Rune Factory 5 Reviews
There are some sizable issues and oddities present in Rune Factory 5 that make it difficult to appreciate all the genuinely good things it has to offer.
Rune Factory 5 is an excellent addition to the series, with plenty of wonderful stuff to enjoy, but its lack of polish limits its potential.
Rune Factory 5 is a good game for series fans, but we'd recommend the last entry over it. We found that game was easier to control and preferred the top-down view. But, of course, you can still pass all manner of fun time with this sometimes slow (often choppy) installment.
Though far from perfect, Rune Factory 5 offers a ton of fun and varied gameplay options supported by a cast of colorful characters and satisfying progression that's deceptively easy to get lost in.
Rune Factory 5 does a few things differently that'll interest long-time fans of the series. The jank and slight annoyances with farming will turn most newcomers away though.
WORTH CONSIDERING - A lack of innovation, boring exploration, and disappointing graphics make Rune Factory 5 a game you could probably skip over unless you’re a super fan of the series. Newcomers might find enough to like here, but might be better served waiting for a price drop just to make sure.
Overall Rune Factory 5 was fantastic once you put the small issues like frame rates and furniture placement aside. Whether spending just a bit of time to clear a day out of your in-game calendar or sitting down and clearing out a day of your real world calendar, there’s just something magical about the farming simulation of both these and the Story of Seasons series. Want to do something more than farming? Rune Factory has you covered with plenty to explore and challenge yourself while out in the field against the local monsters and eventual boss fights!
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.
The change to 3D and other changes introduced in Rune Factory 5 are well intentioned but poorly executed. Asides from some new quality of life features, I’d only recommend this game if you’re a fan who’s already exhausted all the content of Rune Factory 4 and just wants more Rune Factory, and if you haven’t played the fourth one already then you definitely should.
Rune Factory 5 is extremely addictive and fun to play. With a great graphic change with respect to the rest of the installments of the saga, they have even managed to improve the formula they had. But the performance errors worsen what in itself would be an outstanding game.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
"A sword in one hand, a hoe in the other."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Rune Factory 5 is a good game, but it's hamstrung by a mediocre technical implementation. Fans of the series will be able to find the usual series of bucolic activities to do between dungeons, but those who appreciate nice-looking and fluid graphics will find it hard not to prefer Stardew Valley.
Review in Italian | Read full review
I am at a loss for words when it comes to Rune Factory 5. I had a lot of fun, but it comes at a price. In order to truly enjoy the game I have to get over the horrible optimization. It's not game breaking, but frustrating doesn't begin to cover it. The RPG mechanics are fun, so is the farming. While not the update to the series I was hoping for, there is still fun to be had for the die hard fans who simply have to play it. Everyone else might want to enter with care.
Rune Factory 5 is a solid revival of a franchise without a new entry for the best part of ten years. It pushes the formula forwards thanks to its 3D perspective, and nails the gameplay that made the series such a hit in the first place.
Rune Factory 5 is more of the familiar, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It makes enough small improvements that it does feel newer, but if you are looking for something leaps and bounds different from the last game, you will be disappointed. The game has a lot of charm and love put into it, but the abysmal frame rate does make it hard to recommend, even though I thoroughly enjoyed it. With some future patches addressing the game’s framerate issues and input delay, Rune Factory 5 could easily turn into a wonderful game.
Rune Factory 5 is rough around the edges, but I still loved my time with it. Something about how all the parts work together keeps pulling me to it. Even after completing the main story, I’m still playing, as I have recipes I haven’t unlocked, a romantic journey I’m embarking on, and many upgrades I can still do to the town. It has its flaws, but Rune Factory 5’s enchanting loop of constant progression and discovery helps mitigate a lot of these annoyances, so they don’t sting so much.
Rune Factory 5 takes a big step going all 3D, but it stumbles a bit with framerate issues and uninspiring textures. However, the game’s cast of characters, inclusion of same-sex marriages, and barnful of gameplay value mean players shouldn’t pass this up. The farming life is a decent life, indeed.
The Rune Factory is back. But much quicker than it should.
Review in Greek | Read full review
With tried-and-true farming gameplay and a beautiful art style, Rune Factory 5 is a satisfying experience with some significant performance issues.
It boasts an invigorating sense of player agency, a clearly-defined framework of rules in which to make your fun, and a carefully-calibrated concoction of farming, role-playing, and life simulation designed to keep things interesting.