Rune Factory 3 Special

Rune factory 3 walked so that Rune Factory 4 could run. The systems, and honestly everything about the game, are a lot simpler than 4, but it's still a great intro to the series; arguably the perfect way to wet your feet. If you get any enjoyment out of this game, then 4 is perfect for you. If you enjoyed 4, you'll see the foundations of it here. I would still advise to not pay full price for this game, but any discount under 20$ usd is a must, and it regularly seems to dip down to 10$

RF4 is still my personal favorite, but RF3 is definitely worth playing!! Has all the RF essentials: farming, combat, cute girls :3 Basically a simpler RF4, which makes it a great intro to the series

While not as overly polished or content rich as Rune Factory 4 Special, I think it's a good game in its own right. The game only has a male protagonist, but if that's not an issue, you get a great, large roster of bachelorettes to choose from and a short but sweet package. It's also a fine experience if you want the more relatively classic Rune Factory experience.