I love Rune Factory. Let's put it this way, the first time I tried playing, I didn't pay too much attention nor understand what was going on.
I gave it another shot, a fairer one, and I can say for sure, Rune Factory is amazing. I cried so much, I felt so deeply for all the characters, the mechanics are so fun, the grind doesn't feel too grindy, the dungeons are exciting! The bachelors and bachelorettes are so amazing!

Rune Factory 4 is the best of all rune factories, and it set a precedent for me to play all past (and future) games of the series.