me-elek

[avenger-concerto]

[rehncohro]

The games I'm looking forward to the most next year.

[prosebushpatch]

new otp is Gaius and Evelyn from Rune Factory 3. like, i'm sorry, he has a hard time expressing his feelings because she assumes every gift he gives her is a commission to turn it into an outfit? And she, the resident fashion designer who uses fish and fondue for her out-there fashions seems to relish the challenges he gives her? But when he gives her an engagement ring, one he made as a blacksmith meant to suit her perfectly, she considers this the hardest commission he's presented her with yet and after asking you to suss out the kind of girl he likes, SHE DECIDES TO WEAR THE RING AND WALK SIDE BY SIDE WITH HIM AS HER GREATEST ATTEMPT AT COORDINATION YET. HELLO?

[surpriserose]

My toxic trait is i can and will play every fucking farming sim im sorry every time theres a new fucking game called legacy of corn or kitty cat farm with wholesome chonkers im in

[the-fandom-is-now-my-life]

I apologize in advance, but the brainworms did a heckin screech and I felt the need to share the chaos.

Imagine, if you will, that our Creator let's it slip that they've interacted with other worlds before reaching Teyvat. (Played other video games) Imagine having to explain that in these other worlds, they may or may not have been interested in the denizens of those realms...sometimes in the romantic sense, which led to wedding bells and/or children.

Cue the uproar from the Genshin cast. The Creator, Blessed Maker of All...you have courted others? Have been married?? You have had children??? Their image of you being pure and untouchable, blown apart into tiny little pieces of confetti. 🎉

Though many loathe to admit it, they are curious...who are these people, what are they like? Is there a common factor in your selection of spouses? You would only pick the very best of a realm to choose as a potential partner, surely another being of creation...or perhaps a demigod?

It leads to the proverbial red string board getting made, the Archons trying to find out who is your most likely pick from their regions. It's all for your safety, your Benevolence! If you insist on having a partner, they must find the perfect match for you! You deserve only the best of the best, after all.

Bonus points if the Creator was a fan of games like the Harvest Moon/Rune Factory series. They're gonna need to make a list of all their partners, there are so many options to choose from. >>_>>

I'll admit I never played any of those games so I skimmed through the harvest moon wiki and chose one of the bachelors and chose some other game characters lol. Plus a game for all of you, guess the characters.

Though I do think that the reader having children before causes a bit of whiplash because it's totally unexpected, mostly because there were no records of you taking spouses or kids, even knowing you ‘have’ (play) other worlds is a surprise that causes a bit of a crisis. Either way here are some head cannons.

“I must admit, your grace is awfully attached to Qiqi” Zhongli hums as he blows on his white tea, a small cloud of steam leaving.

Qiqi doesn't pay him much mind, her head coddled under your chin like a little puppy, between her hands there is a small bird plushie “Well, I must admit she does kind of remind me of one of my little ones” Your hand softly pats her head, a few strands of hair moving as you do.

He stills as you spoke, eyes fixated on his cup “your… little ones?”

“Mhm?” Without looking up from the braid you were giving to the little girl you just nod “yep, she is quite soft spoken like Milenoe”

“... I wasn't aware your grace had sired children” there was never any mentions about holy spawns or spouses taken by you in any manuscript he got his hands on.

“Well, I never chose a couple from this world, so there wouldn't be any descendants” the comment slips airly from your lips as Qiqi slides off your lap towards baizhu who had finished checking the books from your bookshelf. “Do you want to see her? She started elementary school a few weeks ago” without waiting for an answer a screen appears displaying a tall man with black hair and horns standing regally behind you and a child with emerald eyes and horns.

“She looks rather shy”

You hum nodding “she is as shy as her father when he was her age. There aren't many children her age she can play with so she was pretty lonely her first 50 years”

“50 years?”

“her dad is a slow maturing species” so it should be 10 times the life expectancy than humans. Not that long for him but certainly longer than usual.

•°•°•

“It's a wonder to see how you manage to get Klee to change her mind about going fish blasting,” albedo scribbles some data half mindedly as he watches you hover next to Klee, who showed you a new drawings every few minutes “she is so stubborn even with Alice”

“Well I do have experience with headstrong children, Pardine is as focused on her goal as her father” one of your hands fall on her blonde hair, bright but still darker than Pardine’s almost champagne blonde and her red eyes polar opposite to her icy ones, a carbon copy to her dad. Even if your genetics rarely showed up on any of your kids it was uncanny how similar she looked to her dad and aunts “but I will admit she does annoy many guards asking to train her”

Albedo just laughs it off, listing the few loose characteristics of one of her spouses. Venti has been annoying him about his nation almost getting no information so he hopes a few spare tidbits and Klee’s rough drawing of a blond blue eyed man with a big shield works for whatever weird thing the archons have going on.

•°•°•

“Your Grace has married before?!” Ayaka gasps as you take a stroll around the nature surrounding her home. Her hand had swiftly unfolded her fan in front of her face.

“Mhm, I don't know why people get so surprised, after all it would be weirder if I spent so much time somewhere but took no lovers” you laugh at her slightly seeing her slightly flustered “it's almost a tradition at this point, to wed someone from each world. Want to see some family portraits?” She nods fervently looking at the tablet like thing that appeared on your hands, first a white haired cowboy like man is kneeling on the ground holding a baby by the armpits surrounded by three wolves ,seemingly playing with an older child, by the time the next imagine passes Ayaka is almost hanging by your shoulder, asking things about the siblings and begging to see more photos of your babies.

“And who did you take from teyvat?” Ayaka looks up sweetly at you, she has always held you in high regard and now that you are in Inazuma she can't help but get giddy thinking about how you decided to spend the stay in her state and most of your time with her.

Feigning surprise you tap your chin with your index finger “now that I think about it I didn't choose anyone yet... maybe it's about time”

“Then that means you could pick my brother!” She wraps her hand around your own, smiling as if she got the best idea ever “I could even call you older sibling!... If you wanted so of course”

“Big brother you remember how you told me you would find me a proper bachelor”

“If this is about wanting me to rush it won't work”

“It's not about it, I found you someone”

“Fine, as you please, need I remind you my standards are quite high”

“It's their grace!... Why are you choking on your tea!?”

•°•°•

“There isn't one damned coincidence…” Raiden slaps her head against the table with the rough drawings and some information about them “a king, a captain, a cowboy, a damned sorcerer…”

“Maybe there isn't supposed to be a coincidence” Nahida guesses “maybe they just look for someone who catches their eye”

“It doesn't help out as much as you think it does” the tsaritsa crosses her legs and leans against the back of the chair “if we are doing people with very clear characteristics maybe Ajax could fit nicely? Redheads aren't very common”

“Mhm, maybe but don't they have a liking for smart men? Then Alhaitham would be closer to their past couples”

“Well if we are going by that logic they should like the geo archon, as one of them has dragonic features” the tsaritsa side eyes Zhongli from the other side of the table.

Sighing deeply Furina, who came in place of Neuvillette, chimes in “It is their decision who they want to marry and even if they wanted to!”

"obviously you would be so calm, after all they are very close with your iudex. Don't get so cocky, I heard the commissioner Ayato is interested in the idea"

[ranchstoryblog]

PRESS RELEASE: Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma’s Bold Reimagining of a Beloved Franchise is Revealed During Nintendo Direct

Marvelous USA Announces Spring 2025 Release Window for Fresh Take on Fan-Favorite Action RPG/Life-simulation Franchise; PAX West Presence Confirmed

TORRANCE, Calif. — Aug. 27, 2024 — Marvelous USA today revealed Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma for the Nintendo Switch™ system and Windows PC via Steam, debuting the first official trailer on today’s Nintendo Direct livestream and announcing a Spring 2025 release window. This next-level offering is the latest entry in the popular action-RPG and life-simulation series, and introduces players to the lands of the east for the first time in franchise history with Japanese-inspired visuals and new twists on familiar themes and gameplay elements. Attendees at PAX West, taking place Aug. 30-Sept. 2, will be able to participate in a Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma booth activity showcasing Earth Dancer abilities and have the chance to earn exclusive, themed merchandise in the Marvelous USA booth, #809. 

Ravaged by the effects of the Celestial Collapse and the cessation of power provided by the runes, the eastern lands of Azuma are a shadow of their prosperous past. Weakened by corruptive forces, the gods of nature retreated from the world, leaving mountains to crumble and fields to wither. The people of Azuma seek aid against a blight that has swept these once-bountiful lands. One young hero enters into a contract with a dragon and sets out on a journey. “Accept the might of the Earth Dancer. Use this power to save the land.”

Guardians of Azuma takes players on an all-new adventure in the never-before-seen country of Azuma. Here, players will assume the role of an Earth Dancer destined to return hope—and life—to the once-thriving land. Choose from one of two protagonists whose fates are closely tied together, and experience reimagined and expanded Rune Factory gameplay; as Earth Dancer, players will farm with grace, restore and build entire villages, and fight with new weapons like the Bow and Talisman. Azuma is a vast world to explore with majestic villages to uncover, each taking inspiration from Japanese culture and each with a seasonal theme. In addition to exploration, combat, and village-building, players will also cultivate relationships with the locals, recruiting them to your side in battle or to help manage the villages. Wield sacred treasures of the gods and the Earth Dancer’s power of dance to purify the land and return Azuma to its former glory. The adventure of a new world awaits.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma Key Features:

Bold New Abilities and Weapons: As an Earth Dancer, use the power of dance, sacred treasures, and fresh weapons like the Bow and Talisman to purify the land, farm, and undo the Blight’s damage.

It Takes a Village: Don’t just mind the farm—rebuild entire villages! Construct and place buildings strategically to entice people to return to the villages and contribute. Revive the gods to bring vitality and valuable resources back to the plagued lands.

Your Fantasy Japanese Life: Experience beautiful Japanese-inspired character designs and aesthetics—from festivals to events to monsters. Explore Azuma’s natural landscapes and its seasonal-themed locales steeped in tradition.

Classic Romance and Relationships: Choose between male and female protagonists, then befriend or romance any of the eligible candidates—god and mortal alike—in fully voiced scenarios. Recruit these new friends to aid in dynamic battles, too!

Pre-orders for the Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma “Earth Dancer Edition” will be available soon via the Marvelous USA store and at participating retailers for an MSRP of $99.99. This stunning collection comes in a custom outer box featuring awe-inspiring art of a battle high above Azuma, and includes a physical copy of the game, an original soundtrack CD, an art book, an Azuma-inspired folding fan, the “Seasons of Love” DLC bundle, additional DLC costumes for your protagonists and their divine sidekick Woolby, and a plush Woolby keychain. The standard edition of the game will also be available to pre-order for an MSRP of $59.99. Details on digital editions and pricing will be announced later.

Developed by Marvelous and published in the Americas by Marvelous USA, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is scheduled for release on the Nintendo Switch™ and Windows PC via Steam in Spring 2025. The title will be published in Japan by Marvelous Inc. and in Europe by Marvelous Europe. More information can be found on the official website, https://na.runefactory.com/azuma/, and on X @RuneFactory. This title has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

Information about Marvelous USA’s products can be found at www.marvelous-usa.com. Fans can also check out the latest videos from the Marvelous family of titles on YouTube and get updates by following on Facebook, X, Instagram, and Threads.

[awkwardgamergirl]

Best games for mental health&relax?

As someone who deals with anxiety and depression when I want to relax or am just feeling low and drained I’ll usually choose what others would consider “cozy games” because I don’t want any stress from shooters, strategy games, or anything that has a lot of stakes. I’ll do switch games for now since it’s my main console but I do have a 3ds, psvita, and my computer so I’ll make a list of those games later 💕

So my favorite games to relax to are:

~ stardew valley~ (you already knew this was coming) it’s just a really cute game with lots of options on how you can spend your time. You can farm, fish, forage, travel the mines, talk to the towns people, interact with love interests. There is just a lot to do in it and it has a really cozy small town cottagecore vibe that a lot of people find relaxing. Amazing replay value. I have like four different lives just so I can choose different farms, partners, things like that.

~ animal crossing~ (second most obvious answer) we all know animal crossing is a chill low stakes game that has a lot of similar elements I listed for stardew valley. You get to interact with cute little animals, decorate your house and character, forage, fish, find fossils, shop. It’s just a relaxing and positive game and is very popular for a reason. Idk about replay value because I really couldn’t imagine deleting my island tbh.

~ fashion dreamer~ if you like cute dress up type games this one is a decent lil game. It’s got lots of different styles for whatever your lil fashion heart desires and you basically walk around dressing up characters and they rate your outfits. It’s from the creators of style savvy and while it’s super cute I would wait for it to go on sale because it’s a bit overpriced imo. Style savvy is definitely the way to go if you have a ds/3ds. Still cute though. Don’t know about replay value because I’m fairly new to the game and haven’t come close to finishing or restarting anything.

~ unpacking~ this one is pretty cute and definitely a game that helps with anxiety. It’s a relaxed little puzzle game that unlocks parts of the story as you go along organizing each room to your home. You can try to solve the puzzles or you can just organize the furniture to your liking. Either way you want to play it’s super cute and relaxing and has some decent replay value after you complete it.

~calico~ super cute game where you run a cat cafe in a magical town with unique characters, little missions, and lots of cats you can pet and play with. There is magic, desserts, and you can ride giant cats like horses. Super soothing game. Character customization and decorating your cafe. The only drawback is it can get a bit glitchy but for the cuteness and the price I have no complaints. The music is really cute too. Not sure about replay value because my cafe is so cute I wouldn’t want to start over.

~coffee talk~ you run a coffee shop in the future and talk to all the incoming guests and learn their stories as you give them their coffee. This one is super relaxing and how I like to spend my evenings before bed if I want that extra cozy time to destress and relax. Cute art as well with different species and how they interact. I haven’t restarted yet but I’m sure there will be replay value with just how cozy and in depth the story is.

~rune factory 4 remastered~ this was originally a 3ds game they remastered for the switch and it’s so amazing that they did. One of my favorite 3ds games that is an offshoot of the harvest moon series with very pretty art, farming, cooking and crafting, romance, monster fighting, and just really fantastic story telling. Very cozy and hard not to get sucked into. Such a gorgeous game imo. Fantastic replay value.

~good pizza, great pizza~ you run a lil pizza shop and upgrade it to get better ingredients and equipment. Super cute chill game to pass the time and hard not to spend hours mindlessly making pizzas. Haven’t replayed it because I haven’t completed it but I imaging replaying it would be fun because you’re just making pizza and unlocking different ingredients. Relaxing game with cute art.

~monster prom~ cute game where you have to convince one of the monsters to go to prom with you. Funny writing, pretty art, and the ability to romance any gender while choosing your pronouns. It’s funny, the game play is question based, and it’s like little rounds of 15 mins and either you get them to go to prom or you get rejected. Then you get to try again. Replay value is obviously strong because I keep playing it no matter how often I’m rejected 🥲 being real though this game is funny, unique, and worth the price. I just have to beat the first one so I can try the second.

~what comes after~ you play as a character on a train of ghosts and you process the grief of passing to the afterlife and try to learn and console the other ghosts on the train who are passing. Pretty game that is mostly story based and worth a try. I haven’t finished this game so I’m not to sure on the replay value.

~little mouse’s encyclopedia~ a cute little game where you play as a little mouse exploring the outside and the dirt and you spend your time finding other little animals and bugs and plants and you read about them and what they are. Cute little educational game I purchased because I loved the art that ended up being super cute in the long run.

Honorable mentions:

- speed dating for ghosts (cute funny little game where you go on dates with ghosts. Short, sweet, and to the point. Decently priced for how quick you get through the game)

- cattails (you play as a cat that travels through its little territory you that you share with your other cat group. You gather little things, complete missions, scrap with rival cat gangs, and just walk around as a cat. Cute but a bit slow for my tastes.)

-rune factory 5 (don’t get me wrong, I love the fourth one and I’m sure the more I play this one I’ll learn to love it to. The gameplay is just set up a bit different and is a bit more similar to the harvest moon style than the fourth rune factory. The art is gorgeous though I was just hoping for more rune factory and less harvest moon when it came to the actual playing)

Games I’ve wanted and heard amazing things about:

The only reason I haven’t purchased and played these games yet is because games aren’t cheap and I need to finish the ones I’ve already purchased. That being said I’ve been looking at a lot of these for a long time and they are definitely going to make this list. I’m sure some of them would be ranked very high in the favorite games category as soon as I actually start playing them. Here’s the list:

* Spiritfairer

*Bear and breakfast

*Creepy tale

*Cozy grove

*Witchy life story

*Potion permit

*Hoa

*Littlewood

*Potion craft

*Gris

*When the past was around

*strange horticulture

*Lemon cake

*Wytchwood

*How to say goodbye

*Dreamlight valley

*Storyteller

*Cult of the lamb

*Little misfortune

*Night in the woods

* Sally face

And that’s it 🎉 sorry for such a long list but I wanted to include a bit of everything so you had lots to choose from. These are the games I play when I need a comfy happy place to go when life gets to be a bit too much to handle. I enjoyed making this list to be honest so there will most likely be more lists in the future. Maybe I’ll make a list of favorite otome games, anime/manga, kpop groups. Things like that. Anyway, hope you enjoy reading the list as I enjoyed making it 💖

[satoshi-mochida]

Rune Factory: Project Dragon - latest footage, details -

From Gematsu

Following its initial announcement as Project Magia in May 2023, Marvelous has released new information and footage for Rune Factory: Project Dragon. Platforms and a release date remain unannounced.

Get the details below.

Following a brief history on the evolution of the Rune Factory series and how it has grown across nine titles released over 18 years, Rune Factory series director Shiro Maekawa joined the stream to reveal a new video for Rune Factory: Project Dragon sharing a look at the title’s protagonists. Players can choose to play as either Subaru or Kaguya, two new Earthmates with a twist; they will use the power of dance, rather than farming, to communicate and interact with the world around them. This new approach to interacting with the world comes with non-combat tools, including parasols and drums; series staple weapons like swords; and brand-new weapon types to experiment with, including bows and talismans.

Watch the Rune Factory: Project Dragon segment of Marvelous Showcase 2024 below.

Rune Factory: Project Dragon Segment

(Segment begins at 23:52.)

[lilaroxa]

Lila's Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon Temperature Blanket

After a small setback of waiting an extra few days for my yarn order, all the materials are finally here!

Hi there! If you're new, my name is Lila Roxa and I stream Rune Factory Wednesday nights on Twitch! I finished my Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon series on May 15, 2024, but I'm not quite ready to leave Kardia yet!

As a way for me to reminisce about the fun memories made along the way and to challenge my creative skills, I came up with the idea of making a Rune Factory Temperature Blanket!

How does it work?

Inspired by real-world temperature blankets (crocheted blankets where each row's colour is determined by that day's temperature in the real world), one row of my blanket is a "day" in my playthrough! Though I won't be using the weather for my blanket! Instead, I wanted to focus on the reasons why I fell in love with the Rune Factory series: the loveable characters and RPG setting.

With the above criteria in mind, I ended up with 22 colours: 11 for each romance candidate, 8 for the caves, and 3 for miscellaneous days.

What are the specifics?

Pattern

The pattern I am going to follow is CrochetKim Birth Temperature Blanket. The image above is a sample of CrochetKim's work.

I was drawn to her pattern in particular because of how it reminded me of the "back" of the dialogue boxes.

While granny squares may have been a more accurate representation, I'm not sure if I have the sanity to create an entire temperature blanket out of them. So I focused on the zig-zag look the squares create instead!

Colours

It took me roughly two days to decide on all the colours, but here they are!

Each row will be determined by the most memorable factor of that playthrough's day. Some examples of what a "memorable factor" could be:

A funny/thought-provoking quote

Gaining access to/beating a cave

Being forced to "skip" a day because of a typhoon

Curious to know why I chose a certain colour? Here's why!

MELODY | TABATHA | ROSETTA | BIANCA | MIST | MEI | LARA | TORI | LYNETTE | SHARRON | FELICITY CARMITE CAVE | TOROS CAVE | CLEMENS CAVE | MT. GIGANT | MISTY BLOOM CAVE | KASIMIR RUINS | DANAAN CAVE | GREED CAVE SKIPPED/SLEPT | RESOURCE DAY | DATA LOST

Lila Roxa

[serandipity]

I'm terrible at making promo graphics, so consider this a promo! This a multimuse blog featuring muses from final fantasy 14 and 16, the tales of series, legend of Zelda, and Rune Factory and Harvest Moon, and FE3H + Engage + more! I'd def love to meet some new peeps to role-play with!

Here is my carrd with my muse list and rules and stuff.

[olderthannetfic]

https://avenger-concerto.tumblr.com/post/732729205405679616

I was looking for blank art memes/templates for Rune Factory, and this is the first post that pops up when the search results are sorted by popularity.

My, such new news: Video game for kids has marriage candidates that may appeal to kids, as well as other older-looking marriage candidates to appeal to older players. Shock horror!

Reddit is also full of these idiots who accuse the creators/publishers of the games of horrible things. So full of that racist "but it's from Japan where this thing is seen as normal, so for them it's not as creepy as for us" crap.

If it's that terrible to them and they truly believe the creators/publishers are horrifying people, why don't they just boycott the series then? Oooh right, because they're the only ones who are able to play it ~critically~ unlike all those evil gross horrifying people, like those terrible children who traumatize themselves and normalize horrible shit by choosing those oh-sooo disgustingly designed marriage candidates because they appeal to them. Lmao.

--

[wyldflowerss]

Looking for new friends!

Hey, Tumblr.

I'm a user from ye olde earlier days of the website (around 2013) that has come back for whatever reason. My dashboard is lonely at the moment, so I'm looking for some new blogs to follow, possibly to make some new friends too.

If you want a new follower or friend and post the following content, please like or reblog! I'm looking for the following to like and reblog:

RWBY.

Fullmetal Alchemist.

Avatar: The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra.

Fire Emblem.

Blazblue & Guilty Gear.

Bungou Stray Dogs.

Tales of Series.

Tomodachi Life (I expect this one to be rare).

Music (any, preferred Bastille and STARSET though).

Horror (also including games, namely Sally Face and DbD).

Pokemon (I do play Pokemon Go, need more friends).

Animal Crossing.

The Sims.

Rune Factory, Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, Stardew Valley.

Godzilla (other kaijus are welcomed).

Animals (anything other than insects and snakes).

Aesthetics (astrology, witchcraft, nature, etc).

Your own content (art, writing, etc., I'll be your hype man).

I will not follow if you're involved in a lot of fandom drama. I respect the vibe, but it's just not for me. I just wanna look at pretty art and get excited about hyperfixations with people.

[most-datable-undatable]

Your Match-Ups!

Because I am a complete mess of a person, I forgot to put a few on my original list, so good news for the person who suggested Wizard from Stardew Valley a bit late: Because of my stupidity, he is now on the bracket!

We have a total of 104 contestants! This will be a standard single-elimination tournament. Match-ups were completely randomized, although for the first round I did not allow match-ups between two characters from the same franchise.

Voting will begin tomorrow morning at 9am PST. I will post one poll every ten or so minutes. I will do 26 tomorrow and 26 on Tuesday. Be sure to follow so you don't miss out on a vote for your favorite!

Without further ado: Your Most Datable Undatable Character Round 1 Match-Ups!

Day One

Kai (Harvest Moon: Back to Nature)/Hytham (AC: Valhalla)

Aphrodite (Stray Gods)/Robin (Stardew Valley)

Cole (Dragon Age: Inquisition)/Dame Aylin (Baldur’s Gate 3)

Sten (Dragon Age: Origins)/Helena Blake (Mass Effect)

Kent Connolly (Fallout 4)/Asterius (Hades)

Serana (Skyrim)/Bo Calloway (Scarlet Hollow)

Perry (Harvest Moon: Animal Parade)/Cliff Holden (Our Life: Beginning & Always)

EDI (Mass Effect 2 and 3)/Soma Jarlskona (Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla)

Kasumi Goto (Mass Effect 2)/Shandra Jerro (Neverwinter Nights 2)

Mel (Fallout 4)/Neeshka (Neverwinter Nights 2)

Vivienne de Fer (Dragon Age: Inquisition)/Pasqal Haneumann (Rogue Trader)

Carlos (Rune Factory 4)/Hypnos (Hades)

Scout Lace Harding (Dragon Age: Inquisition)/Bishop (Neverwinter Nights 2)

Deacon (Fallout 4)/Theseus (Hades)

Virgil (Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura)/Avitus Rix (Mass Effect: Andromeda)

Nathaniel Howe (Dragon Age: Awakening/Dragon Age 2)/Wynert (Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate)

Quinn (Dream Daddy)/Karliah (Skyrim)

Nick Valentine (Fallout 4)/Nakmor Drack (Mass Effect: Andromeda)

Dagna (Dragon Age: Inquisition)/Terry (Rune Factory 5)

Rolan (Baldur’s Gate 3)/Talos Drellik (Star Wars: The Old Republic)

Shiala (Mass Effect)/Jodi (Stardew Valley)

Tiran Kandros (Mass Effect: Andromeda)/Trickster (Hooked on You)

Arthur Maxson (Fallout 4)/Brassidas (Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey)

Brynjolf (Skyrim)/Briala (Dragon Age: Inquisition)

Mary Christiansen (Dream Daddy)/Chaos (Hades)

Olgierd von Everestu (The Witcher 3)/Wizard (Stardew Valley)

Day Two

Frea (Skyrim)/Rose of Sharon Cassidy (Fallout: New Vegas)

Legion (Mass Effect 2 and 3)/Yuthura Ban (Knights of the Old Republic)

Qyzen Fess (Knights of the Old Republic)/Dammon (Baldur’s Gate 3)

Isobel Thorm (Baldur’s Gate 3)/Athena (Stray Gods)

Sandy (Stardew Valley)/Vincent Valentine (Final Fantasy VII)

Kaelyn the Dove (Neverwinter Nights 2)/Medusa (Stray Gods)

Bao Dur (Knights of the Old Republic)/Evfra (Mass Effect: Andromeda)

Arcade Gannon (Fallout: New Vegas)/Jeremus (Mount and Blade: Warband)

Nyreen Kandros (Mass Effect)/Shale (Dragon Age: Origins)

Urdnot Wrex (Mass Effect Series)/Marnie (Stardew Valley)

Talvas Fathryon (Skyrim)/Nihlus Kryik (Mass Effect)

Cremisius “Krem” Aclassi (Dragon Age: Inquisition)/Gatekeeper (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Keldorn (Baldur’s Gate 2)/Lin Fa (Rune Factory 4)

Johnny Silverhand (Cyberpunk 2077)/Veronica Santangelo (Fallout: New Vegas)

Tarquin Victus (Mass Effect 3)/Aveline (Dragon Age 2)

Judith (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)/Varric Tethras (Dragon Age 2/Dragon Age: Inquisition)

Evelyn (Rune Factory 3)/Sagacious Zu (Jade Empire)

Jarun Tann (Mass Effect: Andromeda)/J’Zargo (Skyrim)

Joker (Mass Effect Series)/Vault Tec Rep (Fallout 4)

Eder (Pillars of Eternity 2)/Iorveth (The Witcher 2)

Atris (Knights of the Old Republic 2)/Vernon Roche (The Witcher 2)

Kharjo (Skyrim)/Lambert (The Witcher 3)

Mordin Solus (Mass Effect 2 and 3)/Eskiel (The Witcher 3)

Raphael (Baldur’s Gate 3)/Takemura (Cyberpunk 2077)

Craig Boone (Fallout: New Vegas)/Canderous Ordo (Knights of the Old Republic)

Mira (Knights of the Old Republic 2)/Wistful Deviless (Sunless Sea)

[nightzap]

I've been eying the Rune Factory series for a while, but after the trailer for the new game last week, I decided to take the plunge and bought RF4.

Forte immediately established herself as the best character by being a cool lady knight who gifted me a sword on first meeting.

[my-current-obsession]

Super hot take but I genuinely don't get why Forte is so appealing/popular. As someone who has played a bunch of Japanese games and watched a bunch of anime she comes off as THE MOST bland and stereotypical of the entire cast in that game.

I've seen a hundred "lady knight" characters before (Ingrid from Fire Emblem 3 Houses is just one other example, and I'd say she's much more interesting). She's portrayed as something of a tomboy who is "secretly" girly because she has the super common (in Japanese media at least) girly traits of loving sweets and being afraid of ghosts. Once again looking at 3 Houses, someone else who has those exact two traits is Lysithea, who has them for basically the same reason. Those traits exist solely to "soften" her and make her seem more feminine (and thus in theory more appealing) without really affecting her personality in any way. Also note how many other girls in that game happen to love sweets compared to guys. And how often one or two males in the Rune Factory games specifically DISLIKE sweets while girls almost never do.

A better example of those traits showing up within the Rune Factory series itself would be Rune Factory 3. There are several characters who notably love sweets, some being Shara and Monica, who are very obviously feminine anyway in terms of appearance/personality/interests, and two others are Blaise and Rusk, two guys who comfortably deny the "norm" (again, in Japanese media anyway; I don't think Western media cares so much about whether liking sweets is seen as feminine/masculine) and love sweets while ironically Colette has no strong feelings on them despite being a big food lover.

And then Raven is similarly afraid of ghosts as a more hidden "feminine" trait, but HER dislike of ghosts and things related to death actually plays into her arc in the game. She doesn't like things that make her think of death because it makes her think of what she's lost. And she's afraid of losing what she has now. Also, unlike Forte's fear of ghosts being played almost exclusively for comedy and feminine appeal, Raven also happens to be STUBBORN, meaning she reluctantly faces her fear of death and handling death-related objects head-on if it means she doesn't have to look weak or rely on others. Her insistence on carrying a skull herself despite clearly being uncomfortable with it, when Micah is repeatedly offering to do it for her, is an important, dramatic moment in the middle of her "route" that almost results in Micah getting hurt and her secret getting outed.

I just don't think Forte does anything new or interesting with 90% of her character traits. She's a basic lady knight that I've seen way too many times before, and has stock Japanese girly traits to show she's secretly more feminine despite those traits not actually being important to her personality or events and romance at all.

She has a "just gals being pals" dynamic with Margaret that is nice in theory, but in execution it feels like Margaret is way more into Forte and overtly admires her than vice versa. I can tell Forte truly cares about Margaret as a friend, but it's not nearly as balanced as the Dylas/Doug obsession with each other is when it comes to eyebrow-raising moments/lines. If anything, Forte outright downplays or dismisses Margaret's admiration of her a lot of the time while offering little in return. Outside of festivals where Forte is remarking on or expecting Margaret getting a lot of attention from others, there's not any indication that Forte finds her particularly appealing, whereas Margaret has tons of lines about how amazing and even attractive she thinks Forte is.

The one thing about her that actually is unique and that I like is her clear love and devotion, yet somewhat strained and awkward relationship with her brother. That aspect is what actually matters, and it works well. It endears me to her as a character... but it isn't enough to save her for me as a love interest when everything else either does nothing for me or outright turns me off.

[all-hail-trudos]

Something interesting that's come to light: Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is being developed in Unreal Engine. I can't find which version, but either way this is actually excellent news, since RF5 was made in Unity. I don't know how many people know this, but despite being a go-to engine until recently, Unity is a pain to optimize for the Switch by most accounts. RF5 had a number of development problems, but the choice of game engine definitely did not help. (It's also appropriate that they used a game engine favored by indie studios when it sounds like they had a really small dev team). This might sound like nerdy rambling, but hear me out. The fact that RF:GoA is being made in Unreal Engine 4 or 5 instead says two really encouraging things!

1.) This is an engine favored by larger studios with a bigger budget. Not that we don't see indie games using UE, but primarily this is what AAA studios use if they're not running on their own custom solutions. It's safe to say this is a sign that Marvelous is genuinely investing in the series and wants it to go places.

2.) Unreal Engine is without question a lot more powerful than Unity but needs more tinkering out of the box to get it running right. More importantly, it doesn't have Unity's reputation of needing a lot of finessing to work right on the Switch. Back in 2017, most UE4 games were just not coming out on Switch, because optimizing things enough to run at anything more than 12 fps was impossible. That has since changed enormously, but the key takeaway here is: If Guardians of Azuma is made in UE but is still coming to the Switch, we're 100% going to get better performance than RF5.

Also, this is much wilder speculation, but the release date of Spring 2025 coincides with when we're finally for sure getting details on the Switch 2. There's a very good chance this game is either going to get a re-release on the next gen system, or we're going to see it get a backwards compatibility patch adding DLSS which WILL FOR SURE improve performance like 100x over.

In conclusion, Guardians of Azuma has many signs that point positively to the future of the series, and to running well on the Switch and, since it deserves a place in the conversation, the Steam Deck. Solid performance on the PC is obviously a given. Just buy a GTX4090 and you'll never see less than 60fps ever again. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.