What is the best Rune Factory game on the Switch? 

No game will mean as much to me as RF4, I loved the trigger system where I would just be able to live my day to day life, until someone would call me for help it made it feel sooooo alive I loved it sm it’s just so beyond amazing to me, I have 400 hours logged into RF4 and I just love it sm 🥰 RF5 would’ve been amazing if it kept the trigger system

Rune Factory Frontier started my love for the series. The bachelor/bachelorettes from there are still my favorites (Iris Noir ❤️)

As someone who has played every single Rune factory, 4 is the best by far but you can't go wrong with 3 or 5 either. Let's hope RF6 and Project Dragon will be amazing!

I can never say enough that Rune Factory 4 Special is the perfect introduction to the series.

Very helpful. I really appreciate how you breakdown the points. Makes it easier to make a decision!!

Josh keeping my favorite game series alive while we wait for for RFPD and RF6!! Love you lots from NYC!!! ❤❤

This video was exactly what I was looking for, thank you! Clear and detailed information but straight to the point 😊

Thanks for the video! I was curious about this series for a while so I appreciate the guidance.

I'm wanting to go back through one of them right now, so this is a great video at the perfect time.

Awesome! I wanted to pick one and didn t know which one to choose.thank you!😊❤

Amazing video, thanks for this content. I've been playing RF4 as my frost RF and I'm loving it. I feel I started with the right one. Also those are always on sale on Eshop.

One of my complaints about 4 and 5 is you don't really get your own house. Mechanically it makes no difference but I don't want to live out of the castle or guild's spare room! I've been playing 5 recently on Switch and I get the most performance issues during festivals. Crowds of villagers and constant confetti in the air really makes the Switch struggle. I hope Frontier and Tides of Destiny get remakes next.

I love both RF3 and RF4!! Especially RF3 since it was my first RF game I've ever played!!

Instructions unclear. Purchased all 3 games XD

rune factory 4 special is one of my favourite games in general, it's definitely the one i'd recommend

Josh thank u so much. Ur channel has helped me get back into farming sims. It’s been like 15 years since junior high with harvest moon wonderful life for me. I recently beat (& still playing) story of seasons doraimon friends of the great kingdom! It’s my fav farm sim of all time as it got me back into farming sims! I’ve always been intimidated by the spin off series Rune Factory. It’s more of an rpg as I presumed. It looses the cozy story of seasons feel but I think I can handle that now. It’s like Pokémon with cozy moments from the main adventure so that works. Glad Rune Factory isn’t done by Igusa Matsuyama. If it was that would’ve made discriminating between them kinda intimidating here with it hard to find rune factory art soothing when it’s violent rpg & might’ve affect my future plays of story of season games. Anyway, I hope to try one this year first time 🐮

I started with RF... yeah I'm old... and it got me to completely drop Harvest Moon as a whole... within the first week of getting it. I quit Harvest Moon cold turkey without any regrets. RF2 was good... but, I don't know... the rival thing annoyed me I guess... RF3/RF3S was sooo interesting with the wooly/monster twist! RF4/RF4S was the first to make me feel emotions for the game, I bawled my eyes out RF Tides of destiny, I'm on the fence about this one, it's really good and good looking (possibly less annoying than RF5 in terms of rendering), but the farming system... ugh! RF5 was good... not heart wrenching like 4... or as interesting as 3... but ok... The rendering lines though... having 2 rendering lines. especially in resource heavy environments or caves... make me wanna cry, sometimes I can't believe I paid 80$ +taxes... (hello fellow CAD)... Also... Marvelous/Hakama/whatever... PLEASE FIX THE FREAKING FURNITURE!!! Why MUST they have such a gap... WHY! Do it like RF4, it was finnicky, but at least with patience, I could align all my cooking tools with eachother (ok, a few out-game hours, but I did it, I'd rather loose a few hours doing it than being annoyed at the gap) RF4/RF4S is my favorite, hands down. I'll still play all the others from time-to-time, but I'll be coming back to this tear jearking baby...

Thanks Josh, that helps a lot, I was a bit overwhelmed!

Looking good in pink, Josh! Thank you for the very thorough and detailed explanation! RF4 for the 3DS will always be special to me since it introduced me to the series! RF3 being a short game sounds perfect for any gamer with tons of backlogs. I want something attainable and realistic to finish! Not gonna play every game with 100+ hours needed

I have 3, 4 and 5 and RF4 is definitely my favourite by far.

Kinda disappointed you missed the difference about the bachelorettes between rf3 and rf4. I'm already 80+ hours in RF3S and I'm nowhere near done and haven't even reunited the univir and the humans yet. The bachelorettes in RF3S definitely has a more flavorful and colorful cast even compared to RF4S which adds and makes for so much more content and replayability other than the main story.

Also, Josh did you hear??? Roots of Pacha is coming out on switch and other platforms on November 28th!!! 😍😍😍 I’ve been waiting for ages so I’m excited. Hoping it’s well optimized for the switch.

Neither frontier nor tides for wii had amnesia.

rf3 for the bachlorettes; rf4 for the gameplay

I started with RF5 and have loved it so far. Don’t mind it being on the easier side though I totally think they should have more difficult options for players who want that

RF4S is objectively the best, but it’s a toss up between RF3S and RF4S for me. And RF5 in dead last. Lol I would put it lower if I could. But I will say, when I play 3 I miss the quality of life features from 4.

If the RNG for triggering events weren't so incredibly irritating and they had put in proper same-sex relationships in the remaster, RF4 Special would be hands down my favourite game of all time. As it is, RF5 shines in the areas where RF4 stumbles, but its so incredibly easy that it also can't be called definitely the best. Both are amazing though!

Or you can be like me and just have all three lol love the videos keep it up!

Thank you Josh! Thank you to everyone in the comments! I literally am about to purchase RF5 right now but I decided to watch reviews first to make sure I won’t have any regrets. I’ve always played the HM games since Friends of mineral town and never had the chance to try the RF games so this is my first time trying them out. I now decided to buy RF4 instead since everyone is recommending it. Thank you so much for helping me decide!

Until 1, 2, Frontier, and Tides of Destiney come out, I can't really choose.

I almost have all of the games in the series. I'd say RF4 is the best choice in my opinion but I might be a little bias. It was the first game I got for the series and I'm still finding lots to do in it. The characters in the series are my favorite since they feel so alive.

I loved RF4S and normal so much, I finished it on the Switch, on the PS4 and then I bought back the original for the 3DS. So yeah, Rune Factory 4, to me, was the peak of these type of games :D

im one of the originals :) playing it since day 1 when the ds came out ^^ Tides and Frontier is also good ^^

Josh have you ever played an Etrian Odyssey game? They don't have farming, but are more dungeon crawling but in a nice relaxing way, and they have so much depth! Like rpg essence really, and you can build skills in a very satisfying way and build teams (guilds). I just bought EO3 and I'm so in love with it. All three Etrian Odyssey games on Switch are on sale in the eshop atm, at least in Europe, but I think tomorrow is the last day.

Thank for review, I have 4 and 5 for switch, only played a few hours on 3ds and like it, I was curious about 3, but thank to your review I'll pass on that one and focus on the ones I already have

I stated with Rune Factory 4 and I love this game so much ❤️ it made me a fan of the series even if it’s the only RF game I’ve ever played but I really like the characters, the gameplay, the story and also the art style x3 I was very worried as I started it the first time because some farming games who have combat are sometimes just good farming games with bad combat (Stardew Valleyyyyyy! God i hate the combat in that game 😑) or games with good combat but not so good farming mechanics (I heard some people saying things like that about Harvestella I never played the game but I had some tubers who said anytime something like that about it so i refused to play this game because of these critics :/ ) but RF4 really got all these things I criticized on these both games perfectly fine in my humble opinion ;0 I really like the weapons in RF4 i think it’s really easy to learn how to use weapons (especially the staff is really easy to use even if you played with the sword a quite longtime like I did ;P but it was also easy for me to switch to a spear) wich was really surprising :00 all I wanted to say is that i love Rune Factory 4 and I’m also willing to buy it again on the Switch :3 because it’s very practical for me and I like to have the game in a better version + I don’t need to worry that I can’t get a good replacement for my Switch if something should happen to my console in the near future (I needed to replace my 3DS last year… :( )

My favorite is rf3. Bachelorette are just better. I had problems with rf4 and rf5 because of the side quest slot shenanigans, couldn’t get a quest to pop up after a year of game time and I could see what quest I had.

Playing thru 3 now, enjoying it a lot. 5 was ok, performance issues brought it down big time and honestly, I don’t have much fond memories of it. RF4 though? One of my fave games on the switch. Absolutely loved it

I’m getting RF4 bc it looks like the perfect starting point

Thank you so much for this video. I was trying to decide between 3 4 and 5 and I was comparing Metacritic scores and watching reviews on RU-vid but this one video is much more compact with all 3 games compared

Tbf tho, in conclusion - any rf newcomer's first 'modern' rf game should be RF3S-RF4S-RF5 so that way they don't miss playing the other games in the series considering how hard it is to go back to the older games with less QOL improvements. If you (newcomer) can't stand strictly playing as a boy or only being able to marry girls is a deal-breaker, RF4S would be the optimal place to start before playing RF5. It's important newcomers get to experience the greatness of RF4S. RF5 first will make it hard to play RF4S after because of the lack of same-sex marriage and some other minor QOL updates that made RF5 easier.

Rune factory tides of destiny was my personal favorite.

Man, I love the Rune Factory franchise! Out of those three I would say I still have a soft spot for RF4. It has it's problems, but I bought it twice so I still really dig it. Man, Frontier looks so good! I prefer that town lay out over what we got in RF5 along with the environments. I'll be honest and say I still haven't beat RF5...it lost my interest pretty quick. But I want to give it another go. I'm still playing through RF3 Special currently and I like it so far. Thanks for this video! I think it will help those on the fence about which to go with. Though I think there are things to like about all of them.

Like I said in your RF3 stream, this game really looks like Harvest Moon Tale of Two Towns. I'd imagine the graphics are heavily inspired one way to the other and probably same engine too. I remember when Rune Factory first came out, I decided I was a purist and never bought one. I'm still not sure the RPG elements are for me, though I did enjoy the lite fighting in Stardew Valley and Pioneers of Olive Town. I also could have done without it too though haha.

I think what you failed to explain here is the situation in which the original games was first released. Rune Factory 3 was released as a overhaul from the og RF1 - RF2 system. They basically remade the combat system so that it allowed much more fluent animation and more potential for them to develop new weapons (which never happened, other than the dual blade.) Hence, the focus was more on making a fast paced game that was quicker to finish but with a lot of replayability. Biggest proof of this were the main story being made with marriage as the ultimate ending, and the Sharance Tree, a literal stage-based grind content. (They were doing this before gacha games existed.) Rune Factory 4 was released in context that Neverland Studio (the OG Rune Factory series developer) were about to close. It's mainly due to the failure of Rune Factory: Oceans (in general, Rune Factory's attempt towards bigger consoles were financial failures, albeit they're still fun games to play for the fans.) So under that context, the developers made a game that could last the fans for as long as it could. Thus not only they added so many extra interaction, they also added the random seed method for the events, to make it as if they're totally random and unplanned. They also put in ALL of the Rune Factory's past bosses that were available to them as far as the DS - 3DS console were concerned. It's a literal "send-off" game. ps.: to people wondering: the staff of Neverland were incorporated to Marvelous, anyway. So yeah, it's still the same people that's developing Rune Factory. As a player, you couldn't ask for a better developer team than the ones that still love the game, still try to stay true to their ideals for decades. That being said: they need to be braver with their content, since their playerbase are adults now. (IT'S FINE TO MAKE ELSJE, MISA, TERRY MARRIAGEABLE! Especially Misa, since that could really have been a coup.)

Tide of destiny the 1st Rune factory I play on ps3. After I finish rf1, rf2, and now I play rf frontier, next rf3 special, rf4 special, and last rf 5. So my list started with rf1, rf2, rf frontier, rf tide of destiny, rf 3 special, rf4, and rf5

Rune factory 4 has the best combat and rune factory 3 had the best story in my opinion. The main story in all of them is pretty cookie cutter, but I love that every single quest was a little story and gave you a chance to get to know the quest giver. In rune factory 5 and 6 the quests feel meaningless and yes they added random events, but those felt more tedious than anything. I’m sure someone else would love those mechanics, but I like choosing quests and meaningful quests and rune factory 3 did a good job of forcing me into these interactions, but making it my choice so I felt invested at the same time. Plus it gives you the chance to pace your interactions. RF4 I barely interacted with anyone because I was speeding through the combat sections and events where rare occasions. RF3 I could go on a mini adventure every day with someone. I haven’t played the earlier RF games so I can’t speak on them. I have trouble getting over the more stilted controls in the earlier games. Maybe one day I’ll grow some patience and play through them.

Rune Factory Tides of destiny is my personal favorite actually.... I think the art style is better than RF 5 ...and the village are more lively

1:50 - all of the Rune Factory games except Oceans/Tides of Destiny. I keep hoping they drop the whole amnesia thing bit they never do.

Wait... RF3 Special have Live 2D? Mine on Switch doesn't have

I wish Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny would pirt to Switch!! Maybe someday! ❤

RF4 Special all the way. I hope there will be RF2 Special that will allow you to play Kyle as main character rather than transfer to his one of kids 2nd generation.

I own all three games and I love Rune Factory 4 as it is available on the Xbox Game Pass

FULLY RF3 for me!!

Hm thats ture i think all numbers main game have the main character dont know who they are. Probably why i like in Tides Of Destiny you know who you are you just have your friends soul in your body so its different there i also enjoyed the farming in that game since i dont have to worry about buying seeds or i think the level of the seeds so farming was very easy to do. Tides Of Destiny was a game that made me wanted to collect all and alot of monsters so i could have them help with the farm plus i could collect meteials like rubys from dragons. I should go back in playing 5. I just like doing everything in my first play through but i know 5 made me like rune Factory again. I played 3 on ds but it felt very combat focus so i remember never using my farm land and 4 looked the same very combat focus so i never tryed 4.

In all honesty Rune Factory 4 was the best. It offered more in dept relationships and quests. There was so much to do in that game and the character build up was pretty good as well. 5 would be in second place because the characters were great and the relationship build ups were great and the dragon fields made for a great addition as well, but the time put into rune factory 4 made that game beautiful in every way. Rune Factory 3 was great with the transformation ability and also there were so many different personalities that made it a great playthrough. 4 had the most challenge playing through the story.

RF4 Special, at least on PC, does also have a mod that swaps the protagonists around, with dialogue changes, to allow for same sex marriage.

Rune Factory 3 and 4 is Top Tier in their times. Absolutely get this. RF 5 is the Recent installment. So get this too.

RF4 was my first one in the series I’ve played. Haven’t figured which is my least fav yet.

Rune Factory 4 is incredibly special to me (No pun Intended). I love the games in the series with the exception of Tides of Destiny... but RF4 is an other level.

Rune Factory Frontier was the best Rune Factory in my opinion. I tried the other games but I never finished them.

Where to start? Obviously RF3. It has simply the best set of cast, period. That being said: if you start from RF4 and then go down slowly, you can totally tell how things seem to be.. degrading, since you're playing from the newest game to the oldest ones. RF3 was a combat overhaul from RF1-2, so unless you're willing to go through the slog-fest of ancient Harvest Moon games, I would totally recommend just starting from RF3.

4,3 &5

Rune Factory 4 Is My Favorite of this series, I have Married Vishnal like 100 Times 😂 I love the characters in this game

Rune factory 4s, king off all series. Fun dialouge, good scenery, simple graphic, best story, good characters, good music, best female main character. I spend 500+ hour on RF 4s Edit: I buy switch because of RF4s, then I buy Naruto, Mortal Kombal, Boku no hero, fifa 23 and lastly harvestella. But I playing rf 4 more often among them all

I Played both RF4 and 4s through (and picked Xiao Pai in both runs), played RF5 after it came out on switch and recently finished RF3s. After all I have to give the crown to RF3s, for the simple fact that the Town Events do RF4(s) no favor.

RF4(S) is still my favorite game in the series, but RF5 would have beat it if it were more polished.

I love rune factory and bought 5 but yeah its way too easy. I certainly hope marvelous doesnt continue in that direction. The reason i lik re rune factory more then story of seasons isnt just because i enjoy riding around town on the back of my buffumoo. I also like the challenge of taming and fighting the beasts.

In RF4s there's no same sex marriage but the bachelor/Bachelorette will often misgender you and gave gay innuendo to like flirt with you as "princess" Whilst playing as Lest.

Dylas.

rune factory 3 SPESOLL

Lmfao, was gonna buy them all as a bundle for Switch and wanted to see what was the better game only to discover----i have rf4 on my 3ds, and rf5 on steam. Must have bought them a whike back in sale and forgotnl all about them. Im set. No purchase.

In terms of solid gameplay, don't start with 4, you'll be spoiled by it and will keep comparing other rf games to it, In terms of story, rf3

RF 3 is the best game

i hate that all RF 5 bachelorettes design.. i cant even finish the game bcoz none of the bachelorettes really piqued my interest, they all looks like a loli. RF5 have a succubus n make her a loli. this the first RF/SOS series that i cant even like any of the bachelorettes. never realize how deal breaker that thing is. why cant they design more bachelorettes like Iris from SOS 3DS, a mature looking 1, im not in my teen anymore n lets face it most of the ppl that still playing n a fans of this series is no longer a teen. the only thing i hate about RF series is the bachelorettes often looks too young n i want to married their mom instead. still pissed i cant marry Lin fa instead of xiao pai (RF4) haa.. sorry for ranting here.

The best order to play them in is 3,4,and maybe 5 even if its a little janky.The other games havent aged very well by todays standards and I played the original one on the nintendo ds back in 2006 or 2007.

I think they should keep the option for Same Sex Marriage in completly new titles. I mean we are in the 21 Century.

Honestly don’t care about the gender stuff I mostly like the gameplay of these type of games

Why do they keep choosing that tone of green ?(in RF 5 i mean).it s so ugly....every time i see that green, i don t want to play the game!😅

RF3 have single gender which is good its make the bachelorettes in RF3 more unique and interesting compare to RF4 but RF4 have bigger map than RF3 and interesting harder than RF3 and RF4 have better gameplay of RF3 both nerf and buff to combat mechanic compare to RF3 playing Magic is OP in RF3 but they nerf it on RF4

Where to start mmmmm great video but I still don’t know what one to start with