Marvelous announced the next Rune Factory stream, Runfachannel episode 3 will be held on June 26 at 20:00 JST. It'll be broadcast on YouTube, Niconico and on Periscope. The stream will include the same group as usual: the streamers Underbar, Hira and Milkiene, and Producer Maekawa. This time, Ventuswill's seiyuu Satomi Akesaka will be present as a guest. The stream will focus on explaining the battle system of Rune Factory 4 Special, explaining how it combines a weapons system with a magic system.

On the previous stream, Producer Maekawa also announced that the new Another Episode mode is closely related to Ventuswill, and that more details on it will be revealed on the June 26 stream. He also stated that we'll see "another side of Ventuswill" in the new mode, hinting at her human form being revealed. Lastly, he mentioned that she wasn't added as a new bachelorette in Rune Factory 4 Special.

The official Rune Factory site was also updated with comments from Producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto and Producer Maekawa, speaking about the recording of the new voiceovers for Rune Factory 4 Special.

Comments from Hakama Game Producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto:

There are multiple elements which required new voice clips in Rune Factory 4 Special, such as the Newlywed Mode and the Another Episode mode.

The original dubbing sessions for Rune Factory 4 on 3DS were held between Summer 2011 and Fall 2011. (Editor's note: Rune Factory 4 released in July 2012 in Japan, showing as usual that dubbing in Japanese games is done very early in development)

So it's been 8 years since then, but we tried to record with the same studio and environment conditions as back then. We tried to get most members of the original sound team back as well.

Before recording, all the seiyuu listened to their performances from back then to get back in the mood too, and we briefed them again.

You should definitly listen to each seiyuu's comments in the "Voice Comment" mode we're adding, to learn more about the recording. They're all pros, it was like time stopped since 2011 and resumed now.

Also, the main story of the game got new voice clips added, so even those who already cleared it should pay attention to the voices too.

Comments from Marvelous Assistant Producer Maekawa:

Recording new voices was among the most exciting tasks in Rune Factory 4 Special's development.

I was present at multiple dubbing sessions, and I saw each seiyuu giving it their all at all times.

The new Another Episode mode has certain characters having a more leading role, leading to said characters speaking more than usual, allowing us to enjoy their voices much more than usual.

The Voice Comments mode is a must-listen too, as you'll get to hear how each seiyuu felt about voicing their characters again.

Rune Factory 4 Special launches exclusively on Switch on July 25 in Japan, and in late 2019 in the west. Rune Factory 5 will also launch on Switch, in late 2020 in Japan. You can check out Rune Factory 4 Special‘s Japanese limited edition, small bits of info from a staff interview, and take a look at our explanation of the Rune Factory series.