As time passes, in order to preserve games for modern systems, sometimes they need to be remastered or ported. Some people dislike this trend, but I think with the right bit of polish and work, it can be a positive thing. Rune Factory 3 Special didn’t exactly get the quality treatment this time around, but for fans of the franchise, this is a great way to preserve the third game in the storied Rune Factory series.

In Rune Factory 3 Special, you play as Micah, a young man with the mysterious (yet monstrous) ability to turn into a sheep-like monster. In this Rune Factory story, monsters and humans do not yet coexist peacefully, so Micah will have to figure out how to bridge the gap while getting to know the townspeople. This also involves the typical Rune Factory fare of farming, fishing, doing requests, and more.

There are a few problems with this port/re-release though. For one, this is a straight port, there are no quality-of-life changes or enhancements in terms of gameplay. Because of that, I would argue that this is not a good jumping-in point for players who are new to the series. Especially since some tutorials can be re-read later, but others cannot. Some concepts that are familiar to Rune Factory fans aren’t even explained in a tutorial format.

An example of this is the concept of using withered grass to improve crops. I knew it was an option because I played Rune Factory 4 and Rune Factory 5 previously. However, the only clue I had that it worked the same in this game was because an NPC mentioned it in passing while I was doing other things. This wasn’t the only annoyance for me though.

The request system in Rune Factory 3 Special is a bit of a pain. Each day you can accept one request from your mailbox and one request from the request board in town. However, you can’t tell what the request requirements are until you accept it and then speak to the person who submitted the request. As you can imagine, this can be a problem if you don’t have the items or required infrastructure to fill that request. Plus, you can only take one of each quest type per day, so if you take one you can’t fill, that’s a day lost.

Another major issue with Rune Factory 3 Special is the lack of options. The only options you can adjust are in the main menu and even those are limited. In 2023, you should be able to adjust more than music, and the languages for audio and video. Also, if you mess up you can’t simply reload a save, you have to close the game and re-open it, or go out to the main menu and then back in.

Overall in terms of gameplay, Rune Factory 3 Special is decent. The controls are good, the characters are interesting, and there’s a lot of content here. People who are used to Rune Factory 4 and 5 will feel the age of Rune Factory 3 Special, but fans of the original release should feel right at home. I am absolutely a fan of preserving older releases and giving them new life on modern systems, so this feels like a no-brainer.

While Rune Factory 3 Special isn’t the best-remastered port I’ve ever played, it has its charm. I happen to enjoy the mix of farming and combat that the Rune Factory series offers, so I can’t help but have a soft spot for these games. While Rune Factory 3 Special shows its age, it should be in any Rune Factory fan’s library.

A Nintendo Switch Review Copy of Rune Factory 3 Special was provided by XSEED Games for this review.

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Rune Factory 3 Special

$39.99 USD

4

Score

4.0/10

Pros

• Decent controls
• Fun and dense gameplay
• Lots of content
• Interesting story and characters

Cons

• Not good for beginners
• Very few options
• Some mechanics aren't explained
• Request system is clunky
• No Quality of Life addons