Rune Factory 4 Special Reviews
I had a blast from my day to day activities and my time spent with it didn't feel like nearly enough. I will be playing this long after reviewing it. Rune Factory enthusiasts, as well as newcomers, should certainly give this a go.
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
GREAT - Rune Factory 4 Special is one of the most addictive games I’ve played on the Switch so far. There’s always something to do, whether it’s growing more crops, crafting new gear, forging new relationships, fighting off monsters, or exploring new realms. Average graphics and slight control issues aside, this is a pleasant surprise and one of my favorite games of the year.
I will always recommend this game and I already always do. As I said before this game means so much to me and the fact that XSEED brought it back and is even working on Rune Factory 5 is enough to keep a big smile on my face! I think if you were a first time player buying this game online and getting the $39.99 copy would be perfect for you. I personally got the Archive Edition to help support this game and so we can continue to get more Rune Factory games in the future. So thank you XSEED for brining back this loved and underappreciated series!
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.
The beginning of Rune Factory 4 is weird and nearly made me give up. However, once I'd passed the first few hours, I was rewarded with a very diverse gameplay. I won't get to love the story, but developing the city just like I want it to is the game's major gain.
Review in German | Read full review
Rune Factory 4 Special takes the player into a magical world full of adventure and challenges. If you want to fill your virtual existence with fieldwork and explore the story of Selphia, the game will not disappoint you. The learning process is slow and steady, so that the player is not overwhelmed. When you've had enough of gardening, you swing on an animal and ride through the wilderness, beating up some monsters. The fighting could have been a little more challenging, but Rune Factory 4 Special doesn't want that. The title shines with a mix of simulation and RPG elements. This appeals to people who may not otherwise be involved with JRPGs. The new features are well done, especially the synchronisation is impressive. The developer would have liked to add some more graphic elements. The sprites look partly not well ported. If you feel like a fine mixture of Harvest Moon and JRPG, you will definitely get your money's worth.
Review in German | Read full review
For its flaws, Rune Factory 4 Special brings an incredible life-sim/Action-RPG to the Switch.
Whether you want to whet your appetite before Animal Crossing: New Horizons comes out or you're looking for your next fix after blowing through everything available in Stardew Valley, Rune Factory 4 is the perfect second-life for you. You might feel a bit overwhelmed at first, but once you manage to find your focus the addictive gameplay lets you wash away hours of your day in an instant.
Any Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, or Rune Factory fan should definitely check this one out on Nintendo Switch, as it has one of the most charismatic worlds I’ve seen in a game in the genre yet.
Rune Factory 4 Special on the Nintendo Switch deserves its title. With an addictive, gratifying gameplay, content for many hours and enjoyable characters, this is a gem that while more attractive for new players than for veterans, deserves an investment of time and energy, even if its visual world could use some improvement.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Rune Factory 4 Special delivers all the life sim, farming, and RPG action of the original 3DS release-it's perfect for fans of the Story of Seasons series or Stardew Valley.
Rune Factory in general was the brilliant outcome of mashing two genres in a beautiful harmony that worked together wonderfully with Rune Factory 4 being the current pinnacle of the series.
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.
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.
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 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
Rune Factory 4 Special is a solid addition to the Switch lineup. It was smart for the first Story of Seasons game to come to the Nintendo Switch to be a Rune Factory one since the added combat and story separate it more from the juggernaut that is Stardew Valley. Despite the natural comparisons between the two games, there’s more than enough room for both.
Rune Factory 4 Special is a robust farm-simulator and RPG experience that, while occasionally dull, is a deep and truly relaxing experience. There’s no shortage of things to do from the get-go, and the detail put into combat and the various leveling systems will surely please even those who lean more into the RPG side of things.
Rune Factory 4 Special is an easy recommendation to any RPGamer who enjoys farming and life sim games, as well as for those casual Stardew Valley fans that wished for more variety in the combat aspects. It’s been long enough since the 3DS release that this game can be enjoyed fresh again, and for those who missed it the first time around, now’s the perfect time to give it a try.