Rune Factory 4
- Developer: Neverland
- Publisher: Marvelous Xseed Games
- Year: 2011
- Genre: Simulation RPG
- Platform/s: Nintendo 3DS
Rune Factory 4 has options for a male or female player-character, and offers a 'sprite swap' function once the player has beaten the second arc of the game. It costs a small amount of in-game currency and can be done at any time from then on, inlcuding at the start of other play-throughs once 'Prince Points' have been introduced.
Sprite swapping allows the player to appear as any NPC in the game, including the other protagonist. Sprite-swapping to the other protagonist's skin allows for the appearance of same-gender relationships, since the change is purely cosmetic and doesn't affect which characters the player is able to romance. The change doesn't end unless the player turns it off, meaning that events, dates, and even marriage scenes appear same-gender. The change doesn't cost a lot and can be undone at any time.
However, while the player's icon on the map is changed, the save file and 'about' menu images are not. There is also one character who will continue to refer to the player character as 'prince' or 'princess' and this isn't affected. The player must also continue to use the bathroom assigned to their 'real' gender. Moreover, while the player is given the option of confessing their love to any bachelor or bachelorette, reactions range from confusion at best to disgust at worst if done to a character of the same gender. This happens regardless of whether the sprite-swap has been applied.
A NPC named Porcoline seems to be implied plurisexual. He flirts with the player character regardless of their gender and is presented as very flamboyant. However, you are only given the option of turning him down when he confesses his love or asks you to marry him, and he is written as more of a joke. That being said, Porcoline is clearly a loved and accepted member of the in-game community regardless of his sexuality.