The Rune Factory series was originally a spin off of Harvest Moon, now called Story of Seasons, that went on to have its own life outside the original game series. In fact by its second installment the Harvest Moon references were dropped, the series coming into its own. Initially envisioned as a Harvest Moon social simulator in a fantasy setting, with dungeon crawling added on top. Rune points, which give the game their name, are earned through progressing the development of the settlement, finishing tasks, etc. and which are in turn used for various other tasks. The game has had five mainline games, two rereleased ports, and two spin off games. A third is about to be added to that last category, because Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma had an announcement trailer release.