Product Info

Platform

Switch

Publisher

Marvelous (XSEED)

Developer

Marvelous (XSEED)

Series

Rune Factory

Genre

Action, RPG, Simulation

Players

1

File Size (Minimum)

5.8 GB

Release Date (NA)

Mar 22, 2022

Release Date (JP)

May 20, 2021

Purchase From

Amazon

Best Buy

eShop

Official Store

Ten years after the original Rune Factory 4 was released on the Nintendo 3DS, Rune Factory 5 arrives for the Nintendo Switch. In addition to being on a new platform, it also does away with the traditional top-down view in favor of having a full 3D environment for the first time in the series. It’s a great step for the franchise, but the game runs into issues with its first entry into the vast 3D world.

At Ease, Cadet

Playing as a male or female character, you awaken in the middle of a forest with no memories of how you got there or your background. Luckily, a local village called Rigbarth welcomes you till your memories are restored. In the meantime, you’re asked to help out with the village and become a member of SEED, an organization that aids in protecting and helping the town they are stationed in.

As a member of SEED, not to be confused with Final Fantasy VIII’s SeeD organization, you can climb the ranks by completing missions such as capturing wanted monsters that are being a nuisance near the village. Additionally, you’ll take on quests from the town’s bulletin board and, at times, personal requests from the villagers.

While taking on these tasked missions, you’ll have your hands full with other daily activities such as farming, exploring ruins, and building relationships with villagers. It’s never a dull moment in Rigbarth, keeping replay value high.

So Much To Do, So Little Time

With so much to do, there’s only a fragment you can do each day. The game’s clock runs quite fast and a day can zip by in less than two hours. The clock will pause if you are in the game’s menu screens, though, giving players the time they need to make decisions and organize.

Farming is one of the main mechanics in the game. Like other simulation games, such as Kitaria Fables, players will need to maintain their crops if they want to make delicious dishes, clear quests, and make a profit.

Maintaining them can be a chore as players will gain multiple fields to maintain while playing. The game’s camera shifts to a top-view to give players a better view of their crop fields. However, sometimes, you have to fight against the camera for better angles on objects around the field for cleanup. Otherwise, it’s straightforward mechanics.

Dig up dirt with your gardening hoe, plant seeds, and water. After a certain amount of days, depending on what you are growing, you can either harvest the crop or obtain seeds. You’ll be tight on money at the beginning of the game, so expect to opt for harvesting seeds since it is much cheaper than purchasing them at your local item store. If farming isn’t your forte, you’re going to have difficulty getting through the game. It’s a rinse-and-repeat experience, but Rune Factory 5 has more than just farming.

You’ll be asked to take on requests from the villagers and from SEED. Some of these quests are to progress the story, to build relationships, or to obtain useful items such as medicine or equipment. You can only take on a handful at a time. Once completed, report back to where you accepted the request to earn your reward or, in the case of the main story, dialogue. Leveling up your character is quite easy. Just going through the recent exploration you completed again will at least double the level needed for the next mission. You can ask other villagers to accompany you, but the majority will decline in the beginning. However, you can capture monsters to temporarily fight with you.

You’ll learn to capture monsters at least a couple hours into the game. Afterwards, you’ll want to create a monster barn, a shelter to house your captured monsters, once you gain new land. Once that’s built, you can now recruit monsters, but it takes more than just capturing them. You’ll need to feed them and give them gifts until they agree to join you. You have within one day of the game’s clock to persuade them, but it’s not difficult to do.

Eating Makes You Smarter

At the beginning of Rune Factory 5, the game’s pacing starts slow. You will learn a lot of the game’s mechanics and have to set up the right tools to get things underway. You’ll create tables to give you access to create, upgrade, and store items. It’ll require the necessary materials, such as lumber, to set up your workshop anywhere you want. No need to go to different houses to do one thing.

Despite the slow beginning, the game feels like it rushes the mechanics, failing to explain some of the tools that you’ll want sooner than later. For example, you’ll definitely want to get a fridge to put your harvested foods and fish in. After all, the inventory bag you carry can only hold so much. To gain extra space, visit the SEED location in town. Additionally, players can earn licenses to cook, make medicine, and more. They’re mandatory to earn; otherwise, your work tables are worthless. You also have the power to hold festivals, such as cook-offs. Doing these raises your relationship with your fellow neighbors. It feels like the town gave you the key to the city to run it.

The game gives you low-quality tools to start off. You’ll want to update those sooner, too, but you’ll have to learn recipes to make them first. To learn recipes, head to your nearby bakery for “recipe bread” to learn many different traits such as forging specific weapons, dishes to cook, types of medicine, etc. As long as you have the cash, you can purchase these breads, but only two are available each day. Otherwise, you can purchase an extra recipe bread at the village’s restaurant, but it costs extra. The game will keep you occupied, and you’ll easily sink a handful of hours in each session.

Love is in the Air

Building relationships is another main mechanic in Rune Factory 5. The characters, each with unique personalities and beautifully drawn illustrations, help make the game interesting. Lucy’s and Scarlett’s personalities come off as strong, questioning you at every turn, but over time, their attitudes change. They also become attracted towards you the more you give them attention. Meanwhile, Livia, while drawn to look like a child, is mature and laid back. Additionally, she’s the boss you report to for your SEED missions.

You, as the player, must develop a relationship with each one. It’s no simple task. Some villagers will not develop a love interest but instead a friendship. Those who have a love interest can look at the game’s menu screen of townsfolk. The heart symbol indicates a love interest, the smiley face a friendship. Regardless, you’ll need to give them both your time to build those relationships.

Talking each day isn’t enough. You’ll need to step up your game and put in more effort to develop each character’s relationship. Doing so requires many different things, such as giving them items you made and taking on their requests. You can also tell each character that you love them or ask them to join your party temporarily. Their affection towards you will gradually go up each day. Their dialogue also changes depending on the level you are with them.

Rune Factory 5 is the first of the series that introduces same-sex marriage, a big step forward. Once you raise your love interest high enough, players can marry that special someone and bear a child. It doesn’t matter which one you choose, you’ll receive a different cinematic scene. Building relationships with the option for same-sex marriage makes the game more interesting and adds more gameplay value.

Rough Around the Edges

Rune Factory 5’s jump to an all-around 3D environment is a necessary step for the franchise. However, improvements still need to be made to make it a smooth transition. The game’s framerate takes a big hit on the Nintendo Switch, and it shows more when docked. Undocked, it’s less noticeable, but it still lingers. It’s especially noticeable when exploring outside of houses and is sometimes frustrating. 

Battles feel sluggish and slow with the game trying to render the action and the environment simultaneously. Dodging and attacking enemies feel slow and off as well. In addition, dialogue conversations animate in chunks. Textures are flat and uninspiring. Simple objects like a cooking pot look outdated with simplistic polygons. However, when playing the game undocked on the Switch’s OLED screen, the colors look vibrant, especially the colored trees in downtown Rigbarth. If Rune Factory 5 receives an update, similar to how Rune Factory 4 had a “special” version for the Switch and PlayStation 4, hopefully the polygon and framerate issues are addressed. Doing so would make this game a potential case as one of the best farming simulation titles out there.

On the positive side, the soundtrack is charismatic. The charming track of Rigbarth’s village makes it feel peaceful. The track changes once nighttime falls, making it softer, slower, and even more relaxing. It’s not all idyllic, though. The music in the volcano area of Kelve Lava Cave offers a faster tempo and heavier beats that make exploring more enjoyable. There’s a score for each new area to explore and one for every occasion during each season in Rigbarth.

The Final Mission

Rune Factory 5 takes a big step going all 3D, but it stumbles a bit with framerate issues and uninspiring textures. However, the game’s cast of characters, inclusion of same-sex marriages, and barnful of gameplay value mean players shouldn’t pass this up. The farming life is a decent life, indeed.

A Nintendo Switch code provided for this gameplay and review.