Rune Factory 4 Special Reviews
Rune Factory 4 Special is a delightful and charming farming sim, even in a post-Stardew Valley world.
Rune Factory 4 Special proves just how charming and well-written the Rune Factory games can be. The Switch remaster is just as addictive as charming as the original release was fourteen years ago, and looks even better, thanks to an HD makeover. New content and difficulty modes provide no shortage of replay value, making this a great time sink for newcomers as well as anyone itching to revisit the friendships forged in the town of Selphia.
The game is gorgeous to look at with wonderful pre-rendered backgrounds and character portraits, and the story kept me wanting to play so I could learn more. The farming feels a little bare-bones, although the time you spend out exploring dungeons makes the game still very engaging.
Rune Factory 4 Special feels like a game where you always have something to do, offering so many different systems to play around with
Rune Factory 4 takes a second chance with this Special edition, and while this is definitely the best version of the game, it's hard to recommend it to anyone who's already played the original.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Rune Factory 4 is an abundant RPG, full of fun characters, things to do, and a compelling network of interlocking systems.
Rune Factory 4 Special is a good introduction to those new to the franchise. This is especially true since as of now it’s the only title available on the Nintendo Switch. The characters are charismatic and enjoyable, the combat is fun albeit a bit shallow, but the crafting and farming are deep enough to compensate.
If poor combat bothers you greatly, then you might find this game deserving of quite a lower score than an 8. However, if you're just here for the fantasy farming simulation, and you're willing to push yourself through some unavoidable sequences of displeasure, then you'll find one of the most polished and satisfying farming systems I've come across. In short, your mileage will definitely vary with this one.
Rune Factory 4 Special brings something special to lots of players, being an easy recommendation to fans of farming games, action RPGs or even romance titles.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Rune Factory 4 Special is a unique game which provides an experience that you cannot get from anywhere else. It’s great that Marvelous brought back the game on Nintendo Switch, because this gives many people who weren’t able to play it before, the chance of playing it. I highly recommend this game for the newcomers who want to know what the whole fuss is about. However, I don’t think this remaster adds much to the experience for those who have already spent hours on Rune Factory 4
Review in Persian | Read full review
If you enjoy farming, collecting, and casual dungeon-crawling, it's hard to think of a game that does everything as well as Rune Factory 4 Special. It's still a seven-year-old game at heart, and it sometimes does feel dated.
Rune Factory 4 is a delight. It's one of those heartfelt, earnest, and wholesome games that remind you that not everything needs to be dour, competitive, excessively violent, or deep.
Rune Factory 4 Special is a near perfect farming and RPG title. The frustrating elements are outweighed by the gorgeous styled graphics, the immersiveness of the plot, and the sheer joy that comes from playing this remastered game. It raises high hopes for the upcoming fifth instalment in the series, and it can perhaps be considered a masterpiece.
It caters well to both farming sim enthusiasts and RPG players who want a little more action in between shipping crops and courting that special someone. I do admire the developer's ability to blend all of this into one cohesive game, as there's tons of things to do here and it can take hours to accomplish everything. Grinding can be a little grating, but Rune Factory's positives far outweigh the negatives.
Simply put, Rune Factory 4 Special is the best game in the series so far and a great showcase for how many different gameplay elements can be combined to create an addictive farming sim RPG formula that's exceptionally difficult to put down.
With a bit of a window remaining until the release of Animal Crossing, if you’ve been looking for something relaxing and structured to occupy your attention you’ll be in luck with Rune Factory...
Rune Factory 4 Special will have you praising its variety of content and consistent rewards, but also cursing some of its more finicky components.
Rune Factory 4 Special makes the jump to 2020 in amazing fashion by delivering the same amount of charm and great content in the original in a nicely upgraded package.
It may be a good case for fans of the series who didn't play it in the past, but its style is now outdated.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Rune Factory 4 Special was my first introduction to this series, which combines the farming simulation elements of Harvest Moon with a traditional action RPG, and suffice it to say, I greatly like it, despite its flaws.