What I wouldn’t give to leave behind the tory hellscape I call home to settle down on a relaxing farm somewhere. The harsh reality is that it would also be filled with bigots and weirdos unwilling to accommodate my lesbian cottagecore lifestyle, but a girl can dream.
Stardew Valley was long a place where I could relish in such a fantasy, becoming the local fruit as I grew vegetables, raised animals, and lived up to my grandfather’s legacy. I played that game for hundreds upon hundreds of hours, but unless I’m willing to mod it within an inch of its life on PC, the well has sadly run dry. Story of Seasons whet my appetite a little, but Rune Factory 5 feels like the farming fix I’ve been waiting for. The best bit – after years of fan requests and silence on behalf of the developers, it’s finally gay.
Of course it’s somewhat reductive to determine a game’s worth purely from its penchant for homosexuality, but if a piece of media isn’t even the slightest bit queer there’s a strong chance of me switching off. It’s partly why the Rune Factory series has eluded me for so long. I dabbled in the fourth entry, but after being so smitten by Stardew Valley, it failed to ignite the same level of passion I so desperately wanted with its heternormative stance on wholesome farm life. If a girl is rearing cattle she ain’t straight, get with the times.
Rune Factory 5 changes all that, and is unapologetic in how it allows the player to create an avatar that truly represents them. While the base appearance sadly can’t be customised – not yet anyway – the level of outfits, relationships, and other such features available even in the game’s opening hours is rather impressive. This is a simple and inviting escape from everyday life with so much going for it, even for those who have already seen so much from the genre. Like so many games of this ilk, it all starts with choosing your gender.
You’re hurled into the action within a matter of moments after choosing who you want to be. I opted for a cute girl and immediately had to defend a local wolfchild from a bunch of barraging insects. I’d awoken in this forest with amnesia – because of course – and immediately decided to save this little girl and venture with her into the town of Rigbarth. Within minutes, you’re introduced to main characters and key mechanics that you will spend the next several hours getting to know, although I can only talk about the first couple as part of this limited preview. However, it’s already an easygoing delight.
If you’ve played Stardew Valley or Harvest Moon, the opening hours will make you feel right at home. You’re tasked with planting your first crops, meeting all the townsfolk, and figuring out exactly how quests, shops, and other such amenities work across the town of Rigbarth. I will admit that aside from a few markers on the map it isn’t always obvious what scenarios progress the main quest and which are only available for funsies, meaning you will often be taught tutorials for tools and mechanics you have long figured out yourself.
The same strange logic can be applied to relationships. Unlike Stardew Valley where you grow closer to fellow townspeople or potential lovers by talking to them all the time and exchanging gifts, Rune Factory 5 seemingly has you growing closer to certain people depending on what skills you decide to specialise in. I was a hardcore farmhand, so Lucy – the girl who was showing me the ropes – immediately became smitten with me. If I instead decided to make a career out of leaving town to kill monsters and gather materials I’d capture the attention of local blacksmith Martin. Both of them are dreamy, but players hoping to go after certain romantic interests will likely have to adjust their playstyle to match.
It’s a strange adjustment, but part of me admires how Rune Factory 5 actively encourages you to explore parts of the game you might otherwise avoid given it will unlock additional character moments that stand a chance of going undiscovered. While I can’t delve too deep as part of the preview, combat is approachable and engaging, although anyone looking for any kind of challenge should crank up the difficulty setting or even later dungeons will feel like a breeze. These sprawling arenas are filled with enemies and loot, complimented further by puzzles that take them a step above the randomly generated exploits found in Stardew Valley. It’s akin to Final Fantasy or Persona, albeit with a much lower budget.
Technical limitations are where Rune Factory 5 really falls short. The performance on Nintendo Switch is incredibly inconsistent, the framerate opting to tank when exploring busy outdoor environments or while tending your farm. It’s a strange anomaly given many of the locales you visit are bland and lacking in detail, leading me to believe this is an optimisation issue that can be remedied in future patches as opposed to the game pushing the hardware further than it might be capable. It just doesn’t look great, but I think hardcore fans of the series are keenly aware of that shortcoming and will happily look past it.
While I’m only a few hours into Rune Factory 5, it already has the infectious charm of similar farming sims by providing a carrot on a stick that is constantly moving just out of reach. Each new day brings new character moments and other surprises that encourage you to keep moving forward. I don’t even have my own house yet, nor have I experience a festival or romantic milestone, and these are all things I can’t wait to witness as a chaotic farming gay with a love for growing turnips and beating monsters to death. I’m irresistible, so it’s only a matter of time until the anime girls and boys come calling. Not the wolf girl who doesn’t speak English though, she makes me feel a tiny bit weird. The single wolf mummy isn’t a romance option either so what is the point in all this anyway? Patch it in before the full release, or I’ll tear this game apart.
Anyway – those looking for an alternative to Stardew Valley or Harvest Moon will find so much to love in Rune Factory 5. It’s still early days and there is so much to still be revealed in terms of story and mechanics, but even after only just clearing the tutorial I’m already smitten with everything it has to offer. If you need me I’ll be in the fields.
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