I’ll be honest: I haven’t played aRune Factorygame since the very first one came out for DS back in 2006. Over the years, my need for RPGs and cozy farming sims was filled by other games, likeStardew Valleyand, more recently,Harvestella. I’ve always looked back fondly onRune Factory, though, as one of the first (if not the first) to combine the two genres in a way that shouldn’t have worked but did.
So when I saw the trailer forRune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, it looked like a step into the modern age of gaming for the series, leaving behind the dated look ofRune Factory 5for some fresh and crisp new visuals. On the other hand,instead of looking like aRune Factorygame, it made me think very strongly ofGenshin Impact.Sure, the game is getting a massive upgrade from the last one, but I wonder if it leans too far into looking like the popular free title from HoYoverse.
Rune Factory: Guardians Of Azuma Abandons Its Predecessors' Visual Charm
It May Have Gone Too Far Into “Modern And New” Territory
The originalRune Factorywas subtitledA Fantasy Harvest Moonand looked exactly as expected from the name. Created by Natsume, the titlecombined the mechanics from the farming game with the monster battling aspect of typical RPGs. It looked visually similar toHarvest Moonfor the DS, which had come out the prior year, but with a much less vivid and saturated color palette.Rune Factoryset itself apart from thecozy farming simwith a grittier feel.
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Subsequent games continued the theme of the “FantasyHarvest Moon” even when the subtitle was dropped from the third title onward. Looking back on them now,Rune Factory 1-5had a certain charm. There is something inherently cozy and “farm”-like about their style, even as the games became more and more about the fighting and story than about the farming.
All the previous titles had a somewhat dated feel, with evenRune Factory 5,which was released in 2022, looking like it belonged on aprevious generation of consoles. And I don’t mean that in a bad way — there’s something charming about the presentation of all the previous games. They might not have had the most cutting-edge visual style, butthey had a distinct personality that shone through their designs.
Somewhere in the process of making a more modern-looking game,Rune Factory: Guardians of Azumaseems to have lost that charm. Gone is the nostalgic feeling design, replaced by crisp and clean visuals. There’s no doubt that the game looks absolutely stunning, but it also, unfortunately, doesn’t look unique.
Guardians Of Azuma Joins The Trend Of Genshin-Looking Games
Genshin Impact Didn’t Start The Trend, But It’s The Best-Known Example
In recent years,many games have embraced the anime-style, cel-shaded look ofGenshin Impact.These games aren’t necessarily consciously trying to look likeGenshinand, in fact, some were released before the free open-world title. Rather, this isa trend that’s been building since the late 2010s, with some prominent examples includingGenshin Impact(2020),The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild(2017),Wuthering Waves(2024),Infinity Nikki(2024) to a lesser extent, andNi No Kuni 2(2018), which switched out its charming hand-drawn Ghibli Studio style for more digital CG style — to name just a few.
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All these games came out at the tail end and beginning of a new decade, at a turning point for gaming. In November 2020, the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X|S became available. Both consoles featuredincredible graphics of a never-before-seen quality and a strong emphasis on realism. And while many games used the realism heavily to their advantage, many titles in the lead-up to and immediate aftermath of the most powerful consoles to ever exist did a full 180 and embraced the more cartoonish style.
Cel-shaded games with anime art styles were around before the past decade, including some prominent titles likeTales of Vesperia, but they weren’t populating the forefront of the market to the same degree.
Genshin Impactis often called the game thatother games are copyingor resemble not because it was the first to embrace the beautiful anime landscapes and characters, but becauseit was free and so easily accessible.My 11-year-old has taken to comparing every game toGenshin, from the trailer for the nextRune FactorytoFinal Fantasy: Rebirthwhen my husband was playing it, simply because that’s her point of reference.
Saying that the upcomingRune Factoryis aGenshinlookalike wouldn’t be quite right, at least in terms of ascribing highly specific intent to a broader decision. It’s more accurate to note that the title, which was on the verge of realism for years, decided not to go all in for realistic visuals but to embrace the current trends, instead.
Rune Factory: Guardians Of Azuma Still Looks Incredible
I’m Excited To See Where The Series Goes Next
ResemblingGenshin Impactand other, visually similar games doesn’t mean thatGuardians of Azumawon’t be an incredible game. On the contrary,the title looks like a beautiful next step in the franchise,and the response from fans of the series has been overwhelmingly positive. Just because theGenshinstyle has oversaturated the market in recent years doesn’t mean that it’s not good.
Nintendo Switch 2 Announcement Has Me Hopeful For Genshin Impact On The New Console
The announcement of the Nintendo Switch 2 console for 2025 has renewed my hopes of seeing and playing Genshin Impact on a hybrid console.
Perhaps it’s fitting, after all, thatRune Factory: Guardians of Azumais using a more anime-esque style for its graphics, landscapes, characters, and overall villagers. Unlike previous games, the RPG looks to beheavily inspired by Japanese cultureand environments. Torii gates, fashion, and architecture all shine in the style, as can be seen in the game’s official trailer, featured byNintendo of Americaon YouTube.
IfGuardians of Azumais a sign of where the title is heading stylistically, it will likely be embraced by the community. The series has always used anime character artwork, so the rest of the game’s design is merely catching up. On the other hand, if the style is a reflection of the setting, then perhaps the title that followsRune Factory: Guardians of Azumawill adopt an entirely new design ethos depending on the part of the world that it’s inspired by. Either way, I’m excited to see where the series goes next.
