Rune Factory 5 is lovely. For a series that’s been around for 15 years, its formula hasn’t withered too much, and some nice additions are sure to keep any returning fan engaged. While it does everything about as well as you’d expect without any surprises, that doesn’t diminish the fact that Rune Factory has always been very good at giving the player a nice time. It’s the imaginary perfect grandma of videogames: unchanging comfort.
Developed by Marvelous, and released in Japan last year, Rune Factory games are about farming, monster-slaying, and hanging out. The game was originally a spin-off from Harvest Moon (now Story of Seasons), so that’s where the farming bit comes from. From there, they bolt on some classic JRPG tropes and add some dungeon-crawling, taking the game from simple homeliness into a fantasy setting.
Then there’s the best bit: talking to people, doing stuff, going to sleep, and saying hi to your friends again in the morning. It’s by far my favourite bit of any of these games. There’s a nice town full of weird strangers that become deeper and more interesting as the game progresses. These personalities don’t change or evolve that much, but, what they may lack in depth, the game makes up for in the sheer number of people to meet and talk to.
