Rune Factory 5 Review: An Overly Ambitious Follow-Up With Little Charm

From its first entry, Rune Factory has always been the sort of series that invites players to sit down and stay awhile. The fantasy farming simulator takes the routine joys of games like Story of Seasons and layers on extra challenges like monster harvesting and dungeon quests. Rune Factory 5, the franchise's newest title, takes that challenge to the next level, as it's brimming with content. But, in trying to keep fans glued to the screen, this latest entry sacrifices much of the charm fans stuck around for.

Rune Factory 5 is just the latest addition to the sim series, and if you have played one of its previous entries, then things will feel very familiar here. The game begins with a typical bout of amnesia as your character awakens in the town of Rigbarth after saving a young girl from monsters. You are eventually asked to join the town's security branch SEED to oversee everyone's safety. And once you are in uniform, well – there is lots to do.

Much like Stardew Valley or Story of Seasons, Rune Factory 5 excels in its farming and quests. Players are given an array of ways to build up a homestead while befriending their neighbors. The added challenge of monster hunting will challenge gamers who are new to the genre, but this latest entry doesn't reinvent the wheel. Its fighting mechanics are the same now as they were in previous titles, so melee combat is quick and levels you up quickly.

For Rune Factory beginners, they will find themselves paralyzed by all that this game has to offer, and it does have quite a lot to unlock. Characters can complete dozens of missions for each villager, and the dialogue in these conversations ranges wildly. In fact, Rune Factory 5 seems to have focused much of its effort on expanding its villagers and the sorts of interactions they can have. Of course, the game offers up several of its locals for romancing, and Rune Factory 5 even allows for same-sex relationships. Rune Factory 5 excels in making players work to woo the bachelor or bachelorette they're eyeing.

While the game definitely expands its narrative reach in this new entry, Rune Factory 5 really focused its attention on one new element, and that is its graphics. The team at Hakama Inc. overhauled its usual top-down POV and whimsical art style for an open 3D world. Complete with a floating camera, Rune Factory 5 opens itself up visually in a bold way that unfortunately does not pay off. In fact, the game's aesthetic is my biggest gripe with the entry, and it may well sink this title for some players.

In the past, Rune Factory has been defined by its charming aesthetic and detailed sprite work. This new entry does have some adorable character designs, but when players are in the game's open world, things feel entirely too empty. Many of its landscapes are repetitive to the point I would (and still do) get lost. Everything feels too colorful to take in, and Rune Factory 5 tries to mask its emptiness with oversaturated filters. And to make things even worse, all of this visual tuning gives the game some serious issues with its frame rate stalling out.

Rune Factory 5 may have one of the franchise's most involved storylines, but its overly ambitious graphics overshadow that effort with ease. By giving the game a 3D makeover, the franchise's customary charms are harder to make out in this new release. Still, at its core, Rune Factory 5 excels at the everyday tasks it asks characters to complete. From farming to fighting, everything is much the same here as it was in previous games. This time, though, Rune Factory's stale mechanics are easier to notice thanks to its flimsy visuals. Fans new and old will be left wondering where the series' allure snuck off to.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Rune Factory 5 is out now on the Nintendo Switch. The publisher provided a review code for the title for the purpose of this review, and it was reviewed on a Nintendo Switch Lite.