When it comes to romance in most cozy video games, you usually wind up dating and marrying someone from town. Maybe they’re nice, but also a little plain. Attractive, but not hot. . Well, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma shakes up this stale formula by letting you romance literal gods of seasons, like Matsuri, the goddess of summer and everything strong and powerful. Here’s how to spice up your cozy farming-sim dating life.
How to romance Matsuri
It’s a slow journey to romance Matsuri. For her first Bonding Quest, “I’m Just That Cool,” you’ll profess your feelings for her. But that’s just bridging the gap. (Editor’s note: Were it so easy…)
After telling her how you feel, you must continue increasing her bond level to seven, where you’ll receive a pretty obvious dialogue option. Choose “I love you!” when prompted, and then you may choose a nickname for each other. But again, this is just phase one. After confessing your love, the next set of Bonding Quests unlock.
At this point, you’re at level seven. You need to reach level 10, that’s when marriage becomes available. You can achieve this point by offering her regular gifts, talking to Matsuri daily, choosing the appropriate hangout options each day, and bringing her along when venturing beyond town limits into the wilderness. The more you fight alongside her, the more her Bond Level increases.
Once you hit bond level 10, Woolby will bring up the topic of marrying Matsuri. He provides you with most of what you need, specifically a sapling for either a Red Plum or White Plum Tree, and the recipe for Divine Spirits. The recipe itself requires the branch of the plum tree, rice, and Wisteria. Once the sapling grows, pluck the branch, craft the concoction, and then invite Matsuri to the Fateweaver Shrine.
Congrats, you’re married to a literal goddess!
Matsuri’s Hangout choices
Once you unlock the ability to take your prospective partner out on a date, known as a hangout in Rune Factory, then you’ll find their bond level quickly rising daily. You can do one hangout per day, so picking the right one to optimize your bond points matters!
Love
- Discuss combat
- Talk about weapons
Like
- Grab a bite to eat at Iroha’s Teahouse
- Grab a bite to eat at Yachiyo’s
- Chat about food
- Muse about monsters
- Chat about the village
Dislike
- Discuss something intellectual
- Invite to the ocean
- Share spooky stories
Matsuri’s Likes and Dislikes
Like all other characters in the game, Matsuri has a selection of items she adores and outright hates. If you give her one of the latter, you’ll lose a massive chunk of her bond level, so don’t try to experiment. Stay away from mushrooms and raw materials, but definitely lean heavily into jelly and protein-rich dishes.
Love
- Hibiscus
- Anmitsu Festive Jelly
- Anmitsu Fruit Jelly
- Anmitsu Cream Jelly
Like
- Stir-Fried Udon
- Grilled Squid
- Meat Skewers
- Baked Apple
- Grilled Onigiri
- Grilled Miso Onigiri
- Greatest Grilled Onigiri
Dislike
- Rock
- Scrap Metal
- Rusty Metal
- Blade Shard
- Can
- Withered Grass
- Weeds
Hate
- Curry Lover’s Bread
- Spicy Mushroom
- Red-Hot Mushroom
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is available now on Nintendo Switch and Windows PCs.