Rune Factory 4 Special from Xseed Games and Marvelous is out now on Nintendo Switch over half a decade after the original game released on Nintendo 3DS. While the Nintendo Switch is no stranger to bare bones ports that are overpriced, some remasters and remakes go the extra mile. Rune Factory 4 Special on Nintendo Switch isn’t just a remaster but an enhanced one with a plethora of new content. This makes it well worth it even for veteran players who put in loads of time on the Nintendo 3DS release.
Dual Audio
The original release of Rune Factory 4 only had English voice acting. Rune Factory 4 Special has both English and Japanese voice acting options and it also has additional voiced lines with most of the original voice cast making a return for this release.
Play at home or on the go
Thanks to Rune Factory 4 Special being on Nintendo’s hybrid system, you can play at home docked under a TV or on the go.
Physical worldwide release
Rune Factory 4 was a digital only release in Europe that launched a year after the North American 3DS release. Rune Factory 4 Special is getting a physical release in North America, Europe, Australia, and more.
New story content
Rune Factory 4 Special has a new Newlywed Mode that lets players load their save data and play a standalone adventure with their new partner with voice acting and animated portraits.
New difficulty option
Rune Factory 4 Special has a new Hell difficulty option in addition to the Easy, Normal, and Hard modes. This is much harder than the Hard mode. Veteran players who want a challenge right from the get go can use this option.
More save slots
Rune Factory 4 Special has 20 save slots per profile on Nintendo Switch. The original 3DS release had only 3 save slots.
New cut-scenes
Rune Factory 4 Special has new cut-scenes scattered across the game and an all new opening song and video. The cut-scenes fit in very well with the story and look excellent on Nintendo Switch.
DLC stories
Rune Factory 4 Special has new DLC stories in the form of Another Episode DLC that will be available for free for a month beginning today. This features a future look at the player with their partner featuring voiced dialogues and vignettes. There are 12 vignettes in total available in this DLC.
Touchscreen support
Rune Factory 4 Special has touchscreen support for interfaces and menus letting handheld players quickly manage inventory and access storage easily.
Upgraded visuals and performance
Rune Factory 4 was already a great looking game on Nintendo 3DS. Rune Factory 4 Special on Nintendo Switch has better visuals that scale both handheld and docked and an all new interface option. The load times are also a lot better on Nintendo Switch.
We will have a full review of Rune Factory 4 Special in the near future.
