Ever since the first generation of Ranch Story brought the idyllic life into the world of ordinary players, this type of farming and animal husbandry-themed simulation business games have always been a virtual haven for players to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and return to the peaceful countryside. From the easy-going and simple Ranch Story to the hardcore and realistic farm simulation, these games more or less reveal our yearning for a comfortable and peaceful life of “no dust in the courtyard, and plenty of leisure in the empty room”.
However, the rural life in the game is not just about poetry and distant places, but also about swords and magic. Rune Factory, which was developed from the branch of Ranch Story, also has a soothing and pleasant farm gameplay, and has richer role-playing content than Ranch Story. Farming and raising cattle, fishing and mining, doing business and dating, playing games and fighting monsters, and even recruiting monster companions as farm helpers. The richness of the content is far beyond imagination. It can be said that the popular Stardew Valley is just a reference to it.
As the culmination of the series, Rune Factory 4 has recently landed on the Switch platform in high definition. Although the game itself has been on sale for 7 years, its classic status is a masterpiece that cannot be missed for any player who likes farming and animal husbandry simulation games. After the remake, it is obviously more in line with the appetite of current players.
A low-resolution remake
The original version of Rune Factory 4 was the first 3D work in the series to land on the 3DS platform. The overall look and feel was in line with the characteristics of the platform at the time. However, the HD version of Rune Factory 4 Deluxe has now been transferred to the Switch platform, but it seems a bit powerless. The screen resolution of the Switch has been greatly improved compared to the 3DS, but the new version has not been well adapted to this. It is just a simple and crude enlargement of the original model. This makes the original angular and rough modeling even more eye-catching. It is precisely because the HD version is relatively simple that even if you play it on the Switch, you still feel like you are traveling back to the 2012 3DS. It has to be said that this is the biggest regret.
It can’t be said that it is unacceptable, but this “high definition” is indeed somewhat unsatisfactory.
Of course, the reunion after 7 years is not only about the improved image quality. The new version also adjusts some of the operation methods to adapt to the Switch platform (3DS has dual-screen operation) and adds new content. One of the biggest regrets of the original version is that there is no more interactive content after marrying the favorite character, but it feels perfunctory. In response to this, “Rune Factory 4 Deluxe” has added a “Newlywed Mode” to make up for the original missing post-marriage interaction. Not only has the dialogue between the two parties been increased, but Live2D’s standing animation and dubbing have been added, which can be said to be full of sincerity.
In addition, “Rune Factory 4 Deluxe” has remade the game’s opening animation and added many newly produced cutscenes, which somewhat compensates for the lack of high definition visually.
Colorful life in another world
Unlike many of its predecessors, the storyline of Rune Factory 4 adopts the popular concept of traveling through another world. Players experience time travel, amnesia, and taking office at the beginning, and must manage a small kingdom as a prince/princess. Under such a unique theme, the gameplay of the game naturally has a lot of room for expansion, and Rune Factory 4 also builds several contents such as kingdom management, farm management, and monster hunting based on this.
The first point is the management of the country. In daily life, players can earn prince points by completing tasks at work, going out to fight monsters, and interacting with residents. The main way to manage the country is to spend prince points. Construction, holding celebrations, unlocking more goods for sale, purchasing new facilities, etc. all require prince points. As players invest more, the town and residents will naturally become more and more prosperous.
In addition, national management is closely related to the daily life of players. In addition to the convenience brought by the expansion of facilities and the increase of goods, materials for combat and farming production will also be invested in construction. With the occurrence of celebrations and events, the goodwill between residents and players will also increase, thereby increasing the various new contents that players can obtain.
The daily activities are quite rich, including farming, fishing, cooking and everything you can think of.
Secondly, in terms of farming, since it is a spin-off of Ranch Story, the core farming system of Rune Factory is naturally similar to that of Ranch Story. From the beginning of the game, players are given a small garden to take care of. Players can grow crops through a series of simple labors such as plowing, sowing, and watering. Similarly, after the crops mature over time, they can be harvested for money, or kept for cooking, crafting, or given as gifts to others.
At the same time, as the game progresses, the area of arable land and the crops that can be planted will gradually increase. After expanding the livestock hut, you can also raise monster companions in it. Monsters in the game, from small monsters to bosses, can be conquered and used for your own use. On the one hand, they can produce materials for players to collect and use, and on the other hand, they have various combat capabilities to assist players in combat. You can even delegate them to carry out farming activities, freeing players from doing it themselves and investing in other gameplay content.
Finally, another key element that makes up the fun of the game is the ARPG-style combat that the Harvest Moon series does not have. As the main storyline progresses, players can unlock several wild mazes and participate in exploration battles. The game builds a refreshing combat experience through a variety of weapons, rune skills, and monsters. At the same time, the system that allows up to two AI teammates also further escalates the intensity of the battle. Especially with the better performance support of Switch, the smooth frame rate and control experience are even better than the original version.
From sweet and sour love to marriage
Similar to similar works, love is also the highlight of Rune Factory 4 Deluxe. The game provides six men and six women, a total of twelve handsome men and beautiful women for players to explore. The rich characters allow players to find their true love, whether they play as male or female protagonists. Not only that, from arrogant to innocent, from strong to considerate, the diverse character personalities also provide a completely different love experience.
In addition to participating in daily chats, players can also give props to the corresponding characters to improve their favorability, and make appropriate choices in large-scale events such as celebrations to trigger more events, thereby further increasing the other party’s favorability. However, not all characters can easily improve favorability and trigger confessions. Many characters must also be based on personality and preferences to successfully win the other party’s heart. The sweet and sour experience is no less than real love.
Confessing love is only the first step in the love system. The subsequent marriage is the key to pushing the relationship on the right track. In this step, different characters have different conditions for achieving marriage. The plot that unfolds during this period is also interesting and as sweet as love. The sense of accomplishment of finally marrying your beloved is naturally much higher than confessing love.
Finally, Rune Factory 4 Deluxe enriches the post-marriage story of the love characters through the newly added “Newlywed Mode”, which connects the sweetness of love before marriage with the sweetness after marriage, making the player’s choice more meaningful. Of course, like the original version, players can still max out the favorability of all members and confess their love. Although it will not cause emotional conflicts, and there will only be one marriage partner in the end, this degree of freedom still gives players more fun.
Conclusion: Reliving the joy of pastoral music
Farming, town management, combat, romance, Rune Factory 4 Deluxe combines so many systems into one big potpourri, while building a set of interlocking ecological closed loops, connecting all of this with the player’s behavior. At the same time, the game does not impose too many restrictions on these contents, and players can experience any content they like in a free framework without worrying about missing anything.
Although the reunion after 7 years is not perfect, “Rune Factory 4 Deluxe” still has a game quality that is not inferior to current games, allowing us to relive the classics of the past and relive that idyllic youth.
