is a franchise of fantasy role-playing simulation games created by Yoshifumi Hashimoto, and primarily published by Marvelous. The games are developed by Hashimoto's studio Hakama, taking over from Neverland after they ceased operations in 2013. The series began as a spin-off to Marvelous' flagship franchise Story of Seasons (formerly Harvest Moon). The Story of Seasons references were subsequently dropped starting with the second installment, in order to become its own series. With the first game published in 2006, the property consists of five main-series games, two spin-off titles and numerous manga adaptations. Rune Factory retains the farming and social simulation portions of the Story of Seasons games, but integrates it into a fantasy setting and introduces dungeon crawling elements into the core gameplay. The basic premise of most Rune Factory games is to play as a hero who has lost their memory, but must save the land from peril at the hands of an evil enemy, while uncovering their memories. The title of the series refers to the recurring game mechanic of "rune points" and runes that can be earned by completing a variety of tasks, such as growing crops, crafting items and leveling up skills. The games in the franchise have seen both critical and commercial success, with Xseed Games, the North American publisher of the series, declaring it as their best performing franchise in 2020. Titles Games Rune Factory spans seven different games set in the same shared universe. Despite the loose connections between each entry, they each feature their own cast of characters, setting, and story, so the numbers mostly refer to episodes rather than to sequels. As of 2021, there are five numbered main entries to the franchise, as well as one enhanced port and two spin-offs, including a direct sequel to the first game. Main series Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon is the first game in the series, released in Japan on August 24, 2006 for the Nintendo DS. It was originally released as a spin-off title of the Story of Seasons franchise for its tenth anniversary. It introduced players to the nations, races, and lore of the series. Set in the small mountain town of Kardia, the story follows Raguna, an amnesiac who finds a new purpose after he agrees to work on a farm owned by a young woman named Mist. The game was later released in North America on August 14,