"Dragon Country Rune Factory" This is unmistakably "Runfaku"! 7 reasons to want to dive into the world of "Japanese", such as high-quality dramas and endearing characters

 

Marvelous' "Rune Factory" (hereinafter referred to as "Runfaku") series has been released five titles so far as a "fantasy life game" that allows you to grow crops at the base and experience romance and marriage with the residents while adventuring in a heartwarming worldview.

The first new title in about four years since the release of "Runfaku 5" is "Rune Factory in the Land of the Dragon" The main point of "Ryu Fak" is that the game of "fantasy life game" is retained, but the setting is changed from the west country to the eastern country "Azuma" and the overall taste of "Japanese" is included.

In addition to such a bold change, the fact that it does not come with a numbering makes me have high hopes for the long-awaited new work, but I am also half anxious...... There will be many fans like that. To start with the conclusion, it is "extremely complete 'Runfaku'"! "This is what it feels like to play without losing track of time," he said, so much so that he played so much that he was sleep-deprived.

So, where did you actually get into it and feel the high level of perfection? While introducing the games prepared for "Ryu Fak", we will deliver satisfying points from the perspective of playing until the end. It is full of elements that make you feel that it is, so please read it before the release date and blow up your expectations. Rest assured that we have avoided spoilers for the story.

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A high-quality drama that incorporates the mountains at key points and makes you want to know what lies ahead.

Having played many RPGs, I believe that the first prerequisite for a great RPG is a good story that draws the player into the world and the presence of attractive characters to support it. "Ryu Fak" is a story about a protagonist who is selected as a "Dancer of the Earth" to rebuild the runes due to the "Collapse of the Dragon Star", a calamity that suddenly struck Azuma.

As the main character reconstructs the village in spring, summer, autumn, and winter in order, the story progresses in a way that gradually brings him closer to the truth of the world. Moreover, since the main character starts out with amnesia and does not know anything about the reason of this world, the player can see the world from the same fresh perspective. There were no cases where technical terms suddenly appeared and became "?", and the fact that I could easily get used to the world also enhanced the sense of immersion.

In addition, each village has a mountain scene such as the resurrection of the gods and the defeat of strong enemies, and the game is designed so that you will want to see the future development as soon as possible. Especially after going around the village, the story starts to move in a big way, and a hot drama that can be said to be "this is a royal road RPG" unfolds, so you will surely want to run to the end at once like yourself.

Incidentally, due to the improvement of the character's life, "Ryu Fax" puts a lot of effort into expressing facial expressions, and during the conversation, not only gestures but also changes in eye movements and facial expressions are used to depict psychology, making the dialogue scenes more immersive than in previous works. The satisfaction points were quite high here.

In addition, the "dancers of the earth" are in a position equivalent to the so-called priests and priestesses, and they raise celebratory lyrics and dance, and the solemn atmosphere plays a role in the production of the important scene, and I was very satisfied with the compatibility with the music, saying, "I like 'Rumfaku,' which is set in 'Japanese.'"

Unique and charming characters that make every character endearing

As I mentioned in the story, I have a theory that RPGs are that interesting stories inevitably come with attractive characters, and "Ryu Fhaku" was a work that followed that rule. Among these characters, I would like to pay particular attention to the gods who preside over each village.

The gods are supposed to be noble beings who are revered by people, but I was able to interact with them more friendly than I had imagined, and I felt a sense of closeness to them as "one of my friends" without feeling that they were special. In particular, please look forward to the interaction between the gods, as you can see some pretty good exchanges such as blurring and poking.

In addition, the secondary characters who are not romantic objects are all quirky. Various characters appear in each village. Everyone has a meaning to be in the village, and as the village is reconstructed, the exchange deepens, and the faces and names are etched in the memory. Characters with attributes that satisfy various tastes will appear, so you're sure to find your favorite men.

In addition, in order to get along with the characters, the way to play is to have conversations and give gifts to raise the bond level, which follows the "Runfaku" series. As the bond level increases, various elements will be unlocked. Each of the Kizuna quests was quite voluminous, and the content became even more familiar by chasing them. I would like to point this as one of the points of satisfaction.

A perfect balance between understanding the system and the story progressing naturally

When I played "Ryu Fax", I was impressed by the fact that "even though there are a lot of systems, they are released in an orderly manner, so it is not complicated and easy to understand". For example, money is indispensable for the reconstruction of the village. The tutorial will teach you the sequence of growing crops in the field, harvesting them, shipping them, and making money, so even beginners to the series can quickly understand how it works.

In addition, by arranging farm work and buildings in the fields, you can earn hometown points necessary to raise the level of the village, and as a result, the level of the village will increase. Then, Uraraka, the god of spring, regains her power, and the story progresses naturally.

In addition, the types of buildings and figurines that can be placed will increase as the story progresses. The pioneering area will be expanded little by little, and once you get used to the system, you will review the development of the village each time you revisit it, and I felt that it was a good design that would lead to the completion of the ideal village.

A divine artifact that plays a major role not only in the story but also in the system

When talking about "Ryu Fak", you can't miss the item "Divine Weapon" given by the gods. When equipped and used, these can be used to restore HP or burn them with fire. Since it has attributes such as fire if it is a sword divine weapon and wind if it is a fan divine weapon, it is mainly used in battle.

Although it is such a sacred weapon, I like the game design because it has a scene where it can be used all the time, such as encouraging growth when growing crops in the village cultivation with the cultivation of the village, and increasing the movement speed while equipping the fan sacred weapon.

Switching between sacred artifacts is an intuitive specification. Press and hold the L button to display the circle, and from there, select with the R stick. This stress-free UI design is a satisfying point, as it is often used not only in battle but also in villages and fields, such as turning crops into seeds with the sword artifact and watering the fields with the umbrella divine weapon.

In addition, in this work, you can heal dead trees with sacred artifacts and exorcise injuries to remove obstacles and expand the settlement area of the village. When using it, there was no need to select the corresponding sacred weapon by yourself, and it was comfortable that it was automatically selected.

The battle is not a serious action, but you can feel the exhilaration

As an action RPG, the battle in this game is a battle in which you control the main character and fight with his friends. In attack, you can use weapons and divine weapons, and in defense, you can dodge steps with the R button instead of guarding. The attack can be locked on, so I didn't find it particularly difficult to hit.

For the first time in the series, ranged attack methods such as bows and spells have appeared, making it easier to get around. If it is a bow, it is possible to aim and shoot, and the switching is smooth and easy to use. The charged attack, which can be activated by holding down a button, can do a lot of damage if you don't use it at the wrong time, and it is exhilarating, so I recommend using it actively.

When it comes to defense, you have two choices: you can dodge enemy attacks with a dash or dodge with a step. There's no concept of stamina like in most action RPGs, so dashes can be activated at any time.

The focus is on step evasion, which is activated just before the enemy attack hits. At that time, the screen will go into slow motion for a moment, and if you attack with the Y button at this time, it will be a counter attack. In the feeling of playing, the judgment is not so severe, so it should be easy for those who are not good at action battles to aim. It's exhilarating because you can reduce the enemy's HP with a bang.

By the way, strong enemies can take down by accumulating a down gauge, creating a chance to deal massive damage at once. Counter attacks are efficient at filling up the down gauge, so it's worth aiming for, even if you take a little risk.

Skill points that accumulate naturally as you rebuild the village and battle it again

In addition to leveling up by defeating demons in battle and earning experience points, "Ryu Fak" also becomes stronger by learning skills from the skill tree. Skills are divided into three categories: Battle, Divine Weapons, and Life, and if you perform the corresponding actions for each, you will accumulate skill points necessary for mastery.

For example, if you have a one-handed sword skill in battle, you can earn skill points by attacking an enemy with a one-handed sword, and if you have a cooking skill in life, you can earn skill points by cooking. Therefore, as you repeatedly rebuild the village and battle, you will naturally accumulate skill points, and as a result, your character will grow.

In addition to the aforementioned unique skill points, there are also general-purpose skill points that can be freely used for any skill. This is a system that can be obtained by the results of cooking and harvesting at the end of the day. The fact that the skill acquisition path is built into the game cycle in this way is also a satisfying point that I personally felt was well done.

Because "Japanese" is the motif, it is fun to have productions and stories that touch your heart.

Finally, I would like to touch on the material that is unique to "Ryu Fac", which has a "Japanese" motif. First of all, I personally came to the production that the melody of the nursery rhyme "Yuyaki Koyaki" is played after 17 o'clock. If you are a Japan person, when you hear this melody, many people will feel nostalgic, saying, "Oh, the day is not over today."

The residents of the village act according to the time, such as eating in the morning and noon, and working during the day, but sometimes they start to go home after work with this melody, and I felt that it was a good production that could give a good sense of the feeling that the day is over.

The Azuma Quest, which has a "Japanese" motif, also plays a role in the production of the world view. For example, there is "Omusubi Kororin", in which the requested rice ball is rolled into a hole, and "Cleaning of the Jizo-sama" (the motif is Kasa Jizo), in which you can get a reward for cleaning a dirty Jizo-sama. What's more, it's also good that all of them are complete games that handle numbers.

So, I gave you a review that roughly summarizes the satisfaction points of "Ryu Fac", but what did you think? As you can see from the overall taste of solid praise, the conclusion is that you should buy it, and it was an undisputed quality that sticks firmly with fans of the "Runfaku" series.

By the way, I played the Switch version, but I would like to tell you that there is no problem with the points that people who have experienced the series are concerned about, such as the fact that there is no loading in the same area, and you don't have to wait that long to move between different areas. In addition, it took about 40 hours to raise all the villages to level 8 and not get married. I've heard that some elements will be released after marriage, so I plan to play the Switch 2 version again after its release. I can't stop being excited!