When I say that Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma has made me a dictator, I am not being hyperbolic.
This was through no fault of my own. I had no political aspirations at the outset. As a newcomer to Yoshifumi Hashimoto's Rune Factory series, I went into the roleplaying game simply planning to fight monsters, befriend villagers, and partake in some wholesome farming. To be fair, I have done exactly that.
However, I have also unintentionally become the uncontested ruler of Azuma, presiding over the region with the support of an unquestioningly loyal band of armed followers.
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma demonstrates the impact of poor disaster recovery planning
Set in a fantasy world inspired by ancient Japan, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma takes place 50 years after the land was blown apart in a catastrophe dubbed the Celestial Collapse. Azuma's villages have since fallen into decline, with blighted plants plaguing the land and no sign of a functional local government that might address the situation.
I'm apparently the first person in 50 years to step up and take any responsibility around here.
It's amidst this backdrop that Guardians of Azuma's amnesiac protagonist discovers they are an "Earth Dancer," an individual with a unique connection to the earth and gods. This gives the player powers capable of restoring the land and returning Azuma to prosperity. I won't deny that my Earth Dancer powers are instrumental in removing the blight, which certainly assists in reviving the villages. All it takes is a quick little dance to vanquish dangerous flora, as well as speed up crop growth more effectively than any fertiliser.
Even so, I don't believe that Azuma's dramatic resurrection is solely attributable to my supernatural jigs. Rather, I credit the fact that I'm apparently the first person in 50 years to step up and take any responsibility around here.
Azuma's villages wait for a hero to come along
Farming games typically give you your own little plot of land to cultivate, allowing you to grow crops, raise livestock, and fantasise about a life free from the corporate grind. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma deviates from this structure by having you oversee numerous "development zones" across four seasonally-themed villages, a feat only made possible by instant fast travel. These areas aren't used solely for animals and crops, but also for erecting homes, stores, and restaurants, essentially mixing farming with town planning.
To be clear, there are already people living in these villages, many of whom could probably have cleared the rubble at any time during the past 50 years. Sure, the blighted blooms do limit the amount of arable land. Even so, there is still space around them, as well as shops to run, monsters to hunt, ore to mine, and many hands which could have made light work.
Unfortunately, nobody had such initiative. Instead, the villages were left to languish for decades, the residents just waiting for some sucker to come along and fix the situation for them. Apparently, that sucker is me.
Less than 20 in-game days had passed in Guardians of Azuma before I had all four chiefdoms under my belt, essentially making me supreme ruler of Azuma. Almost every village appointed me chief within days of my arrival, practically weaponising my itching need to improve circumstances. Most hadn't had any chief at all when I arrived, with nobody else willing to step up to the plate.
The sole exception was elderly chief Sakaki in the Spring Village, though even he was quick to abdicate in my favour at the earliest available opportunity. He could have nominated a longtime resident such as teahouse owner Iroha, or literal God of Spring Ulalaka. Instead, he went for a stranger with memory issues who's been squatting in the local shrine for the past six months, having crash-landed there and busted a hole in its roof.
"Czar of local infrastructure" was not on my career planning vision board.
As much as this is an indictment on his decision making skills, I feel it's an equally loud condemnation of the other potential candidates.
I have a tendency to min-max farming sims, prioritising efficiency over aesthetic without having to consider real-life issues such as crop rotation and environmental impact. Taking absolute control over optimising a virtual village's farming practices is not out of character for the type of player I am when left unchecked. Even so, "czar of local infrastructure" was not on my career planning vision board.
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma doesn't restrict my iron fist's reach to town planning. I'm also able to assign villagers to jobs, with their individual traits impacting how they perform in various roles. I can further relocate them to an entirely different village, if, for example, their Cheerful demeanour would provide a greater benefit when running a shop in the Summer Village than farming in the Spring Village. Such power over villagers' employment isn't even the full extent of my control. While I offer free housing in exchange for their labour, I can also completely evict residents, exiling them from the safety of my villages.
I haven't yet taken this measure, as I'm all too aware that there is nowhere else in Azuma that they might find shelter. Even so, I fear that this day is fast approaching. The Big Eaters, Slackers, and Worry Warts are having a negative impact on morale, and there are many others who would eagerly take their place and contribute to my new, functional society.
Guardians of Azuma made me your local MP with the power of god and anime on my side
This isn't the only responsibility I've had to take on in the absence of literally anyone else. Not only has Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma made me its minister for both agriculture and infrastructure, it has also appointed me as minister for defence.
While monsters roam the lands, none of the villages have any formal army, militia, or even animal wranglers to tame the wild cowlike Buffamoo. Instead, I deal with every violent threat myself, venturing forth with my loyal, armed posse. Several of them are also literal gods, giving me the divine right of kings several times over.
Combat is fairly straightforward, consisting of enjoyably mindless hack-slash button-mashing to whack enemies like piñatas until they drop loot and perish. Different weapons and types of elemental damage can be considerably more effective against certain enemies. Nevertheless, I largely prefer to brute force my fights and down potions like shots, an impulse which Guardians of Azuma is happy to indulge.
On one hand, seeing a political leader actively serving in the defence force may make them seem more down-to-earth and relatable to many constituents. On the other hand, I'd probably be slightly unsettled if my local MP ran around with a sword-wielding gang. I personally feel uncomfortable with my necessary but overt displays of violence, and worry that they may have had some influence on the villagers' unquestioning obedience to almost every single one of my authoritarian decrees. Factor in my ridable dragon companion, and it's giving Daenerys Targaryen.
Rune Factory made a benevolent dictator of me
Now that I've unintentionally consolidated power in Azuma, I can't simply abdicate. Considering the lack of initiative around here, I thoroughly believe the situation would revert to what it was almost immediately. It takes the villagers practically half the day to plant one seed. It's like I'm the only person in the group chat actually planning the practicalities of the trip, but I can't just drop it because my friends will end up camping out in a 24-hour McDonald's. They may be shockingly incapable of getting it together, but against my better judgement I still care about their wellbeing.
I'm beginning to realise that though I am ostensibly Azuma's dictator, my constituents have me right where they want me.
Granted, I am doing a better job as chief than anyone else around here would, even with my attention split between four villages. Nobody appears discontent with my leadership. In fact, they all seem thrilled with the situation despite absolutely no propaganda on my part. If I attempted to introduce mandatory voting I'm one hundred percent certain that everyone would just keep electing me until I died.
I strongly believe that politicians should serve the people. As such, I'm beginning to realise that though I am ostensibly Azuma's dictator, my constituents have me right where they want me.
Benevolent dictatorship is not typically a sustainable political structure. Even in the unlikely event a suitably magnanimous ruler is found, the system is thrown into chaos upon their demise. However, as far as I'm aware, I cannot die. Azuma's people seem to have immediately identified me as an immortal sucker with a tender heart, and exploited my good intentions to trap me as an involuntary, overworked public servant.
I understand their impulse. Azuma was in a dire state when I arrived, and something needed to be done. Further, I admit I find satisfaction in helping improve others' lives, and making the most of the resources available. I just wish everyone would do a little more to contribute to this group project.
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is available now on Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and PC.
