Rune Factory 5
Life sim set in a fantasy world of adventure.
Parents say
Based on 1 review
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Rune Factory 5
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Rune Factory 5 is a fantasy role-playing game available on the Nintendo Switch. The game is the latest entry in the Rune Factory series, which has spun out of the popular Story of Seasons and Harvest Moon franchises. Player take on the role of an amnesiac taken in by villagers in the town of Rigbath. The player then tries to make a life for themselves, farming crops, raising monsters, crafting items, and establishing relationships, all while serving as an adventurer defending the town and serving its people's needs. The game has a large focus on relationships, giving players the opportunity to make numerous friends, create romantic relationships with the town's available men and women, and even get married and build a life with their chosen spouse. Parents should also be aware that there's some minor profanity and innuendo in the dialogue, as well as some use of alcohol in the gameplay.
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What’s It About?
In RUNE FACTORY 5, you're given the opportunity to build a new life in a fantasy world. After waking up deep in the forests of Norad with no memory of your past beyond your name, you're taken in by the people of the nearby village of Rigbath. You're given room and board, as well as a new job as a ranger in Seed, an organization dedicated to helping the people and defending them from monster threats. You'll learn to farm the land, watching the seasons and working the fields to grow bountiful crops for the village. You'll also learn to tame and care for various monsters that you can then bring with you to aid in your adventures. As you carve out a life for yourself in Rigbath, you'll build strong friendships, and even find the man or woman of your dreams, get married, and settle down for a future together. All the while, you'll seek out greater adventures and maybe uncover the truth behind your past along the way.
Is It Any Good?
For more than a decade and a half, this series has dished out a unique blend of casual life simulation and fantasy adventures. Rune Factory 5 keeps that momentum going with more farming, more crafting, more monster hunting, and yet another amnesiac protagonist. Admittedly, it's getting harder and harder to differentiate the various games form one another. Amnesiac or super secretive protagonist? Check. Taken in by a surprisingly accepting village of strangers? Check. Gifted land to sow, crops to grow, and recipes to cook or craft? Check, check, check. Go to sleep and start the loop over again the next day? Big ol' check. Yes, Rune Factory 5 is a repetitive grind with a strong sense of déjà vu for anyone that's even touched any of the previous Rune Factory games, or even the Story of Seasons games it spun off of.
Though the core of the game may not stray too far from the mechanics that fans have come to appreciate over the years, that doesn't mean there aren't a few tricks to spice things up a bit. Combat drops the usual turn-based, menu driven fare of most RPG (role-playing games) games in favor of real-time arena style battles. This takes some getting used to, but makes the action feel more fluid. Probably the biggest and most requested feature, and one not available in the original Japanese release, is support for same sex relationships. For the first time, players can choose any of the game's twelve "bachelor" and "bachelorette" characters as potential romance options, regardless of their characters' gender. While this might not seem like a big deal to some, to others, it's a huge step in making the franchise feel more personal and relatable to a much wider audience.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about developing strong relationships. What are some of the ways that players develop relationships in Rune Factory 5, and how can this carry over to developing relationships in the real world?
How does the farming simulation element of Rune Factory 5 help to teach important elements for agriculture? How does the game use things like season changes, weather, crop types, etc., to reflect real world farming techniques?
Game Details
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
- Subjects: Science: plants, weather, Hobbies: cooking
- Skills: Communication: friendship building
- Pricing structure: Paid ($59.99)
- Available online?: Not available online
- Publisher: Xseed Games
- Release date: March 22, 2022
- Genre: Role-Playing
- Topics: Cooking and Baking, Adventures, Friendship, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires, Science and Nature
- ESRB rating: T for Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Last updated: March 25, 2022
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