My other favorite of the series (along with 3). Additional quality-of-life mechanics and new features fill out the experience so there is always variety and room for optimization.
On hard mode, it requires in-depth game knowledge to progress, and many bosses feel impossible without appropriate hand-crafted gear. That same gear also absolutely obliterates regular enemies, so the balance is not quite in the right spot. It's also hard to get over-leveled because stronger materials are always locked behind bosses of equivalent levels.
This game also has the most content by far. Unfortunately, this content is of mediocre quality. Dungeons tend to be mazelike and repetitive. Combat is the same as always.
The story involves killing god, one of my favorite fantasy tropes. The characters are not any more complex than they have ever been. The story is also way too long past the first arc. If you enjoy the main gameplay (and I do) RF4 will take you far. Otherwise, you'll get bored before the end.
RF4 is the quintessential Rune Factory... For better or for worse.
On hard mode, it requires in-depth game knowledge to progress, and many bosses feel impossible without appropriate hand-crafted gear. That same gear also absolutely obliterates regular enemies, so the balance is not quite in the right spot. It's also hard to get over-leveled because stronger materials are always locked behind bosses of equivalent levels.
This game also has the most content by far. Unfortunately, this content is of mediocre quality. Dungeons tend to be mazelike and repetitive. Combat is the same as always.
The story involves killing god, one of my favorite fantasy tropes. The characters are not any more complex than they have ever been. The story is also way too long past the first arc. If you enjoy the main gameplay (and I do) RF4 will take you far. Otherwise, you'll get bored before the end.
RF4 is the quintessential Rune Factory... For better or for worse.