Rune Factory 5

 Switch
User Score
6.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 86 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 86
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 86
  3. Negative: 29 out of 86
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  1. Wingsaber
    Mar 26, 2022
    8
    As per usual lots of extreme and unhelpful ratings that should be taken with a pinch of salt! To me this game is a flawed but fun 7.5/10 experience. Hopefully performance issues will get fixed then this game will really be able to shine. The fact that they are present is not something that should be condoned without comment, but its also not entirely surprising considering many otherAs per usual lots of extreme and unhelpful ratings that should be taken with a pinch of salt! To me this game is a flawed but fun 7.5/10 experience. Hopefully performance issues will get fixed then this game will really be able to shine. The fact that they are present is not something that should be condoned without comment, but its also not entirely surprising considering many other titles are limited by the switch's sub-mobile hardware. Even the AAA budget games struggle sometimes with the switch (Arceus and XB2 looking at you!) and the developers of this game don't have that sort of budget (especially after they went bankrupt.)

    In relation to some of the other common criticisms, controls seem to work fine for me and the farming works surprisingly well in 3D. Character models are aesthetically pleasing but parts of the town and wide open arears look very sparse due to unnecessary spacing that could have easily been avoided. Furniture placement needs improving as its impossible to place items directly against walls at the moment.

    The story and characters are charming as usual, and the quality of life improvements are welcomed. Some to note are you can now equip a weapon and tool at the same time, random events are gone, the map now has pins, you can teleport anywhere easily, picking up multiple items and depositing is way easier.

    Overall would recommend to any fan of life sims, but playing RF4 is an absolute must first as it is still the definitive experience.    … Expand
  2. jigglypuffite
    Mar 23, 2022
    8
    An extremely visually flawed game that when you look past its shortcomings is a great experience

    it's like going to a party and seeing a lot of cakes. most of these cakes look amazing with tons of toppings and decorations, and then theres one plain kinda lumpy looking cake in the middle But you take a bite, and its delicious do other cakes look better? Could this one have used a    An extremely visually flawed game that when you look past its shortcomings is a great experience

    it's like going to a party and seeing a lot of cakes. most of these cakes look amazing with tons of toppings and decorations, and then theres one plain kinda lumpy looking cake in the middle

    But you take a bite, and its delicious

    do other cakes look better? Could this one have used a bit more effort on the decoration side? Absolutely

    But it's still a delicious yummy cake that you can't stop eating and wish others would be able to look past its flaws    … Expand
  3. zinjava
    Mar 24, 2022
    9
    if you look past it's flaws it a neat game that I have enjoyed for many hours and and going to continue to enjoy it for hours to come
  4. mystogan88
    Mar 24, 2022
    10
    Bringing back nostalgia, a step in the right direction. Take a bit of getting use to the controls they can feel a bit clunky at times, some frame drops on switch.
  5. HappyDonnie
    Mar 23, 2022
    10
    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For us who have waited so long, we will not bash the game for what it isnt. We will love it for what it is. Is it the best game ever made? No. Am i glad games like theese are made? Hell yes!
  6. Midnight2shayla
    Mar 24, 2022
    10
    Hope for more rune factory games. this one is fun and rune factory 4 was one of my favorites.
  7. BenikoYuni
    Mar 24, 2022
    10
    This low rating is ridiculous, and I hope that it gets remedied by people playing it soon.
    As someone who has been a fan of the Rune Factory series since the first game, I have obviously been waiting for this game with extreme excitement - and it hasn't disappointed me.
    The lag is a valid criticism, although I haven't faced it much on my switch lite (i've heard it is worse on the    This low rating is ridiculous, and I hope that it gets remedied by people playing it soon.
    As someone who has been a fan of the Rune Factory series since the first game, I have obviously been waiting for this game with extreme excitement - and it hasn't disappointed me.

    The lag is a valid criticism, although I haven't faced it much on my switch lite (i've heard it is worse on the docked switch). The graphics are not that bad, I don't understand the hate. We just had arceus, which looked like a game in alpha, but apparently this one looks bad? No. The graphics are not up to mainline games or computer titles, but I honestly like the aesthetic of this game. The town is cute, the buildings are beautiful inside, and going out into the world felt really nice.

    Also, people who have been saying that this game has had 10 years to be better than this need to actually read into whats happened to rune factory. They've gone through bankruptcy and also completely restructured just in the last few years. This game has not been "in the making for 10 years". And even if it was, that would mean that they had to basically start over 5 years ago when the switch came out.

    The story has been great so far and the characters are absolutely lovely. Don't let the bad reviews dissuade you - if you are a rune factory fan, you will probably like this game. I bought the $100 earthmate edition and absolutely would again.    … Expand
  8. Jinuaga
    Mar 24, 2022
    9
    Been waiting for a long time for this game to come out and for a couple of hours I am enjoying more than most games that have come out. Sure it has a couple of shortcomings like frame drops and visuals but for me, it doesn't really ruin the experience all that much. I have played worse optimized games that became my favorite and I have seen later updates that fix issues that it has so I'llBeen waiting for a long time for this game to come out and for a couple of hours I am enjoying more than most games that have come out. Sure it has a couple of shortcomings like frame drops and visuals but for me, it doesn't really ruin the experience all that much. I have played worse optimized games that became my favorite and I have seen later updates that fix issues that it has so I'll be along for the ride and enjoy the game… Expand
  9. ArataLatam
    Mar 25, 2022
    8
    Rune Factory 5 amplia muy bien algunos de sus apartados, con respecto a sus anteriores entregas. La cocina, sus artesanías, la granja, el criadero de monstruos, las citas y el combate tienen una base muy sólida. La forma en que su mundo conecta con el entorno necesita trabajo a pesar de tener un diseño visual atractivo. Su pérdida de fluidez en algunos puntos y ciertas batallas, aún conRune Factory 5 amplia muy bien algunos de sus apartados, con respecto a sus anteriores entregas. La cocina, sus artesanías, la granja, el criadero de monstruos, las citas y el combate tienen una base muy sólida. La forma en que su mundo conecta con el entorno necesita trabajo a pesar de tener un diseño visual atractivo. Su pérdida de fluidez en algunos puntos y ciertas batallas, aún con escalado dinámico, hacen que pierda parte de su encanto.

    El apartado sonoro y musical está bien cuidado, en especial para los eventos de historia y las citas amorosas. La flexibilidad para enfocarte en alguna otra cosa más allá de la historia es un gran punto a favor. Puedes demorarte 40 horas en la historia, aunque se extiende mucho más si buscas conseguir absolutamente todo. Es una entrega que los nuevos adeptos a la saga pueden disfrutar, por tener las mecánicas más accesibles.

    Review:
    https://arata.lat/arata-review-rune-factory-5-nintendo-switch/    … Expand
  10. Zabekjs
    Mar 30, 2022
    8
    Rune Factory 5 is not a flawless experience, but still remains an impressive step forward for the franchise. It stays true to the gameplay of the previous entries while updating into 3D, but with this comes some technical hiccups of which are almost entirely FPS/art-quality baded.
    If you can find it in yourself to push past these minor blunders, you'll find yourself with a heart-filled    Rune Factory 5 is not a flawless experience, but still remains an impressive step forward for the franchise. It stays true to the gameplay of the previous entries while updating into 3D, but with this comes some technical hiccups of which are almost entirely FPS/art-quality baded.
    If you can find it in yourself to push past these minor blunders, you'll find yourself with a heart-filled experience carrying the legacy of the series into some of the finest gameplay available in the series.

    Memorable characters, music and battles await.    … Expand
  11. Robertjacoby85
    Mar 24, 2022
    10
    I think we may find in retrospect that this game became a fan-favorite — the initial performance issues, which can be fixed via patches, obscured initial impressions from seeing it is one of the best farming games of the modern era.
  12. Grimeslave
    Mar 26, 2022
    8
    IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A POINT BLANK REVIEW THAT KEEPS IT A BUCK FIFTY FOR THE HOMIES THIS IS IT:

    Ive been playing RF5 since it dropped and I think Ive played enough to give it a fair and accurate take. RF5 is a moxed bag of super enjoyable gameplay, with bad controls and graphical issues. PROS: • Core gameplay loop is enjoyable and rewarding. Much like all of the games before it the    IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A POINT BLANK REVIEW THAT KEEPS IT A BUCK FIFTY FOR THE HOMIES THIS IS IT:

    Ive been playing RF5 since it dropped and I think Ive played enough to give it a fair and accurate take. RF5 is a moxed bag of super enjoyable gameplay, with bad controls and graphical issues.

    PROS:
    • Core gameplay loop is enjoyable and rewarding. Much like all of the games before it the main loop is farming, foraging, crafting, cooking, and RPG combat. All the staples of rune factory are here.

    • The switch to 3D makes the world feel much larger and more open than previous entries

    • All of the newly introduced charecters are all incredibley enjoyable and dynamic including visits from Margeret and Doug if you played RF4 on switch

    • Added furniture options and customization options for your home add a lot of variety

    • The addition of the Dragons makes farming a little more varied as one can chose to farm mainland and use fertalizers or focus on gem collection for the dragon farms

    CONS:

    • Graphics issues abound, pop in and stutter upon leaving or entering buildings or areas. Low frame rates in certain conditions but NOT unplayable by any means simply a little distracting

    • Graphics overall are lackluster and unispired. They feel very smiliar to most JRPG titles on switch like pokemon dragon quest xenoblade etc. Overall textures are bland and not dynamic or varied in any way.

    • Controls feel gummy as heck. Actions feel slow, and innacurate. Youll often find yourself misclicking esepcially when farming. 0 control over placement of furniture and you'll find yourself frustrated often when trying to get a Sofa lined up straight and up against a wall for example. Lack of a running button is insanely annoying despite your charecters sprint speed being decently speedy.

    CONTROLS SIDE NOTE: Controls for RF5 are nearly identical to how Rune Factory 4 handled. If you played rune factory 4 and thought the controls were fine there, you wont really find much issue here.

    Why did I give this an 8? Because despite being marred with graphical and control issues, the core gameplay loop of RF5 is incredibly satisfying and if you are a fan of the previous series entries, and dont mind graphical bugs and gummy controls, then this will be a fine addition to play.    … Expand
  13. kitsunettsu
    Mar 29, 2022
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I love it.
    Bought the Japanese version as well, even though I don't speak it to familiarise myself with the world before rushing through the main story as fast as I could when the English version came out,
    had success.
    I am glad the main story doesn't take too long and is finishable in by Year 1 Spring 29!
    I could push away my first Typhoon.

    Most of the fun in this game for me personally comes from the visual elements:
    I'm a fan of the art style and (character & monster) designs in this game.
    I am amazed by how cute or pretty some monsters are (e. g. wooly and nine tailed fox).
    The characters (esp. the bachelors) look more mature.
    I also love the map sprites of characters.
    The world is colourful and the items icons look high quality.

    I have a lot of fun reading/hearing random text or voice lines as well.
    Some examples:
    - Lucys "The heck?!" (voice line) at the start of the game
    - "Absolute degenerate" when you walk into the wrong bath one too many times
    - Fuka being lost in translation taking "reading between the likes" literally
    - Characters mentioning anything about RF4
    - Martin reminding me of my autism (I feel more connected)
    - Heinz' puns
    The humour is amazing and I love it.

    And I absolutely love how they changed the Town Event system!
    Now you can see where stuff is happening and CHOOSE a preferred characters event.

    Another big plus are a few new mechanics:
    - SEED Circle mechanic: farming monster items is easier now
    - you can just run into stuff (but not plants) to pick it up
    - switching between storage and fridge etc. - and crafting menus - with L and R
    - LUMBER AND MATERIAL STONE is tossed into its storage ALL AT ONCE via lumber/stone box menu!!!

    Yes, transitions take long, and I was used to the speedrunability of RF4, but given the studios financial situation not too long ago, the result is amazing.
    All in all I'm really happy.    … Expand
  14. Bellona
    Mar 28, 2022
    9
    A very beautiful successor to 4, I really enjoy the introduction of the larger town and more no-name villagers to give the place more life, I also enjoy the introduction of same-sex relationships, my only complaint is less with the game itself and more the switch, the large open world, and graphical intensity can make the battery drain and the game chug when just stepping outside, all thatA very beautiful successor to 4, I really enjoy the introduction of the larger town and more no-name villagers to give the place more life, I also enjoy the introduction of same-sex relationships, my only complaint is less with the game itself and more the switch, the large open world, and graphical intensity can make the battery drain and the game chug when just stepping outside, all that aside though I'm greatly enjoying my time and hopeful for the series future.… Expand
  15. ZedEpsilon
    Mar 24, 2022
    8
    It's a worthy addition to the series, even if it's the most rough around the edges since Rune Factory 1.

    For fans of Rune Factory and the life-sim genre, this is pretty much what you want: more Rune Factory. It's got a great cast of characters, a decent story, and a metric heap of content to keep you busy. Not to mention, it simply has the Rune Factory charm and feel. It FEELS like    It's a worthy addition to the series, even if it's the most rough around the edges since Rune Factory 1.

    For fans of Rune Factory and the life-sim genre, this is pretty much what you want: more Rune Factory. It's got a great cast of characters, a decent story, and a metric heap of content to keep you busy. Not to mention, it simply has the Rune Factory charm and feel. It FEELS like you're playing Rune Factory. The struggle for the series to stay alive hasn't taken that away, at least. Don't let the reviews get to you, it's a fine game.

    It's worth mentioning that while the bones of the game are very good, and would be warranting a 9+/10, the visual and technical issues do create a lot, lot of problems. Simply put, the game doesn't really look good. Nor does it run well. Is that enough for you to shelve it? Maybe. If you're not sensitive to frame rates, you'll probably be fine. Either way, these big flaws can't be ignored even with bias in the way.

    All in all, it's recommended, but with asterisks attached. All we can hope for at this point is that we can get a Rune Factory 6 to really prove to the wider gaming community that, just like RF4 did, the series is truly great.    … Expand
  16. FMAlex
    Apr 1, 2022
    9
    Game is not perfect, but it’s definitely a move in the right direction. I’ve played every game in the series and this is up there along with Rune Factory 4.

    Yes, it has performance issues and a lot of new unpolished mechanics. However, It feels as though their budget was somewhat limited and they prioritized certain aspects of the game over others, e.g. combat is a thousand times better    Game is not perfect, but it’s definitely a move in the right direction. I’ve played every game in the series and this is up there along with Rune Factory 4.

    Yes, it has performance issues and a lot of new unpolished mechanics. However, It feels as though their budget was somewhat limited and they prioritized certain aspects of the game over others, e.g. combat is a thousand times better than any of the other games, while the story of the game itself feels bit underwhelming and the furniture system is a bit unpolished.

    Considering the company’s circumstances and what they accomplished despite that, the game deserves at the very least an 8. I give it a 9/10 when comparing it against other games in the series/genre.

    It’s a miracle we even got this game.

    Hopefully it will sell well so they can keep expanding and refining the old and new systems introduced in this game.    … Expand
  17. MomoMan
    Mar 27, 2022
    8
    This is actually my first review ever on here. As someone who played the Harvest Moon(SOS) and Rune Factory games since N64 its clear that you cant keep a good thing going forever. However I had roughly 200+ hours and RF4 and SoSPoot was a disappointment for me (also 100+ hours) but I still enjoyed them.

    That's what I feel here with Rune Factory 5. They Story and charm is all there, but    This is actually my first review ever on here. As someone who played the Harvest Moon(SOS) and Rune Factory games since N64 its clear that you cant keep a good thing going forever. However I had roughly 200+ hours and RF4 and SoSPoot was a disappointment for me (also 100+ hours) but I still enjoyed them.

    That's what I feel here with Rune Factory 5. They Story and charm is all there, but you can feel the frame rate drops others all talking about and I'd be lying if the game almost felt like it was going to explode when I was switching crafting screens too fast but despite the issues its still a solid entry. I found myself really enjoying the characters and their events and for the first time in a while I was legit torn and invested in more the 1 marriage candidate. The towns folk are all cute too.

    Issues and all its worth a pick up and play to those that can look past that. But that's just my option.    … Expand
  18. AlCanHer
    Mar 28, 2022
    8
    Classic Rune Factory mechanics mixed with a new 3D world. Takes most of its antecessor while including not many, but enough, new ideas that makes it a must if you love this game franchise... However, it lack of great graphics and, moreover, it has framerate drop every time you move between buildings. But, in my experience, this hasn't been a issue during battles or scenes. Not the bestClassic Rune Factory mechanics mixed with a new 3D world. Takes most of its antecessor while including not many, but enough, new ideas that makes it a must if you love this game franchise... However, it lack of great graphics and, moreover, it has framerate drop every time you move between buildings. But, in my experience, this hasn't been a issue during battles or scenes. Not the best but still a pretty decent Rune Factory entry. I just hope in future updates they fix some parts of the game and, hopefully, it sells enough to be able to make a new sequel… Expand

Awards & Rankings

24
#24 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 58 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 58
  2. Mixed: 35 out of 58
  3. Negative: 2 out of 58
  1. Cubed3
    Oct 29, 2024
    80
    As a relaxing life sim Rune Factory 5 certainly has a cozy home on Nintendo Switch. The dozens of hours of gameplay extend beyond finishing the main story, with levels to be maxed out, new equipment forged and even a new dungeon to explore, making the occasional lack of clarity of next steps a minor issue in the deservedly popular farming title.
    Read full review
  2. Starbit
    Jan 5, 2023
    60
    Featuring a cast of captivating characters, decent combat system and some interesting gameplay mechanics, there's enough here to appeal to long-running fans. However Rune Factory 5 disappoints when it comes to its visual performance, even to the point of harming the gameplay experience, while its exploration can quickly become repetitive. The result is a game that could have been much more enjoyable had these elements been treated differently.
    Read full review
  3. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Jun 28, 2022
    75
    I enjoyed my time with Rune Factory 5 and I'm hopeful that its shortcomings will result in an even better entry in the future if we get one. (And hopefully sooner than a decade away, too.) Rune Factory 5 captures what matters most in a farming sim: a charming world and cast, and a cozy experience that will keep you coming back whenever you want to take it easy. [Issue #59 – May/June 2022, p. 76]
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