This has been a year full of great RPGs, and one of the best might be coming to more players soon. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is the latest game in a long-running life sim series, adding more intense action and a novel town management system, but until now, it’s been limited to just Nintendo Switch and PC. That might be changing soon, though, as more evidence of a possible PlayStation port came to light in early December.
Recently, trophies for a PlayStation version of Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma appeared on achievement tracking site Exophase, and first spotted by Gematsu. While these trophies are currently present on the PlayStation Network’s backend, there’s been no announcement of a port yet from Sony or Guardians of Azuma developer Marvelous.
Even before the trophies appeared on PSN, there was some evidence that a PlayStation Guardians of Azuma port could be on the way. Back in June, the Australian Classification Board posted a rating for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of the game. While ratings don’t always mean that a new version of a game is actually imminent, when combined with the trophies appearing on PSN, it does seem likely that we could see Guardians of Azuma on new platforms before long.
Rune Factory is somewhat of a niche life sim series, having taken the backseat in recent years to indie successors like Stardew Valley. Even if you haven’t kept up with the series, though, Guardians of Azuma is an excellent starting point. Set in the Japan-inspired realm of Azuma, as opposed to the more European setting of previous games in the series, Guardians of Azuma is technically a spinoff that doesn’t require any knowledge of the games that precede it.
Itself a spinoff of Story of Seasons, Rune Factory is defined by its mix of farming and action RPG elements. That continues in Guardians of Azuma, which sees you battling an ancient dragon and a mysterious organization threatening Azuma while working to develop multiple towns throughout the region.
The game pushes the action further than previous Rune Factory games with full 3D combat and an inventive party system. While you only control the game’s protagonist, you can assemble a party of six characters you recruit from villages around Azuma, swapping between three active members at a time to take advantage of their unique abilities.
Developing towns in Guardians of Azuma is even more interesting. As you progress through the story, you unlock a town representing each season, all with their own layouts and specialities — some offer more farming space, others focus on shops, and they’re all inhabited by unique characters. You’re able to grow crops and set down buildings to determine what each town produces, and the products of facilities you choose can be used to craft new items and use in battle. Building based on a specific theme or wisely placing your structures also grants you bonuses that help you in the game’s battle and exploration phases, making each part of the game neatly interlock with each other part.
Farming sims in general tend to follow familiar patterns, focusing in on the minutiae of tending to crops, raising animals, and expanding your farm bit by bit. Guardians of Azuma breaks with that formula, making it feel like a brand-new spin on the genre, despite being part of a long-running series. There’s no guarantee that Guardians of Azuma will get a launch outside of the Nintendo Switch and PC, but it’s well worth keeping an eye on for players who have been waiting to see if it comes to their platform of choice.
