Rune Factory 5: Fun Gets Plowed Under By Bad Performance

Farm sim games have made a resurgence in recent years, due in no small part to the popularity of games like Stardew Valley.

We also have games like My Time at Portia and Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town adding something to the pot.

But easily one of my favorites in this genre is the Rune Factory series, which melds the farming element from its elder brother Harvest Moon and adds real time JRPG combat.

Rune Factory spans seven different games set in the same shared universe. Despite the loose connections between each entry, they each feature their own cast of characters, setting, and story, so the numbers mostly refer to episodes rather than to sequels. As of 2021, there are five numbered main entries to the franchise, as well as one enhanced port and two spin-offs, including a direct sequel to the first game.

The folks at Xseed Games sent me a copy of their latest entry, Rune Factory 5.

Rune Factory 5 is the tale of a hero who loses their memory and ends up joining SEED, a group of rangers operating in the small town of Rigbarth. The hero is encouraged to tend the land and complete tasks for the townspeople, as well as battle monsters in order to maintain the peace. Players control a male or female hero with the default names of either Ares or Alice, respectively.

I’m fairly new to this series as my only previous experience is with Rune Factory 4 on the 3DS, but I am a huge fan of RPGs that stray away from the traditional formula. So, I was more than happy to give this game a go.

One of my favorite aspects of the game was the visuals — bright colors and beautiful scenery are the ticket in this game. The aesthetic is easily this game’s strongest feature, the world looks amazing and absolutely worth exploring.

Gameplay is nothing to sneeze at. Real time combat has always been my preferred choice in this genre, and I found the weapon use and magic system to be very satisfying. The game’s farming mechanics are also very engaging. It takes roughly three in-game days for crops to manifest, and all serve purposes similar to potions, albeit at a much weaker degree.

The in-game music is rather limited, and while there are a few tracks that get stuck in your head, the majority of the soundtrack is pretty forgettable. Major cut scenes are easy to skip (and trust me you will be using that feature regularly), however in-game dialogue is a marathon of monotony and to add insult to injury, it takes up a good chunk of the game.

The story exists, however it’s dragged down by a lack of direction in the game as a whole. And a lot of the game’s bigger issues can likely be attributed to covid-19 and crunch culture.

However, the game has horrific frame rate drops and input lag. This is a shame, because there’s a fun game under this discombobulated mess of glitches and cliches.

There’s plenty of fun to be had, but it shouldn’t be such a slog to get to those moments.

I give Rune Factory 5 a 2.5 out of 5.