Amazingly, it's been four years since Rune Factory 5 finally arrived on Nintendo Switch. And while we've had the fabulous Rune Factory 3 Special, a remaster of the popular DS title, we haven't seen a new entry for a minute.

Well, that's about to change: Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma will be launching on Switch (and Steam) on 30th May 2025. Check out the launch date reveal trailer above.

First unveiled as Project Dragon, Marvelous officially revealed Guardians of Azuma during August 2024's Nintendo Direct Indie World and Partner Showcase. Promised as a "reimagined" take on Rune Factory — which was originally a Story of Seasons spin-off — you'll play as either Subaru or Kagaya, childhood friends from a village in the north of Azuma, who suffers from amnesia. One day, they become the Earth Dancer, someone who is destined to return live to Azuma and save the world.

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There are a lot of familiar tropes in Guardians of Azuma — romance is back, of course, as is farming (would it be Rune Factory without the crops?) and combat. But we've got a whole new world and a swathe of new features to look forward to this May. Let's dip into the details in our exclusive Western reveal.

Villages & Village Building

Your adventure starts in Spring Village, a settlement affected by blight in the wake of the Celestial Collapse, a past calamity which caused the gods and runes to disappear from the land.

Spring Village is just one of four villages — the others, fittingly, are called Summer, Autumn, and Winter Village. Like previous Rune Factory games, Guardians of Azuma will follow a similar one-year cycle, but you won't have to wait all year round for a season to return. In Winter Village, for example, it's always Winter, meaning all four seasons are static, and you'll be able to grow all crops all year round. Hurrah!

How do you rebuild the villages? Well... by using the new Village Building feature! While you'll start off life by growing crops and nurturing the land, you'll be able to build new structures in all four towns, as well as rearrange the settings to your liking.

The more you build up a village, the more villagers will be willing to help you. They'll assist with tending the fields, going mining, cutting down trees and also work in shops that you set up for them.

Dances

As an Earth Dancer, myriad responsibility is thrust upon you, but you also have many powers to help make life easier for you and the people you meet.

Three dance powers you'll have early on in the game have different functions depending on whether you use them in the fields or out in the world. We know about three of them, and we can't wait to see what else you'll be able to do, but let's run down the ones we know about so far.

Sacred Drum, for instance, will encourage your crops and trees to grow, and help make withered crops grow. Sacred Sword, on the other hand, is used to harvest high-quality seeds. Sacred Parasol, then, is like a big rain shower, spreading water across a wider area.

All of these dances have different effects out in the world, however. Sacred Drum can act as a healing spell or as a way of knocking enemies back. Alternatively, you could just use Sacred Sword or Sacred Parasol to deal a huge amount of damage to foes. The parasol can also be used to glide and explore hidden areas.

Combat

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Image: Marvelous

Speaking of exploring, Azuma is a brand new location to Rune Factory fans, and that means there are plenty of new places, faces, and enemies to discover.

You'll befriend many of the villagers of the four locales throughout the game, and some will even join you out in the world for combat. You can eventually take up to six characters out with you — three joining the protagonist in battle, with the other three waiting in reserve, and you can swap between them at any point.

You've also got two brand new weapons to experiment with: Bows will allow for pinpoint accurate combat, which makes targeting enemy weaknesses much easier, or even take out foes much further away. Talismans, meanwhile, can home in on distant enemies and are fantastic against fast-moving monsters.

Characters

While you can spend your days fishing, growing crops, and fighting monsters, you probably want to get to know the characters you're playing as and interacting with. Especially because you can romance, marry, and have children with many of them. There are 12 bachelors in all, and you'll even be able to date the protagonist you don't pick!

Woobly is your fluffy little friend, a loyal partner who acts as the protagonist's guide. He's like a little sheep, and loves sweets.

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Image: Marvelous

One early ally you'll meet is Hina, an archaeologist who is half human, half fox. Donning pink hair and, she arrives in Azuma on an airship along with the treasure hunter Mauro. Mauro is extremely sentimental and gets emotional pretty easily.

In Spring Village, you'll meet the owner of a Teahouse, Iroha. She's passionate about her home and cares for the villagers, which spurs your character on to helping the residents. Wandering Samurai Murasame will also cross paths with you in the tranquil village of cherry blossoms.

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Image: Marvelous

You will eventually meet some of the gods during your journey, too — Ulalaka, Matsuri, Kurama, and Fubuki represent the four seasons, each one embodying the essence of that season perfectly. And they're led by the official representative of the gods, Kanata, who represents light and the heavens.

Kai, an Oni leader, Clarice, a cold-hearted soldier, and Ikaruga, leader of the Jungasa Corps, round out this rather colourful and eclectic cast of characters, each with their own goals and motives. Some want to save the land, others, we're less certain...

That's a pretty big blow-out of Rune Factory goodness. And there's more to come. On 22nd January, Marvelous will be holding a Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma Deep Dive Stream. Details, and a time, are to be confirmed, but even more gameplay will be shown off alongside some giveaways for Rune Factory fans (for US fans only, though. Sorry!).

If you're excited, you should check out that stream, but in the meantime, let us know what you think of Guardians of Azuma so far in the comments below.