I cried

a lot

there's so much love in this game, man

8.8/10 - I so badly want to give it a 9 because this is one of the most enjoyable Rune Factory games I have every played (I have been here since the release of the first Rune Factory game and have played every game since), but a series of small gripes that piled up during the late-game hold me back.

PROS:
-Game is gorgeous! I often feel sad about the lack of 2d portraits in these types of games, but I actually didn't notice it at all in this game! The 3D models are very expressive and nice to look at. The world is pleasantly populated between the NPCs, villagers, and townsfolk, without being overwhelming.
-SO MUCH QUALITY OF LIFE like seriously. Warping is convenient, building is convenient, the map shows you right where all of the characters are. Almost everything you need is right at your fingertips at all times, and even if it's not, it's just one quick teleport away. The game has built-in records for monsters that includes what region they're in, what they drop, and lots of other useful info.
-frogs :)
-Collectibles are not ridiculously hidden, and give frequent rewards that help them not to feel like a slog. Normally I hate collectibles, but I felt these were incorporated into the world very well and were very satisfying to complete. I didn't need any guides to finish them, either.
-The characters are very diverse in personality and SO lovable. I can't say TOO much without giving spoilers, but I really enjoyed the bond quests of even characters I didn't think I would like! The interaction between characters is also MWAH *chef's kiss*. The characters' personal stories have a nice mix of light-hearted banter and more serious moments, that help to give the characters more depth without breaking the overall cheerful vibes of the game.
-I enjoyed the majority of the story! Though it wasn't especially moving or hard-hitting, it was engaging and the characters are so well done that it's a pleasure to watch them interact every time. HOWEVER... See cons for my one complaint about the main story :(
-Exploration is fun without being overwhelming. Maps vary from pretty big (outside towns) to small, dungeon-like areas. There's no need to check every nook and crevice, but there's still some fun environmental puzzles like "how do I reach that!?" that take advantage of the various mechanics in the game.
-I love checklists! Yes! Tell me about how I completed 15 requests and check it off the list!!! Half-jokes aside, I do like to have nice clear-cut goals and requirements for progression. Events are logged, main story quests are logged, and your villages' progression... yeah, that's logged too! You can choose not to look at it if you don't want to, but it's there if you lost track of something.
-Building is really fun! It's much easier to use than house furnishing in previous games, and honestly looks pretty good too. Making little themed areas feels cute and satisfying~ Min-max type players might hate it though, as important stats such as max RP are affected by your buildings/decorations.
-Each weapon and sacred treasure feels very different to use. The combat isn't deep, but it's smooth!

NEUTRALS:
-this is entirely dependent on how you play the game, but I... have done very little farming in my farming rpg!? The villagers handle just about everything for me. This is really nice in that it allows me to skip the daily chores and focus on exploring, talking to people, etc. but as the game progressed I found myself missing that daily routine. In post-game, I have made the active choice to remove all villagers from the farming role so that I can get that feeling back, and it's been really nice! I also choose to water and plant my crops directly, rather than through the much faster and impersonal overhead view, but I really enjoy how this system allows for so much flexibility in play style.
-I find the music in most areas not very memorable. However, the music isn't bad, and in some areas I did quite like the music! In many ways, it's just pleasantly unobtrusive, which might be perfect for some people.
-accessing post-game is locked behind a function ( having a kid ) not all players may wish to engage with. Although this will not be a problem for the vast majority of players, I think it is worth noting.
-contests are something that you schedule, rather than fixed events. It's... an interesting idea, at least, and certainly makes it more convenient for the player. However, it trivializes them as "contests," because there is no impetus not to wait to hold the contest until you can guarantee a win. On the one hand, it takes out the stress that contests could cause... on the other hand, it almost feels like "what's the point."

CONS:
-I have a few gripes with the main story, particularly the ending feels quite rushed, and unfortunately I feel some of the characters fall into the same pitfall that Rune Factory 5 had - not enough development of the characters and issues at stake, leading to an underwhelming conclusion. The setting, as well, sometimes leaves something to be desired - many of the bad things in the world are glossed over or swept under the rug in order to maintain the game's cheery atmosphere, but I wish they would have acknowledged and explored more of it.
-Managing villagers is a bit of a chore, as it's one area of the game that lacks some QoL. Moving villagers between towns requires an empty space (no way to swap villagers), and villagers cannot be sorted or filtered by job/trait/anything.
-There is so many recipes that I spend a lot of time scrolling through lists trying to find something, even with the recipe lists broken down by type. Some kind of search or filter function would have been really nice, but overall it's a minor complaint that's just symptomatic of how much stuff there is lol
-I played on normal, and the combat was pretty much trivialized by the sacred treasures. Even bosses melted once I became more liberal with using spirit dances. Although I'm not looking for a challenge, I do wish that the regular weapons didn't feel so useless outside of killing low level mobs.
-Seasons don't matter. The calendar is really just a formality in order to have birthdays and festivals. There is no "neutral zone" where the seasons changing affects crops or changes how things look. Each area is fixed to the season of its god, and what season you're in on the calendar changes nothing.
-no polearm/spear weapon, which was my favorite in previous RF games :(
-can't date Yachiyo... Or Kusatsu...

guys do you think they know I love Rune Factory?

What an incredibly lovely game!! Please don't let the horror theme deter you from this game, it's really so good, and although there are a lot of jumpscares, most of the game is surprisingly relaxed.

Deciphering what the characters are saying is such a fun concept for a visual novel, and it's SO satisfying when you start getting full sentences that make sense!! Even getting something wrong can sometimes have some very funny results when it comes up in another sentence that makes you realize how wrong you were LOL

The game itself also has a very mysterious setting, that really drives you to explore in order to get even a smidgen more info on what is going on, even the bad endings. The art somehow manages to be SO endearing while staying in the horror theme, some being much more grotesque than others, and some being downright cute lol

I have a few nitpicky gripes about the controls for entering translations in, I really wish I could control the game with keyboard only, I think it would make a much smoother experience considering the typing aspect of it, but it's not horrible to control as is by any means! The UI works really well, is nicely themed, and the chapter select is very convenient and thorough,

tl;dr: One of the best VNs I've ever played!!

Mr. Crawling says HEWWO!

LET IT ROT