History VideoGame / RuneFactory

* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Dragons in Rune Factory universe are somewhat diverse. There are smaller ones that serve as regular, if high level, enemies. And there are the Native Dragons that are so powerful they're considered forces of nature capable of shaping and destroying the world if they wished so. [[spoiler:There are four of them and all of them serves as the FinalBoss from 1 to 4 respectively]]. ''VideoGame/RuneFactory5'' introduces ''Farmland'' Dragons which are gigantic dragons that allow a few select people to grow crops on the terain in their back.

* OnlySaneMan: The main characters are often very down-to-earth people who has to deal with a quirky cast of people living in wherever they end up at and this does not go unoticed by them. Micah of ''VideoGame/RuneFactory3'' in particular seems the most confused by the largely strange townsfolk of Sharance.

** ''Oceans/Tide of Destiny'' is a pretty big offender as well. The need to include bachelors ate up some extra character slots, so there are only four characters over the rough teens of the marriage candidates. Only three are residents of the island and only two are related to anyone.

* AbsurdlyHighLevelCap: ''VideoGame/RuneFactory3'' and ''VideoGame/RuneFactory4'' has some truly absurd level caps, enough to make ''Creator/NipponIchi'' blush. ''Rune Factory 3'' level cap is '''10,000''' and ''Rune Factory 4'' is '''''50,000'''''.

* ActonizedSequel: ''VideoGame/RuneFactory3'' has a much faster combat system compared to the first two games and is the first game where the postgame content focuses heavily on combat.

* SliceOfLife: Being a descendant of the Harvest Moon series, the games can be played as this. You can set your own pace for the plot and focus more on your crops and socializing with the villagers.

** in ''Rune Factory 5'', it can be used mostly freely to warp around not only home, but other known locations like dungeons.

* OnlySaneMan: The main characters are often very down-to-earth people who has to deal with a quirky cast of people living in wherever they end up at and this does not go unoticed by them. Micah of ''VideoGame/RuneFactory3'' in particular seems the more confused by the strange townsfolk of Sharance.

* OnlySaneMan: The main characters are often very down-to-earth people who has to deal with a quirky cast of people living in wherever they end up at and this does not go unoticed by them. Micah of ''VideoGame/Rune Factory3'' in particular seems the more confused by the strange townsfolk of Sharance.

* DeadpanSnarker: Every hero(ine) in almost every game sometimes have dialogue options to answer or comment on something another character says and some of the options vary from sarcastic to outright mean.

* BlueBlood: The De Sainte-Coquille family can be found all over Norad, living near farming communities to eat food that is made with the freshest ingredients. They can easily be picked out of a crowd, as the head of the family will be a {{gonk}} and their daughter(s) will have blue/purple hair. There are exceptions to these criteria; such as Porcoline who runs his own restaurant and has taken an elf under his wing, Beatrix who is the mayor of an island town, and Palmo who works as an architect.

* TheEmpire: The Sechs Empire. More so in the [[VideoGame/RuneFactory1 first]], [[spoiler:where it directly threatened to invade the kingdom where the village is located by the use of an ancient dragon.]]

-->'''Raguna''':...Oh.

** Interacting with an NPC's bed gives you the option to sleep in it. If the owner is nearby, they'll get mad at you.

* CoolPet: Monsters can be tamed from dungeons and used as livestock, farm hands, and battle allies.

** The [[VideoGame/RuneFactory3 third game]] takes this UpToEleven and makes the main character a half-human hybrid, meaning the kid you have will always be a quarter-monster. Four of the bachelorettes are also different races, which allows the player to pop out kids that are half-elf/mermaid/univir/[[spoiler:phoenix]].

* GreenAesop: Inevitable given the setting. It is important to protect nature and not abuse the power of runes, because their balance holds the world together, brings prosperity to the land [[{{Anvilicious}} and makes it so that the rest of the cast can’t ever seem to shut up about it]].

* BlueBlood: The De Sainte-Coquille family can be found all over Norad, living near farming communities to eat food that is made with the freshest ingredients. They can easily be picked out of a crowd, as the head of the family will be a {{gonk}} and their daughter(s) will have blue/purple hair. There are exceptions to these criteria; such as Porcoline who runs his own restaurant and has taken an elf under his wing, and Beatrix who is the mayor of an island town.

* ''VideoGame/RuneFactory5'' (announced for 2021) will be the first original installment on the Switch.

** [[VideoGame/RuneFactory3 Trampoli]] is somewhat better about this. Every youngster has at least one related guardian and, shockingly, Eunice even has a mother AND father. Rosetta, Lara and Bianca live on their own but you know their fathers are back in Kardia (though the issue of their nonexistent mothers still apply). Danny has a family back in his hometown, Selphy is a runaway and Melody's orphan status is a plot point. Played straight with Erik though, [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} and the less we talk about Mist the better]].

* BabiesEverAfter: Obviously, for a series inspired by ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon''. Averted in ''Rune Factory 2'' when the protagonist's kid eventually becomes a new hero/ine.

* CastFromHitPoints: If you're out of RP, actions will drain your HP instead. In the first game, the system for this was really bad, resulting in "RP management" consisting entirely of "carry around the Heal spell and eat a snack sometimes". The second game fixed the two most obvious problems (Magic costs decrease with practice like everything else, and your max RP increases with levels), but the system was still pretty ignorable. The third game made the HP drain much greater and added greater RP gain to more food, finally encouraging players to act the way the game wanted them to.

** The first game's opening heavily features Mist, the young woman who first finds Raguna unconscious at the beginning of the game, while the other marriage candidates get a very brief cameo alongside the rivals. Mist also technically owns the farm that needs to be managed as part of the game, so Raguna ends up seeing a lot of her.
** The first generation's opening for the second game heavily features Mana, who is the one who suggests Kyle take over the abandoned farm. While Kyle will have a child with all the marriage candidates, one of the requirements for moving to the second generation is to build a school. For Mana, who ''really, really'' wants to become a teacher. As a result, Kyle will be in the middle of making a grand gesture for Mana no matter who he's actually courting.
** This is averted in the first opening for the third game, but the second one focuses greatly on Shara, the young woman who finds Micah injured at the beginning of the game. Her everyday headgear, which is her most visible piece of clothing in most shots of her, is an item made out of flower ornaments and semi-transparent white fabric that wouldn't be out of place as part of a wedding outfit.
** Both of the playable characters in ''Oceans'', Aden and Sonja, are heavily implied to be this. Both of them declare how much they care for each before they are enveloped in the light that serves as the plot catalyst, spend the entirety of the game forced to share Aden's body after Sonja's soul is separated from hers, and once they're finally separated, whoever doesn't become the playable character starts out with Love Points instead of Friendship Points.

* TheEmpire: The Sechs Empire. More so in the first, [[spoiler:where it directly threatened to invade the kingdom where the village is located by the use of an ancient dragon.]]

* GodhoodSeeker: Every non-dragon main villain has had this going. The only exception is Ethelberd [[spoiler:in his first appearance. After Raguna stops him he becomes more obsessed with obtaining ultimate power in his second appearance in the series.]]

** In the first game, Raguna can marry Tabatha and have a half-elf baby.
** In the second, Kyle can marry Cecilia and have a quarter-elf baby. By default, Cecilia will marry another half-elf and have a half-elf child.
** In Frontier, Raguna can marry Iris and have a baby that is half-"ancient race". Tabatha can also be married again.
** The third game takes this UpToEleven and makes the main character a half-human hybrid, meaning the kid you have will always be a quarter-monster. Four of the bachelorettes are also different races, which allows the player to pop out kids that are half-elf/mermaid/univir/[[spoiler:phoenix]].
** Oceans allows Aden to marry Pandora and Maerwen, who will produce half-demon or half-dark elf kids.
** The fourth game has four marriage candidates with monster traits, in addition to a dwarf and elf.
** The fifth game has two wereanimal candidates, resulting in half-wereanimal children. Ares also has the option of having a quarter-elf child with the half-elf Scarlett, or a half-succubus child with Ludmilla. [[spoiler: In addition, if Lucas really is a god, then his children with Alice would also count.]]

* LimitedWardrobe: Everyone usually wears the same outfit at all times, with swimsuits and pajamas only being introduced into the series in "Frontier" and "4". ''Frontier'' {{lampshade|Hanging}}s it:

* MarketBasedTitle: The "A Fantasy Harvest Moon" subtitle was only used on the first game in Japan. Natsume added it to all the DS games in the US.
* NerfArm: In the first game, the most powerful weapon in the game is: your watering can. Likewise, Frontier has the fishing pole as the strongest weapon. The first example [[LampshadeHanging hasn't gone unnoticed]], as Kross in Frontier comments about how someone destroyed a tank with a watering can.

** Kardia in particular has exactly zero couples, yet no shortage of children. Everyone is either single, widowed, separated or single-parent with no further elaboration.

** Trampoli is somewhat better about this. Every youngster has at least one related guardian and, shockingly, Eunice even has a mother AND father. Rosetta, Lara and Bianca live on their own but you know their fathers are back in Kardia (though the issue of their nonexistent mothers still apply). Danny has a family back in his hometown, Selphy is a runaway and Melody's orphan status is a plot point. Played straight with Erik though, [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} and the less we talk about Mist the better]].
** Oceans/Tide of Destiny is a pretty big offender as well. The need to include bachelors ate up some extra character slots, so there are only four characters over the rough teens of the marriage candidates. Only three are residents of the island and only two are related to anyone.

** In the second game, Kyle can steal a bride on her wedding day if their LP is high enough with him.
** Frontier allows you to back out of a marriage by not saying "I do", but will cause the girl's FP/LP to plummet to 0 (except Tabatha for some reason).
** Frontier, 3, and 4 allow you to cheat on your significant other/spouse and take another marriage candidate out on a date. The spouse/significant other's response vary from hurt to anger. Though, in the case of 4, you can actually make a ''Harem'' by dating and confessing to the other marriage candidates. Making this more downplayed compared to the previous games.

** In 'Rune Factory 3,'' the spell sends you to different places depending on where you are; for example if you're on your doorstep and cast it, it'll send you right next to your bed, whereas if you cast it while in your home it sends you to your doorstep.

* ButThouMust: In the very start of Rune Factory 2, you can't decline Douglas's and Mana's offer to purchase the hoe and watering can. Similarly, you can't say no to Shara showing you around your new home in ''Rune Factory 3.''

* InconsistentDub: Between a notably sloppier localization of the very first game and occasional switching between Natsume and Creator/XSEEDGames, there are some very visible name changes, particularly in ''Frontier''. The "First Forest" was permanently renamed to the "Forest of Beginnings" and the Sechs Empire was temporarily renamed Zzyzx. Tori's name was changed to Tart, though as she hasn't appeared again it's uncertain whether this change stuck or not. The manual for ''VideoGame/RuneFactory4'' {{lampshade|Hanging}} the reversion of the empire's name, stating that Zzyzx "may have been a practical joke, or perhaps the result of temporary delirium due to illness".

** Nicholas made a ChildHoodMarriagePromise to Cecilia in Rune Factory 1 but is absent entirely in the sequel.
** Aden or Sonja become this in ''[[VideoGame/RuneFactoryOceans Tides of Destiny]]'' if the player doesn't [[OfficialCouple marry them to each other]].

** In the original Rune Factory it's two different books. "Escape", which lets you exit a dungeon, and "Teleport", which brings you to your house. Neither can be used if you're sealed.
** Frontier allows you to do this with a simple menu command from the get-go. As a bonus, it also works while sealed. This means that you can fight however much you want without worry that you can always escape just in time.
** In the second half of Rune Factory 2, one of the Magic Books allows you to warp back to the entrance of a dungeon. If you're not in a dungeon, it'll warp you back to your house.
** In ''VideoGame/RuneFactory3'', the spell sends you to different places depending on where you are; for example if you're on your doorstep and cast it, it'll send you right next to your bed, whereas if you cast it while in your home it sends you to your doorstep.
** And in ''VideoGame/RuneFactory4'', besides being an usable spell it can be used at any time with a tap on the touch screen.

* {{Wutai}}: In the world of Rune Factory, there is a small island country to the east that is heavily based off of Japan's Sengoku and Edo period (with a dash of Chinese culture). If there is a character with an Asian name wearing Eastern style clothes, chances are they're from this country.

* AndYourRewardIsParenthood: You can have children in each game in the series after getting married. ''2'' has your child become the new hero. ''3'' lets you have up to three children. And ''4'' has your child become a potential party member.
* BabiesEverAfter: Obviously, for a series inspired by ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon''. Averted in RF 2 when the protagonist's kid eventually becomes a new hero/ine.

* ButThouMust: In the very start of Rune Factory 2, you can't decline Douglas's and Mana's offer to purchase the hoe and watering can. Similarly, you can't say no to Shara showing you around your new home in RF 3.

* InterspeciesRomance: Every game in the series (so far) has had at least one elf (or half-elf) marriage candidate. [=RF3=] throws in a mermaid, a horned humanoid and a half-monster (and the half-monster protagonist makes EVERY pairing this trope.) [=RF4=] Includes several bachelors who were originally monsters, and retained several monster features since becoming human.

** To bring the point home even more, in the second half of [[VideoGame/RuneFactory2 RF2]] this becomes a plot point for your player character.

** [[VideoGame/RuneFactory4 RF4]] practically [[IncrediblyLamePun adopts]] this as a ''theme'': literally the only character in the entire game whose parents are both intact and present is the player character's child. Everyone else is either raised in a single-parent household or HappilyAdopted.

* OfficialCouple: Raguna and Mist, Kyle and Mana, Micah and Shara, Aden and Sonja (to an extent). Considering the DatingSim aspect of the games, this trope's presence has led many to complain about the "[[StrangledByTheRedString forced couples]]". Recent games in the series, however, have [[AvertedTrope moved away from this]]--[[VideoGame/RuneFactory4 Lest and Frey]] have no clear ImpliedLoveInterest, as do [[VideoGame/RuneFactory5 Ares and Alice]].

* OfficialCouple: Raguna and Mist, Kyle and Mana, Micah and Shara, Aden and Sonja (to an extent). Considering the DatingSim aspect of the games, this trope's presence has led many to complain about the "[[StrangledByTheRedString forced couples]]".

* UnintentionallyUnwinnable: In the first two games, if you save deep in a dungeon while both [[StandardStatusEffects poisoned and sealed]], you can find yourself unable to get out before the poison kills you. Later games fix this both by allowing the [[WarpWhistle Escape]] spell to work even while sealed, and by reducing the penalty for fainting in a dungeon from an instant GameOver to a massive hospital bill.

* TheAce: If you play well, YOU. Look at it from the other villagers' perspective: You sweep into town from nowhere, become a more successful farmer, warrior, and item crafter. You also build up a farm that they couldn't for years, become everyone's best friend, and steal away girls (or boys, starting from ''Oceans'') that some of these characters had been going after for since childhood. And this is all in your first year! No wonder some characters hate you so much...

* TheBlacksmith: Leo for the first game, Tanya for RF 2, Ganesha for Frontier, Gaius for RF 3, Elena in ''[[VideoGame/RuneFactoryOceans Tides of Destiny]]'', and Bado for RF 4 are all the town's weapon makers and shopkeepers.

* CuteWitch:
** Melody. Subverted as she can't use magic. She just likes the outfit.
** Marion from ''VideoGame/RuneFactory3'' might be a better example as she CAN use magic. Even though she's more interested in being a nurse/apothecary, and sees magic as cheating in these schools of medicine.

* EyepatchOfPower: Lynette in [=RF1=], the military commander from Sechs who moves in after you beat the BigBad.

* GameBreakingBug: The winter-only dungeon in the first game has Mist comment that you can stay overnight with a sleeping bag to stay there into spring. While this is ''technically'' true, it also results in the game hard locking and forcing you to turn off your DS.

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Aden and Sonja of ''Oceans'' are (so far) the only series protagonists not to get a dose of this.
* LimitedWardrobe: Nobody in the Kardia pair of games ever changes their outfit. ''Frontier'' {{lampshade|Hanging}}s it:

* RobeAndWizardHat: Melody wears this ensemble in the first game, and Alicia wears a more {{Stripperific}} variation in the second.