Rune Factory 5 tries to be the next big farming simulator, but it stumbles
On the surface, Rune Factory 5 has everything: giant dragons that let you ride them, dungeon crawling, farming, a butterfly boy who dotes on you when you give him chocolate bars. The game aims at being the next large farming simulator — and, true to form, it’s a fully 3D, third-person RPG with a massive slate of activities. But in trying to do so much, the systems are spread thin and end up feeling half-baked, adding up to a game that doesn’t feel all that great to play.
Developed by Hakama Inc. and published by Marvelous (Xseed),Rune Factory 5 is the latest installment of the 15-year-old RPG franchise, and is available now on Nintendo Switch. You play as an Earthmate, part of a group of people who have a special connection to the Earth, and to the giant dragons that live in Rune Factory’s world. The story starts when the protagonist rescues a young girl named Hina from monsters, and then passes out after the rescue. You wake in the town of Rigbarth, to find you’ve been taken in by SEED, an organization that protects the town from monsters — but you’ve lost your memory.
Players must make a life in the quaint town of Rigbarth, and help SEED protect the town. This involves loads of tasks. You can befriend and romance townspeople, go dungeon crawling in a variety of environments, fight monsters, catch and tame them, cook, craft, fish, and farm. Days have a similar rhythm to Stardew Valley, where you play through a set daytime, and use up stamina to fight and farm. Oftentimes, you need to fight and complete a dungeon to advance the story, but food and potions are in plentiful supply from earlier on — allowing you to easily balance fighting while maintaining the crops.
The game’s visual aesthetic and camera perspective are
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