Rune Factory 5 is an imperfect, but charming farming RPG

digitaltrends.com:

Rune Factory isn’t just another Harvest Moon spinoff. It’s a farming simulator and fantasy RPG in one, and that combination has been a strength it’s carried throughout its different iterations. Xseed Games hasn’t released a new Rune Factory title in North America since Rune Factory 4 Special, the remastered Nintendo Switch version of Rune Factory 4, in 2020. Fans have been waiting for Rune Factory 5 for years, so long that some people have splurged on the Japanese version already. Now, Rune Factory 5 is finally coming to North America and Europe. 

First off: It’s everything fans want. Rune Factory 5 brings back the same qualities that made its predecessors great, including a satisfying progression system and charming cast. I only played up until the end of the first dungeon during the preview, and even that was enough to hook me into this new generation. It’s not perfect, especially given the less-than-elegant jump to a traditional 3D perspective. Still, it’s worth looking into for series loyalists, farming sim fans, JRPG enthusiasts, or any cross between the three.

Rune Factory 5 starts with a story that should be familiar to any fan. An amnesiac protagonist wakes up in a foreign town, where they work on a farm in exchange for board while unearthing the mystery behind their lost memories. In this case, the protagonist (the male Ares or female Alice) wakes up in Rigbarth and accepts an offer to join Seed, aka the local task force. As part of Seed, their responsibilities include farming, running errands, and fending off monsters.

And, of course, they need to bond (and flirt) with the villagers. All Rune Factory games feature several bachelors or bachelorettes for players to pick from during their time in town. These