Rune Factory 5 is rough around the edges, but I still had a lot of fun with it. Something about the way all the parts work together still draws me to it. Even after completing the main storyline, there's always still plenty to do as there are recipes you haven't unlocked yet, another romantic journey to embark on and plenty of upgrades you can still make in the city. RF 5 has its flaws, but the enchanted loop of constant progression and discovery helps to alleviate many of these annoyances, so they don't sting as much.

PROS:
✓ Character and enemy models look good
✓ Core gameplay loop is addictive and fun
✓ Farming and crafting are pretty much perfectly executed
✓ Beautiful art style
✓ More accessible and inclusive than previous titles
✓ Builds on what made previous games fun
✓ Variety of activities
✓ Massive game length possibility after main story
✓ Fully 3D world with complete camera control
✓ Huge world to explore that feels alive
✓ Extensive skill system
✓ Easy to get immersed in for hours
✓ Teeming with unique dungeons
✓ Cast overflowing with charm
✓ Decent combat
✓ Same-sex marriage for the first time in the series
✓ Involved story
✓ Finally the game runs as it should on the pc version

CONS:
- Ugly and lifeless environments
- Occasionally clunky gameplay
- Doesn’t move the series forward much
- Important scenes aren't fully voiced
- Some of the more interesting story themes only scratch the surface
- Inability to press the furniture against the walls and too much distance between them
- Lack of jumping ability in 3D game is a misunderstanding

I've played all the Rune Factory games and absolutely love them!... except Tides of Destiny and RF5. The 3D games aren't bad, they just feel so much clunkier than the 2D games. If you haven't played a Rune Factory game then I would recommend starting with Rune Factory 4.

This game is very charming, I was a big fan of the fourth installment but I was a lot younger when I played that. Honestly rune factory 5 is stuck in the past. I want to like it but it’s also so frustrating to play. You have to look up guides on how to do anything, as the game basically explains nothing to you. It’s also annoying that you can’t speed up time for events, sometimes you have nothing to do on a day but you’re forced to wait almost 40 minutes for a midnight event. It’s also so annoying when you do a character event and then because it ended in an area that had another character event starting you automatically get put into doing their quest. Which makes it so that you can’t continue on the character you actually want to do quests for. Again it’s a very charming game and id say get it on sale for around $20 or less. I hope the devs massively update some of the outdated game mechanics for a possible rune factory 6