Hatsune Miku Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma Review

RF: GoA is unfortunately a mixed bag. It starts off with promise—gorgeous seasonal open-world areas, rewarding backtracking via unlockable traversal abilities, and a sense that this might be a worthy successor to the series' legacy. But the moment you finish the Winter region, the seams begin to show. What was once exploratory and open quickly devolves into a repetitive, linear slog: Each new level drops you in with a new weapon recipe at the front door, You power through short corridors of enemies, Then walk straight into a boss fight. Rinse and repeat. This same pattern carries through the final arc, draining any sense of progression or wonder. 🧨 The Final Boss, Clarice, Breaks the Game Endgame bosses can make or break a game—and Clarice breaks it. She’s not hard. She’s frustrating. You’re required to use specific special skills to break her shield. But she teleports at random, canceling your attacks and wasting spirit bars—a resource that’s hard to replenish. Mechanics are buggy. Cutscenes frequently crash. The pacing and design of the fight feel tacked-on, rushed, and poorly tested. There’s no satisfying narrative payoff either. Clarice feels disconnected from the journey. Her motivations are vague. Her tone is out of place. After hours of charming gameplay, you’re left with an ending that disrespects everything the player built toward. ⚖️ Verdict As someone who has played games for over 40 years, I can say this fight doesn’t just feel flawed—it feels unfinished. The latter half of the game screams publisher pressure and corner-cutting. And that’s a shame, because the foundations were solid. With a better final act, RF: GoA could’ve been something special. Instead, it’s a cautionary tale in how not to finish a story.