Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 82 | 50 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 88% | 82 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 90% | 84 | 7 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 19 reviews sampled · 12 total reviews in window · weighted 14.1 up / 1.6 down · computed 10h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (55)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 85
“I had a blast from my day to day activities and my time spent with it didn't feel like nearly enough. I will be playing this long after reviewing it. Rune Factory enthusiasts, as well as newcomers, should certainly give this a go.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Rune Factory 4 Special is an easy recommendation for fans of farming sims like Harvest Moon, with fun and laidback gameplay, tons of depth, plenty of character interaction, and a nice PC port too.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“There’s something here for everyone in Rune Factory 4 Special, but its greatest strength is how it ties together everything into one thoroughly enjoyable package.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Rune Factory 4 Special is an easy recommendation to any RPGamer who enjoys farming and life sim games, as well as for those casual Stardew Valley fans that wished for more variety in the combat aspects. It’s been long enough since the 3DS release that this game can be enjoyed fresh again, and for those who missed it the first time around, now’s the perfect time to give it a try.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“If you have NOT played the original Rune Factory 4 however, I highly recommend picking this up. The writing is charming, the gameplay is a wonderful blend of pleasant and exciting, and all the interconnected systems mean even if you’re not directly working on your favorite aspect, you’re still working towards what you love.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“With a bit of a window remaining until the release of Animal Crossing, if you’ve been looking for something relaxing and structured to occupy your attention you’ll be in luck with Rune Factory...”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Rune Factory 4 Special is a near perfect farming and RPG title. The frustrating elements are outweighed by the gorgeous styled graphics, the immersiveness of the plot, and the sheer joy that comes from playing this remastered game. It raises high hopes for the upcoming fifth instalment in the series, and it can perhaps be considered a masterpiece.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Still one of the best of its kind nearly a decade after its initial release, Rune Factory 4 Special is still thoroughly engrossing when it comes to most of what it attempts.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Rune Factory 4 Special makes the jump to 2020 in amazing fashion by delivering the same amount of charm and great content in the original in a nicely upgraded package.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“It caters well to both farming sim enthusiasts and RPG players who want a little more action in between shipping crops and courting that special someone. I do admire the developer's ability to blend all of this into one cohesive game, as there's tons of things to do here and it can take hours to accomplish everything. Grinding can be a little grating, but Rune Factory's positives far outweigh the negatives.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Rune Factory 4 Special delivers all the life sim, farming, and RPG action of the original 3DS release-it's perfect for fans of the Story of Seasons series or Stardew Valley.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“It may be a good case for fans of the series who didn't play it in the past, but its style is now outdated.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
cublikefoot
Nintendo Life
RPGamer
Gamer Escape
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
PC Invasion
Capsule Computers
NintendoWorldReport
PCMag
Enternity.gr…and 43 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Update Notes 3/10/2022Mar 10, 2022
- Update Notes 12/17/2021Dec 17, 2021