Rune Factory 5's Character Ages Can Make Romance Awkward
Rune Factory 5 includes numerous NPCs players can romance and marry, but unclear character ages make dating, marriage, and children awkward.
Romance and marriage are staple mechanics in Rune Factory 5, but unclear character ages can make budding relationships uncomfortable to participate in. Rune Factory 5, which presents a slice-of-life simulation mixed with JRPG-style combat, takes place in the small town of Rigbarth. Players can keep crops, build and upgrade weapons, and tend relationships with the numerous townsfolk that run local businesses. While these mechanics can be a great way to escape from everyday stresses, sometimes the cast of characters featured in the game's story can be difficult to relate to.
Rune Factory 5 was recently released for the Nintendo Switch a decade after Rune Factory 4, offering players the opportunity to go on a new fantasy adventure with mechanics familiar to earlier titles in the Rune Factory series. While the game attempted to adapt to the capabilities of the Nintendo Switch with a bigger town, large maps, and numerous dungeons, other areas seemed oddly dated for a modern JRPG title. This includes the inability to customize the appearance of the generic main character, inconsistencies with overall graphics, and frustrating glitches in animation that may force players to reload the game.
However, one of the biggest changes in Rune Factory 5 is the character models of both the main character and other NPCs. On past consoles like the Nintendo 3DS, graphics were limited to small sprites and 2D bust images of important characters. In Rune Factory 5, every character has a detailed 3D model and a large 2D image that appears during textbox conversations. While each of the characters in Rune Factory 5 has fantastic designs with an array of personalities, ages are unclear with both dateable and non-dateable characters. While this isn't an issue with random characters in Rigbarth, it has an impact on romance and marriage in the game.
While both Rune Factory 5's main character and most of the romanceable characters in Rigbarth hold down part-time jobs and other tasks around their work with SEED, at no point are ages ever explicitly mentioned for any of the primary cast. While several of the dateable characters like Lucy and Priscilla start part-time jobs early in the story, others like Murakumo and Reinhard both have careers that would have taken years to build. This wide range of experience makes guessing Rune Factory 5's romanceable characters' ages unclear and can make some characters feel much older than the main character could be.
Character designs in Rune Factory 5 can also create confusion when players are building relationships. While characters like Lucy, Priscilla, and Martin all appear to be around the same age and at the same point in life as the main character, Murakumo and Lucas both look like they could be much older. However, JRPG character designs for games like Rune Factory 5 don't always reflect a character's age clearly, only adding to the confusion some may feel when trying to select a character to date and marry. While age seems to be a mystery in Rune Factory 5, the game offers unique backstories and narratives for each character, making each romance special and enjoyable regardless of who the player picks to date.