Rune Factory 4: Special (Switch)
Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
This edition of the game is a remaster from the one released for 3DS, with the original release in North America back in 2013. This important to note because when you first fire it up, the age of the game is very obvious. There are some graphical improvements, but the music and game play very obviously date it. After playing mostly modern titles in the more recent past, it was slightly off-putting. However, I quickly got into the swing of things and found myself eagerly rushing to the couch to turn on my Switch. It’s always a good thing when I can binge-play without realizing how much time has passed. It’s fast paced, generous with game choice and overall very enjoyable. Relationships, Farming, or Fighting. Your choice at whatever time you want and aside from some minor exceptions, you can take it all at your own pace. Sometimes, voice-acting can destroy an otherwise solid game, but the NA dubs are quite good. I haven’t even felt the need to switch over to the Japanese audio, which is a choice. The game was made for 3DS, so now that those features are gone, it makes it just a tad more clunky in terms of interchangeability of tools and weapons, but it’s not at all a deal breaker. There are 3 arcs to the game.
Overall, I very much recommend Rune Factory 4 Special. Despite it’s age, the story is good. The game play is not complex and gives you a good taste of the 3 main aspects of the game (farm, fight, relationship). The dialogue is funny.
I have yet to play the “Newlywed continue” or the “Another Episode.” But I will!
