Rune Factory 5 review

Farming and fighting feel different as Rune Factory 5’s shifts into the third dimension. While many of the changes to franchise formula are welcome, performance can make you miss the days of 2D rural life.

It’s been a decade since the last mainline entry in the Rune Factory franchise was released for the Nintendo 3DS. Across the last ten years, the world has changed significantly. Hardware has advanced considerably, with the Switch blurring the distinctions between home consoles and portable systems. Series developer Neverland (Lufia & the Fortress of Doom, Record of Lodoss War) ceased operations in 2013, putting the future of Rune Factory in jeopardy. And while the farming sim had a small but dedicated following in 2012, games like Stardew Valley, My Time at Portia, Summer in Mara have propelled the genre into mainstream popularity.

But like a perennial plant, Rune Factory has blossomed once more. Longtime series producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto established a new studio named Hakama in 2018. Employing key members from Neverland’s former staff, the upstart has maintained the time-honored blend of farming, fighting, and finding a life-partner. But this time out, Rune Factory 5 renders its rustic tranquility in three dimensions.

Visual Purists, Beware

First, the downside: the Switch struggles with the transition. Framerates sputter when exiting a structure or whenever performing a dash to evade a monster. But the problem isn’t just a cosmetic blemish. When swapping your watering can for a sword, fights with bosses are inundated by slowdown. Even attempting to speak with an NPC during a festival can overburden the Switch hardware Occasionally, they appear to phase out of existence, which can be freaky.

When Rune Factory 4 was released, Hashimoto explained that the game operated at sixty frames per second, with every button press eliciting an immediate reaction from the on-screen character. That’s not the case here, and even tending to your crops can be bit fiddly. Undoubtedly, Rune Factory 5 deserves to be ported to a more robust system that can provide fluidity to your agronomy and adventuring.

Go Ask Ares or Alice

That said, there’s still plenty to enjoy  if you can get past the visual instability. Like previous entries, you’re thrust into the world as an amnesiac protagonist. After selecting a gender (Ares or Alice), you’re given a brief taste of the action to come, as you save a young girl named Hina from the perils just outside the quaint town of Rigbarth.

But soon, the game reveals a bit more narrative substance than its predecessors, as you’re recruited into SEED, a local task force former to fight the growing pestilence plaguing the town.  Sure, the stranger who falls into the role of savior is a cliché in gaming. But it manages to instill incentive into Rune Factory 5, beyond the common activities of farming and finding a soulmate. No longer is getting wealthy, our hitched the main goals. Now, you’re expected to be a protector.

Protip: In bed by 1:00 AM, Just like College

The game’s dozen male, female, and even animal hybrid suitors offer an improvement over the bachelors and bachelorettes of the past. Some, like Beatrice cater to those who appreciate the challenge of getting to know a standoffish partner, while Murakumo is hulky werewolf who runs the local inn, so you’ll be chatting with him frequently. Yes, you’ll still woo them with trinkets and small talk. But the game’s enlarged culinary activities will have you preparing homemade dumplings and Glitter Snapper to fuel your prospective partner’s passions. This time out, you’re free to pair with any gender, providing longevity. Yes, after four-five hours courting a slightly tsundere princess, I had to catch that wolfman. Awooo!

The best part is that engaging dialog isn’t limited to interactions with potential spouses. NPCs in Rune Factory 5 extend comical quips instead of just transactional small talk. Similarly, many of the game’s item descriptions are referential or offer playful puns. After scouring through drab descriptors in countless games, I’d like to raise a toast to XSEED’s localization team.

By the Power of the Rune!

As with any Rune Factory title, your virtual days are filled with a multitude of tasks to chase after. At the beginning of the game, you’re given a small section of your own farmland, two handfuls of seeds, and a water can to chase after their agricultural ambitions. Agreeably, many of the customary policies have been revised, allowing you to try to grow any crop and any time of year. Now, the emphasis is on quality and yield, injecting a bit of intricacy into farming.

One major benefit brought by the move to 3D is found in Rune Factory 5’s dungeons. Yes, these venues are often too small but the shift in perspective allows the game to shroud it contraptions. As such, there’s a sense of exploration rather than just navigation as you fight monsters and solve light puzzles. While you can monster hunt for resources, ethical farmers might want to tame monsters. Do this and they’ll drop the items you would usually obtain by killing them.

Cultivation is Better Than Combat

But that’s not say combat is remarkable. Disappointingly, you’ll be hammering the same button as you exterminate enemies. While fighting subordinates is relatively painless, higher-level monsters are trickier and habitually attack you from off-screen. Given they can effectively one-shot you (if help isn’t on standby), Rune Factory goads you into grinding.

On the upside, nearly every activity you do will improve your skills. As Rigbarth is a rather spread-out realm with lots of unused spaces, you’ll likely level your walking skills quickly. If Alice or Ares is loquacious, you’re bound to be found more attractive by others. Given the autonomous nature of the game, rewards for completing a multitude of tasks tend to prod players to tackle new tasks. You’ll also learn that fighting alone probably isn’t the best tactic. Bringing in a few tamed monsters or friends tends to get the job done, allowing you to play the role of medic, if you’d like.

And that’s the thing that I hope always is part of Rune Factory; it’s always fulfilling to play it your own way. Except for 3D, Hakama is imposing that requirement, for better or worse.

Rune Factory 5 was played on Switch
with review code provided by the publisher.