XSEED Games Rune Factory 5 - Nintendo Switch

After years of waiting, Rune Factory 5 has finally arrived, and for long-time fans of the series, it's been worth the anticipation. Having spent nearly a year immersed in this charming blend of farming simulation and fantasy RPG, I can confidently say this game delivers the cozy, enchanting experience that makes the series so beloved, even if it comes with a few rough edges. You arrive in the town of Rigbarth as a ranger-in-training with amnesia, and from there, you're free to tackle days however you choose: tending crops, befriending townsfolk, exploring dungeons, or simply fishing by the lake. The game excels at giving you that "just one more day" feeling, where hours melt away as you balance your daily routines with adventure. The cast of romanceable characters is diverse and genuinely likable, each with their own quirks and meaningful story arcs that make building relationships rewarding. The monster taming system remains delightful, letting you befriend creatures to help on your farm or accompany you in battle. While the core experience is wonderful, the game does have some technical shortcomings. Performance issues, particularly frame rate drops in certain areas, can break immersion. Load times between areas can feel lengthy, and the graphics, while charming, feel dated compared to other recent Switch titles. The main story, though engaging enough, takes a backseat to the daily life simulation which is fine for fans of the genre, but those expecting a gripping narrative might find it lacking. Combat, while improved from earlier entries, still feels somewhat clunky and repetitive, though it's serviceable enough not to detract from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, Rune Factory 5 captures what makes this series special: The satisfaction of watching your farm flourish, the joy of festival days with townspeople you've grown to care about, and the simple pleasure of discovering what each new season brings. All these elements shine through any technical limitations. For fans who've been waiting for this entry, it's been a wonderful journey, and the game provides exactly the comforting, engaging escape we've been craving. If you're looking for a cozy fantasy life sim with heart and charm to spare, Rune Factory 5 is absolutely worth your time.

Loving this game so far, have about 50 hours into it. Here's the key concepts: - You can plant crops/farm (like in Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon) - Instead of barns for animals, you build Monster Barns for your Monsters. You don't buy the monsters at the store though, the monsters are roaming around the open world. You can fight them and bring their health down a bit, and feed them/give them items to befriend them. If you're getting only a skull icon over their head, it means you dont have space in your monster barn (or dont have a barn yet). If you get a heart, followed by a skull, it means it's not friendly enough just yet and wants you to give it more stuff. Once you do, the hearts blink and it becomes your tamed monster. - With monsters in your barn, you can assign them to do field work. This basically consists of planting seeds and watering your crops for you. You can have 3 monsters on 1 field, and its really nice to not have to go around watering everything. - You can bring monsters with you to help you explore the world and fight other monsters. You can also talk to people and request they explore with you (press L & R at the same time, then ask them to go adventuring). There can be a maximum of 4 in your party (you +combo of 3 people/monsters). - You can craft weapons and armor, you can cook a wide range of foods, you can make your own medicine, etc. - You can upgrade your weapons and armor up to 10 times at your forge. You can place items you buy, such as the forge or cooking table, etc., just about anywhere, even outside -- you aren't limited to your own house. The whole world is yours! Helpful tips: 1) Fast travel everywhere. 2 minutes real-time = 1hour in game. 2) Press the MINUS key on your controller, then X , to fast travel to your bed in your house. Then save the game frequently, especially if you're low on health. It gets expensive very quickly to be healed at the clinic should you faint. 3) Always travel with monsters/people if you're able to, the help they provide (including causing Aggro so you are not solely taking damage) is worth it. 4) You can temporarily befriend a monster in the wild by holding ZL, then releasing it once its charged. The monster you hit with that magic constricting move, has a chance of swapping to your team for 24 hours. You can also feed them/give them items at that point to try and keep them permanently. 5) Keep plenty of lumber and bricks on hand at all times, you need a ton of them to build everything. 6) As soon as you run out of RP, STOP doing field work or you'll burn through your HP fast. Instead, Fast Travel to the Blue Moon Inn, and go to the spa. It does not move time forward, and you become fully healed (HP and RP). Then you can fast travel back to your field, without having to waste food. Overall, I think this game is a better version of Stardew Valley with better graphics. With that said, I do have my switch on a dock with a fan to help cool it down because the Switch does get hot (I have the OLED version). Even with the fan, there is in-game stuttering, most notable when you fast travel. It clears up after 3 or 4 seconds, and I haven't noticed any stuttering during battles. There will hopefully be a patch released to address this, but it's completely playable and hasn't froze on me or crashed so I'm okay with it.

I'm a little late in reviewing this but looking back I had a great time with this game and wouldn't be surprised if I went back to it later. The combat was fun, the story was funny, the characters were charming, and the crafting and farming never left me bored. The game packs all the mechanics of Rune Factory 4 into a much prettier 3d world. The loading times and occasional frame drops were definitely manageable and more than worth it for the improvement in character design and graphics. I also loved the farm dragons to death. Best feature I've ever seen in a farm sim.

Rune Factory 5 is the easiest game in the RF series. Though, it can be a bit slow at times. The game provides the player with icons on the map for story and town events happening as to not get lost. It has a Hard, Normal and Easy mode that you can change anytime you want. 12 romantic interests. You can have opposite or same gender marriages. 3 kids in total. Farming, Fishing, Crafting, Taming Monsters, Marriage, Fighting and Cooking are available in this game. You can change your outfit too. Includes 20 save slots.

RF5 continua a utilizar a boa fórmula da franquia Rune Factory, e testando alguns aspectos novos, como a câmera atrás do personagem e um gameplay genuinamente tridimensional. Porém, é nitidamente mal executada, havendo frame drops em quase todos os momentos, animações e controles não tão polidos, expressões faciais vazias, e poucos recursos realmente novos (mesmo vindo em uma geração nova de consoles). A versão física vem com um guidebook básico, o que é até mais que a média dos jogos de Switch, mas nada que seja realmente um diferencial. Pode ser uma decepção por ter sido lançado depois de tanto tempo do RF4, que era um jogo extremamente divertido. Não recomendo comprar em full price, mas infelizmente é raro jogos de Switch estarem em promoção.

Llegó antes de la fecha indicada y en perfectas condiciones,a pesar de que no venía muy bien protegido, está muy bonito el diseño que tiene por dentro no esperaba que viniera con el libro a color, fue un regalo para mi novio y le encanto 🥰🥰

Llego un dia antes, totalmente nuevo y sellado, excelente presentacion por parte de la compañia

Although far from perfect, this sequel to the run factory series still captures much of the charm of the previous entries. This game suffers from minor frame rate issues, and there is a lot of empty space leaving the over world seem more barren than I would like, but the gameplay cycle of farming, taming, fighting and befriending villagers more than makes up for it! This game is perfect for anyone who likes Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley, Story of Seasons, or other life sim games.