Rune Factory 5 releases in Japan on May 20, 2021, introduces the main characters
Marvelous revealed more new details on Rune Factory 5 in the Japanese version of Nintendo Direct Mini October 2020, including the game's full release date in Japan. It will be available in the country on May 20, 2021.
Despite being present in both Japanese and Western versions of last September's Direct Mini, today's news for Rune Factory 5 only came from the Japanese Direct. That makes the Western localization still having only 2021 as its launch window to date.
The new trailer revealed that the player character will be employed in a security organization called Seed. The group will investigate the mysterious disappearance of Runes that are essential in harmonizing the world in the game's storyline. Other than fighting monsters with allied partners, the player avatar will also be able to use a certain device distributed to Seed members to capture monsters and turn them into allies that can also help in battles.
Nintendo will also make Rune Factory 4 Special free for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers in Japan to play from November 2 at 12:00 to November 8 at 17:59 JST. This is likely connected to a previous report where having a Rune Factory 4 Special save data when booting up RF5 will unlock two guest characters from RF4.
Marvelous has also updated the Japanese official site of Rune Factory 5 and provided more new screenshots and biographies of the main characters. Find the translations of the biographies after the new trailer shown at the Japanese Nintendo Direct Mini right below.
The player avatar will be determined by your gender choice at the beginning of the game.
Ares (voiced in Japanese by Toshiyuki Toyonaga)
He has good manners and a personality that cannot ignore people in trouble. He doesn't really refuse when someone asks him for help. He is a bit of a natural airhead.
Alice (voiced in Japanese by Sora Amamiya)
She has a kind personality that cannot ignore people in trouble and end up looking after them. Active and brimming with curiosity, she is good at taking a stroll while patrolling around the town.
Martin (voiced in Japanese by Jun Fukuyama)
A young man who studies under a blacksmith in order to be the best one. He has the spirit of an artisan as he doesn't speak much, but there are rumors that he secretly gives names to his favorite tools.
Martin gets easily misunderstood because he is not sociable. He always thinks about smithing, but his world will change after he meets the Protagonist.
Reinhard (voiced in Japanese by Natsuki Hanae)
A young knight who pledges allegiance to the Kingdom of Norad. Although he is a capable person who is also good at politics, his reason for visiting Rigbars is unknown.
Although Reinhard is known to be wise and theoretical with a strong sense of duty, he is not self-assertive so everyone relies upon him. However, he will show yet another side of his personality to the Protagonist.
Priscilla (voiced in Japanese by Inori Minase)
A girl born and raised in Rigbars, she is kind and bright like the sun. Although she often fails in her daily chores, she is often forgiven for her natural brightness. She also has an unexpectedly firm character by preparing everything beforehand.
A certain incident caused Priscilla to be afraid of going outside of town. She wants to overcome that fear.
Scarlett (voiced in Japanese by Aya Suzaki)
A half-elven girl currently working at a distant place as a formal member of Seed. An elite who wants to be like her father, she is overtly serious with strict adherence to manuals.
Scarlett never gets satisfied if the conversation has no omissions or has a sudden change in topic. Despite having a tough personality, she is worried if she can stay that way or not.
Rivia (voiced in Japanese by Ayaka Senbongi)
Chief of the Seed Rigbars Station. Despite looking very young, she has something very vaguely broad that would've been owned by someone much older than she looks. Although she speaks with a strong tone, she can also take good care of people and lend her hands to those in need.
Gandage (voiced in Japanese by Daisuke Ono)
The inspector general of Seed. He is also the key person who gathered numerous public order organizations to form Seed. He never forgives evil.
Oswald (voiced in Japanese by Chafurin)
The head of a bandit gang that is comprised of people who were shunned by society and have nowhere else to go. It is said that he always appears at places where incidents happen.