Rune Factory 4

Rune Factory 4 is a role-playing video game developed by Neverland and published by Marvelous AQL for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the sixth game in the Rune Factory series, and the first to be released on the 3DS. It was released in Japan in July 2012, in North America in October 2013, and in PAL regions in December 2014. An enhanced version, Rune Factory 4 Special, was released for the Nintendo Switch in Japan in July 2019 and worldwide in February 2020. It was also released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows in 2021.

The game begins by offering the player two lines of dialogue, and the choice between the two determines their character’s gender (male is by default named Lest and female is by default named Frey). It is revealed that the character is traveling by airship to the town of Selphia to meet and deliver a gift to its ‘god’. The airship, however, is invaded by rogue soldiers and a fight ensues.

During the fight the character is hit in the head and it is later revealed that they developed amnesia, as has been the case with all previous Rune Factory mobile installments. The player is thrown out of the airship and, after losing their gift, lands in the town of Selphia, where they meet Ventuswill (Venti for short), one of the four Native Dragons, and are mistaken for a member of royalty who was supposed to be showing up soon to help run the town.

Although this is quickly revealed not to be the case, the actual prince, named Arthur, who was due to arrive, is happy to let the player take over his job. From there on out you are to attract tourists, gain trust from the villagers in Selphia, and work around the town to unlock features needed to carry on with the slice of life aspects of the game. Features common to previous games in the Rune Factory series, including farming, dungeon exploring, and marriage, return in Rune Factory 4.

Crafting is one of the main features in the series, with which all equipment used by the main character is created. From shoes to many types of weapons, crafting materials of various stats to form new equipment is the key to character progression – more so than the traditional leveling up feature that most RPGs rely on. Rune Factory 4 adds the ability to make “Orders”. As the prince or princess of Selphia, these Orders can range from requesting a town event (such as a harvest festival) to pushing back a storm from wiping out your crops.