Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma

 Switch
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
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  1. Hobby Consolas
    Jun 3, 2025
    73
    Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma manages to make the sum of its parts evolve a saga with several palpable problems. Some of these obstacles are still there, but anyone who wants a management and combat game with content has here a worthy representative... As long as you can overlook its deficient technical section.
  2. WellPlayed
    Jun 4, 2025
    70
    Despite the game’s issues, many of which I haven’t the space to detail, I could not help but keep playing. Although it feels like Guardians of Azuma would have benefited from a bit more development time, there was enough satisfaction and enjoyment in the steady cadence of explore-build-socialise-rinse-repeat that I simply didn’t want it to end. In good news for anyone sharing these sentiments, to a certain extent it doesn’t end; you can continue to explore, expand your villages, and develop your relationships in the post-game. The main gameplay components fit together like jigsaw pieces, and, if you can look past the issues, on the whole it’s a bit of an unpolished gem – multifaceted, perhaps a little scratched up, but ultimately with some value under those surface imperfections.
  3. IGN France
    Jun 2, 2025
    70
    Rune Factory Guardians of Azuma takes the home-made Marvelous formula to a new level. We know the recipe, but the form brings enough new or modified mechanic to deliver us fun.
  5. Hardcore Gamer
    Jun 2, 2025
    70
    Those hoping Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma was going to be Devil May Cry meets Animal Crossing will sadly be disappointed. Experienced hack-and-slash and dungeon-crawling players will probably want to play at a higher difficulty, but if you love city management sims, you’ll have an enjoyable time building and decorating your villages. Though there are quite a few mechanics players have to learn, they’re easy to remember once the game fully sets you loose and lets you do your own thing. All in all, Guardians of Azuma falls into the category of a cozy video game. It’s not too hard, so players will be able to sit back and have a stress-free experience.
  6. Pocket Tactics
    Jun 2, 2025
    70
    Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is a great time filled with farming, decorating, and forming friendships. The game really is fun, with an interesting story and plenty to do, but the performance on Nintendo Switch can leave a lot to be desired due to muddy graphics and pop-ins.
  7. Gamer Escape
    Jun 5, 2025
    60
    Simply put, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma did not live up to my expectations. However, I don’t regret my playthrough. As tedious as it was, it was still nice to be back in the land of Woolys and Earthmates as everyone’s favorite amnesiac, even if just for the nostalgia.The truth of it is, you’ll probably have more to do in this game than you’ve had in any previous Rune Factory title. But that comes with the understanding that the journey may not be as fun, and the scripted moments not as emotional. For die-hard fans like me, that can come with disappointment. But for more casual enjoyers of the genre, you will find all your farming sim staples in this title. It truly gives you the opportunity to build the world as you see fit. In fact, you have 120 hours of content to get your villages just right. And because I want to end on an optimistic note, I do feel like with the right fine-tuning, some of the foundations laid out in this game could serve as a great jump point for expanding the future of Rune Factory in a very promising direction. I just hope that future doesn’t take as long as this game did to arrive.