber, Clorica, Xiao Pai …
As expected, the most proper facet of the dating simulator that we can find in the title we will find it in the relationships we can draw with all these characters
Of course, to win the favor of our desired partner we will have different methods, which will range from talk to them frequently until give them certain things (which will vary according to the tastes of the character, liking one the precious stones, or the other the fruits, for example). Thus, once the level of trust is sufficient, we can invite them to be our adventure companions (something that on the other hand will have a strategic value when facing certain dungeons), until the time comes to go for all and declare our love.
Precisely, in this last aspect is where it lies the bulk of news of the title in this new version, which comes mainly in the form of two additional modes: the newlyweds (Newlywed in English) and the Another Episode.
The first one will be unlocked. once we got married (hence his name), and will allow us, for a duration of about an hour, to enjoy original dialogues with our new sweetie, as well as exclusive playable segments where we will live in our meats a little bit of newly married life. In other words, all a fan service mine for the most loyal followers of certain characters who want to be more crammed with them than ever.
On the other hand, in the second one, the Another Episode, we will meet a lighter way that will follow a similar tonic with each character, limited to animations of little interactivity but with quite good taste. So, we want to point out that this last mode it comes in the form of free downloadable content at launch, although it is scheduled to be paid later.
Something for everyone
Closing with the gameplay of the title, we cannot ignore certain aspects that have resulted in the sea of curious or, at least, worthy of mention, starting by difficulty levels of the adventure, since, if we had three different ones that we could change at any time during the game, this new installment has thought about veterans and added another "Hell" mode, which, as the name implies, It won't make things easy for us!
Another point to note is that of the number of collectibles available in the adventure, which is not accessed from the main menu, much less, but through the basements of Selphia Castle, next to our room (where we will keep the game and sleep to spend the next day and regain strength). In these places we will find all kinds of detailsthat will go from trophies remind us of the achievements we have made in the title up to special items with winks to the community in very good taste. Of course, we recommend that don't go into this matter with this section of the game until you have advanced enough is the story, since much of this additional content is intended for the long-running fans of the franchise that already played the original delivery, so if you are first-timers, keep an eye on them, Do not go take any gut!
Finishing, we also have to deal with you the menu issue, which have been redesigned for Nintendo Switch, something that can be something that is difficult to get used to at the beginning (going from two screens to one has always been difficult at organizational levels) but that as we move forward in the adventure a lot is done more intuitive, each button being assigned to a different thing and giving us the possibility of use touch screen
Artistically from another era
When we say that Rune Factory 4 Special is a game that evokes another era, we refer to both good things and others that are not so good. On the one hand, we find that with the launch on Nintendo Switch of the title we can enjoy in high definition of what used to look simply acceptable on a low resolution screen such as the one of the Nintendo 3DS. However, it is also unquestionable that it shows in many aspects that we are playing a game that was conceived for the laptop, and not with the hybrid in mind.
Yes, the care that is behind is undeniable (and the illustrations are the sea of good, especially if you are used to playing Japanese role-playing games and you like their style), but perhaps the great weakness of the title resides in its textures and its outdated graphic section, something that could throw back more than one, but that, as we pointed out, is not too reproachable because it is a game that has been ported from the aforementioned previous generation console.
To end with the visual section, we cannot leave without mentioning the presence of numerous animated sequences of short duration that appear in important moments, such as the presentation of new characters, and that endow charisma and essence To the whole set. Nor can we ignore the technical section, since we must point out that we haven't had any performance issues in our departure, something that is otherwise natural.
Having said all this, in what the title stands out without a doubt is in its sound section, since on the one hand we can choose dubbing of our characters (in English or Japanese, at the consumer's choice) and on the other we can enjoy classic game tunes that now sound better than ever, being reassuring, cheerful and evocative in the majority of its set. So, to close, we leave you with the opening song of the title, which is titled «Kono Omoi wo Nosete», owing its authorship to Joe Rinoie and Anzai Miki:
conclusion
Without a doubt, the first thing that can be said about Rune Factory 4 Special is that it is a hidden gem in our lands; an excellent franchise that has nothing to envy to games that share its niche such as the very same Stardew valley, and that deserves recognition that has not been given until now.
Of course, do not misunderstand me, nor is it a game for everyone. We are talking about a title with a fairly calm rhythm and some repetitiveness in their mechanics (something almost inherent when we talk about farm games, or action role, without going any further), however, knows how to offer a sufficiently diverse amount of content and substantial with the few resources it has to convert it into an experience more than full and worthy of your time.
Still, we can understand that your graphic section, despite its updating in high definition, can back someHowever, if prejudices are left aside and an attempt is made to enjoy the experience, Rune Factory 4 Special it's not alone a great appetizer before starting our life on a certain island full of animals, but also an excellent action role-playing game full of possibilities to discover.
Thus, we cannot close without pointing out another novelty that does not affect us much; and is that The game has been completely translated into German and French, leaving the Castilian out for the unfeasibility of a translation into our language. Of course, being a game where text is so important, this is another factor that will make more than one rethink give it a chance, however, we already anticipate that the language used never becomes too complex, and will be enjoyable for anyone who has a medium level of language. Also, who knows, maybe if this delivery succeeds, Marvelous Europe consider a translation into our language for Rune Factory 5… Everything is to dream!
Rune Factory 4 Special is available from this February 28th both in physical format and in the eShop of Nintendo Switch at a price of € 39.99 , occupying in its entirety 5361,00 MB and counting on texts in English, French or German as well as voices in english, with the option to change them to Japanese If we want to.
Finally, if you are interested in becoming with a more complete edition of the title, point out that Marvelous Europe has for sale in its official store the Archival Edition, which for a price of 55 pounds (plus shipping) contains a physical copy of the game, an art book with the illustrations of the title and the soundtrack on a CD, all wrapped in an exclusive box with Minako Iwasaki art, the main designer of the franchise.
Additionally, all those who get the title in any of its versions before launching, you will receive the additional content as a gift «Swimsuit Day», which will allow you to enjoy all the characters wearing their best swimsuits. Choose what you choose, Have a great time entering Rune Factory 4 Special!
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