Rune Factory 5 impression: a farming sim that spread itself thin

Surroundings are good. Rune Factory 5It has it all: riding giant dragons, dungeon crawling and farming as well as a butterfly boy that loves 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 in Marvelous (Xseed).Rune Factory 5The latest instalment of the 15 year-old RPG franchise is now available 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. It begins when the protagonist saves Hina (a young girl) from being eaten by monsters. Then, the protagonist falls asleep. 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.

You will need to make your life in Rigbarth a comfortable one and also help SEED save the place. There are many tasks involved. This allows you to make friends and romantic connections with locals. Daytime is similar to nights. Stardew ValleyYou play through the day and gain stamina for fighting and farming. 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.

Image by Hakama/Xseed Games

The game’s visual aesthetic and camera perspective are a departure from previous titles. Unlike its predecessor, 2012’s Rune Factory 4.This game features a floating camera you can use to control your movements or lock onto specific targets. The game’s artwork is charmingly cartoon-like, similar to the style ofDragon Quest 11It also adds filters to give it a more dewy appearance. The game has some visual problems that are immediately apparent. Every time I left a house for town, the game’s frame rate dropped considerably.

Rune Factory 5’s finicky execution often made farming and other activities feel like a chore, rather than a more enjoyable pastime. Consistent problems with daily life in Rigbarth were my experience. This included object stacking: Objects don’t displace each other, they just layer on top, so I’d often misplace an object, and watch it get absorbed into another large one. It was also very sensitive to line up the storage bins within my field. Bins wouldn’t auto align, so my crops are now lined with chests that are slightly not parallel to the field. You can throw items at a distance to the storage and selling bins, just like in Rune Factory. In theory, it’s nice, but the game makes you use an auto-locking system that is frustratingly prone to locking onto the myriad of other objects surrounding your farm. Often, I ran over individual items in my head because it was just easier than doing it the “correct” and most optimal way.

Image by Hakama/Xseed Games

Contraintuitive systems made it difficult to dungeon crawl. Dungeon crawling is an essential way to unlock characters and complete tasks such as catching monsters or earning airbale land. However, the game failed to implement a complete combat system in which players could lock onto their enemies and pair them. My experience with the previous hack-and slash titles left me with an unfocused fighting system. I felt as though I was floating on the battlefield. There wasn’t any thrust to my movements. As it leapt between the targets of a field filled with monsters, my lock-on system frequently misdirected my slashes.

Despite these mechanical issues, the game’s characters still made this world somewhat fun to spend time in. Every character was unique and charming, such as the lively Murakumo, a spry, were-person, or the quiet Ryker. The characters’ expressions and character art made talking with each other feel more like a conversation in an interactive novel. Playtime was mostly spent with other people. I also considered each character as possible romantic partners.

I felt genuinely conflicted over who I would date — I started with an interest in Martin, the loner blacksmith, but then ended up being won over by Murakumo’s jovial spirit. The game crafts adorable romantic moments, and at one point, while talking to Martin, his character art “bumped” into mine on the screen to show him walking into me as he was caught lost in thought. I was able to immerse myself in these conversations and the characters through little touches like this. It is possible to romance people of the same gender. This is something I find very appealing.

Image by Hakama/Xseed Games

This game offers positive changes in quality of life. Your items won’t need days to be upgraded; there are teleportation points on maps that are accessed at a relatively early stage; and you can unlock bag upgrades pretty quickly and easily. However, I was frustrated by the jankiness of my game and constant frustration that prevented me fully enjoying all these wonderful features.

Rune Factory 5The modernization effort ultimately made me feel overwhelmed. Old hardware and the design of older games helped to narrow down the game’s focus. The game felt clunky and difficult to use, moving away from a top-down interface to one that was 3D. In the end, it can’t compare to modern farming sims like Stardew Valley or any of the Rune Factory previous games. As I was playing, I began to regret my decision and resent this attempt at modernity.