Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is a great farming sim that keeps things fresh through the entirety of your playtime. There’s always something to do in the charming world of Olive Town, as the strong farming gameplay is combined with a handy progression system and a seemingly endless amount of diverse activities to enjoy.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town
Developer: MARVELOUS
Price: $50
Platforms: Nintendo Switch (Reviewed)
MonsterVine was provided with a Switch code for review
I’m not too experienced with farming sims, outside of the couple that I have played while writing for MonsterVine. That being said, I had a blast with Pioneers of Olive Town outside of its technical issues. It’s the kind of game you can easily put on after a long day for some light-hearted fun. On the other hand, if you’re a hardcore virtual farmer, it’s the kind of game you can spend hours upon hours on in a row as you streamline every method of productivity on your farm. Either playstyle is equally valid and equally enjoyable in Olive Town, which speaks to the game’s quality.
In Pioneers of Olive Town, you play as a young adult who has moved to Olive Town from the big city. You have fond memories of your grandfather’s farm, so you decide to take over the farm after his passing. You find it’s in a state of disrepair, but there are plenty of kind townsfolk who are excited to show you the ropes of your new farming life. You then decide to help the town grow in order to bring in more tourists, which is done through donating resources to the town. It’s the kind of story that works perfectly with the simple concept of the game, as it leaves you with enough narrative freedom to easily place yourself into the role of your avatar.
There’s quite a bit of depth in the farming systems of Pioneers of Olive Town, though it’s presented in a gradual manner to let you get used to how things work. You’re introduced to the basics of farming and given the weakest tools to begin with. At your own pace, you can expand your activities to new areas in your farm by spending easily gathered resources. You’ll start to harvest wood, stone, and grass constantly in the pursuit of unlocking more land and better tools, which is probably the most addicting part of the game. You’re constantly gathering resources and processing them through “maker machines,” which makes every moment feel productive. It doesn’t have to be that way though, as there are no deadlines to pressure you into doing anything quickly. You can just relax and farm to your heart’s content, which I appreciate.
There are multiple progression systems to keep you motivated beyond just farming though, from the aforementioned additional land to levelling up skills by using them. There are little rewards for each level-up and accomplishment, from items to money that can be used to improve your tools or farm, so it always feels like you’re accomplishing something. I always felt like I was improving my character and farm in some way. Which encouraged me to keep playing after every major accomplishment.
“There are plenty of catchy songs throughout the game to keep your head bopping as you harvest crops, which is an important feature in a game that has you spend so much of your time doing a few simple things.“
Outside of farming, there’s plenty to do in Olive Town. You can catch fish and take pictures of animals to fill out a museum a la Animal Crossing, or you can hunt for treasure by exploring mines and draining ponds. There’s a whole social system to take advantage of as well, which can lead to your character marrying a chosen NPC. This variety makes farming life more enjoyable, as you can pace it out with other activities to keep things from getting stale.
I did find some technical issues in Pioneers of Olive Town, from a lagging frame rate while exploring the busier parts of my farm or the town to the occasional freeze after saving. It rarely impacted the game in a major way, but it’s still annoying to see a big slowdown now and then.
The colorful visuals and upbeat soundtrack are strong points of the game, though I think some voice acting might have given the characters a bit more personality. There are plenty of catchy songs throughout the game to keep your head bopping as you harvest crops, which is an important feature in a game that has you spend so much of your time doing a few simple things.
The Final Word
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is a relaxing and fun farming sim that manages to stay enjoyable for seasons at a time. There’s always something fun to do alongside your standard farming activities, and it always feels like you’re progressing in one way or another. There are some small technical issues, but overall, Pioneers of Olive Town is a great game for newcomers and Harvest Moon fans alike.
MonsterVine Rating: 4.5 out of 5 – Great
