STORY OF SEASONS: Pioneers of Olive Town

86%
Game Brain Score Based on 699 reviews
  • story
  • grinding
  • gameplay
STORY OF SEASONS: Pioneers of Olive Town Game Cover
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In "STORY OF SEASONS: Pioneers of Olive Town," players manage and expand a farm in a rustic rural town, completing various missions to improve the area. The Expansion Pass offers additional outfits, sub-scenarios, and marriage candidate packs, enhancing gameplay and character options. The game combines farming, life simulation, and social aspects, providing an immersive, wholesome experience.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

86%
Audience ScoreBased on 699 reviews
story66 positive mentions
grinding216 negative mentions
  • The game features charming graphics and cute character designs, making it visually appealing.
  • It offers a relaxing gameplay experience, allowing players to enjoy farming and building relationships at their own pace.
  • The crafting and customization options are extensive, providing players with a sense of creativity and ownership over their farm.
  • The dialogue and character interactions feel repetitive and lack depth, making it hard to connect with the townsfolk.
  • The reliance on numerous makers for crafting can clutter the farm and make resource management tedious.
  • The game lacks significant story progression and engaging festivals, leading to a feeling of emptiness in the overall experience.
  • story289 mentions

    The story in "Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town" is generally viewed as simplistic and lacking depth compared to previous entries in the franchise, with many players noting that it feels rushed and easy to complete. While the game features charming cutscenes and character interactions, some reviewers express disappointment in the overall narrative engagement and character development, suggesting that it doesn't quite match the storytelling quality of earlier titles or competitors like "Stardew Valley." Despite these critiques, fans of the series appreciate the nostalgic elements and the cozy farming simulation experience it offers.

    • “There's a great story, and the animation and music are amazing.”
    • “There are plenty of cutscenes, ranging from romantic moments to scenes that develop the broader story, making you feel deeply involved in the characters’ lives.”
    • “Each character has a unique story and personality, from the friendly townsfolk to the potential love interests.”
    • “The story is way too easy to complete - it is way too easy to complete the main story quest.”
    • “There's like no story, no depth to the characters.”
    • “The only major story milestone left for me is to have the kid (which I have read ahead is an adoption thing regardless of hetero marriage status or not and that moderately irks me).”
  • grinding217 mentions

    The reviews highlight that "grinding" is a significant aspect of the game, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, particularly in resource gathering and crafting. While some enjoy the extensive activities available, others feel overwhelmed by the amount of grinding required to progress, leading to frustration. Overall, the game appeals to dedicated fans of farming simulations, but it may not satisfy those seeking a more streamlined or less grind-heavy experience.

    • “Fishing is quite fun and not too tedious; I actually enjoyed it.”
    • “It is a Chinese sweatshop version of Story of Seasons, where 90% of the gameplay revolves around an endless cycle of grinding for raw materials, feeding them into a million different maker machines and waiting for them to churn out the processed materials you need to upgrade stuff, go to sleep, and repeat the next day.”
    • “My only complaint now is that this game has a lot of grinding and the stamina decreases so fast it makes progressing through the game come to a crawl at times.”
    • “The makers are incredibly tedious, you have to click on each one and select the amount and then run it to get them to start and you will need a lot of makers to make any semblance of progression towards the end game buildings.”
  • gameplay111 mentions

    The gameplay in "Pioneers of Olive Town" offers a mix of familiar farming mechanics and new features, drawing inspiration from titles like "Stardew Valley" and "Animal Crossing." While many players appreciate the customization options and satisfying gameplay loop, some criticize the repetitive grinding and tedious crafting mechanics that can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game provides a relaxing and engaging farming simulation, though it may lack the depth and charm found in earlier entries of the series.

    • “The gameplay is easy to learn but offers enough depth to keep you engaged for hours.”
    • “I'm so impressed by the gameplay and highly recommend it!”
    • “The gameplay is fantastic, there is so much to do and added quality of life improvements compared to Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town.”
    • “It is a Chinese sweatshop version of Story of Seasons, where 90% of the gameplay revolves around an endless cycle of grinding for raw materials, feeding them into a million different maker machines and waiting for them to churn out the processed materials you need to upgrade stuff, go to sleep, and repeat the next day.”
    • “The biggest downside to this game to me is unfortunately a big mechanic: the machines.”
    • “The storyline is standard Story of Seasons game, the game mechanics are nothing new, even the automatic mechanic of picking up items adds to the boredom of playing this game; I lose the feeling of being a real farmer when the items automatically go into the bag.”
  • graphics97 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and cute aesthetic, with many reviewers highlighting the vibrant colors and attention to detail that enhance the overall experience. While some players appreciate the low system requirements and smooth performance, others note that certain elements could benefit from additional detail. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point, contributing significantly to the game's appeal, especially for fans of the farming simulation genre.

    • “The picturesque town of Olive Town is brought to life with stunning visuals, vibrant colors, and rich attention to detail.”
    • “The graphics and overall aesthetic of the game are to die for and really are what I found so attractive about the game in the first place.”
    • “Graphics are gorgeous, I'm not even halfway through spring year 1 yet and I can't wait to play more of it.”
    • “The graphics show you picking up an item, it even disappears from your screen but it never makes it to your bag and the item is still there.”
    • “This low effort art style might have worked back when this series was on the 3DS, but on PC the aesthetics in this game have no excuse.”
    • “It's really lazy, the visuals look worse than the PS2 titles.”
  • music36 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the relaxing and pleasant soundtrack, particularly during seasonal changes, while others criticize specific tracks for being jarring or mismatched with in-game events. Some users express frustration over the lack of an option to mute or adjust the music volume, which detracts from their overall experience. Despite these issues, the soundtrack is often highlighted as one of the game's strengths, contributing positively to the ambiance of the gameplay.

    • “There's a great story, and the animation and music are amazing.”
    • “The animals are adorable and the music is relaxing.”
    • “A great soundtrack and fun characters break up the grind.”
    • “I really can't listen to this music; it sounds more like an 'action' game than a 'cozy life' game.”
    • “The music is bad almost everywhere; the autumn music is atrocious.”
    • “If I had known I would not be able to turn the annoying game music off, I would not have bought this game.”
  • optimization12 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has seen significant improvements, particularly after recent patches, leading to smoother performance and reduced loading times on PC. However, players still report poor performance on the Switch, which has affected their overall experience. While the game offers extensive content and optimizations for dedicated playthroughs, initial performance issues have left a lasting impact on its reception.

    • “I've sunk over 80 hours on 2 separate playthroughs, and the game still drip feeds new content in the end game like new animal types and late-game optimizations well into the 40-hour mark.”
    • “I'd reckon that in a single playthrough, to get max optimizations you would go well into 60 hours, and that's excluding fully building out your entire farm to look like a paradise.”
    • “Performance is great, playing max graphics and getting smooth locked 144 fps.”
    • “First of all, I know this game had really bad reviews due to its performance on Switch and 1.0 not including a lot of events in town.”
    • “Seriously, controlling is not optimized to play on PC.”
    • “I bought the special edition for the Switch -- the one that comes with the town map and the plushie -- and I was utterly disappointed with the game itself due to the terrible performance.”
  • stability11 mentions

    The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant bugs and loading issues, particularly on the Switch, leading to frustrating gameplay interruptions. However, others report a smooth experience on PC, indicating that performance may vary depending on the platform. Overall, while the game shows promise, its stability issues detract from the overall experience for many users.

    • “It's like Harvest Moon, only better! It runs great on my laptop!”
    • “It runs great on PC, and you'll get a lot of hours into this game.”
    • “The game runs great!”
    • “I was really looking forward to this game, but it's super buggy and I can't even get past the second day without an eternal loading screen.”
    • “I've basically given up on farming because it takes a whole day to harvest because it glitches and won't let me pick up anything.”
    • “I played it on the Switch, but as the game progresses, it freezes continually for 1 to 2 seconds.”
  • emotional10 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its heartwarming interactions with townspeople and nostalgic cut-scenes that evoke fond memories, reminiscent of classic Harvest Moon titles. While the dialogue and themes are geared towards younger audiences, some players feel a disconnect with the narrative depth, expressing disappointment in the main questline's lack of substance. Overall, the game maintains a charming and wholesome aesthetic, though it elicits mixed feelings regarding its emotional impact.

    • “I like the townspeople and how so far the cut-scenes I uncover really brought back memories of those wholesome candid moments and slowly learning about the townspeople and becoming part of the town.”
    • “It maintains the heartwarming essence of Harvest Moon games—something that, in my opinion, sets it apart from other titles like Coral Island or Stardew Valley.”
    • “The heart events of the DLC characters are very heartwarming though.”
  • character development6 mentions

    Character development in the game receives mixed reviews; while some characters are criticized for being flat and predictable due to stereotypes, others praise the overall character design and storyline as the best in the series. Players appreciate the customization options and the depth of the narrative, suggesting that the game excels in character design and personal expression compared to its predecessors.

    • “As a major fan of farming games and the Story of Seasons series, this one has the best storyline and the best character design as well.”
    • “Very happy with the options in character design, outfits, crafting, farming, and being able to change up your farm structure positions to your own liking.”
    • “Just a shame that some characters feel flat because of the usual stereotyped pigeonholing. It's not necessarily bad character design, but rather predictable if you play enough of these games.”
    • “These devs need to take lessons from Stardew Valley and My Time at Portia on character development and storyline.”
    • “This iteration of Story of Seasons has quickly become my favorite, from the character design feature to the gameplay.”
  • humor6 mentions

    The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players noting several cute and funny scenes, particularly involving characters and villagers' events. However, some feel that the humor varies in effectiveness, and there is a desire for more emotional depth in character interactions. Overall, the game balances humor with character dynamics, earning a solid appreciation from users.

    • “But there are several cute scenes and a nice level of humor in the series.”
    • “I would say 8/10 for characters; some feel less funny than others and vice versa.”
    • “I find it funny that there's no flag in the game that cuts you off from seeing events from other potential marriage candidates when you're already married.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its lighthearted and relaxed vibe, making it an enjoyable experience for players seeking a chill gaming environment. Many users find it to be a delightful complement to the gameplay and story, enhancing overall enjoyment.

    • “The lighthearted atmosphere and style make it a great chill game.”
    • “I'm glad I bought this one, and you will be too if you enjoy a casual, relaxed atmosphere.”
    • “Atmosphere, gameplay, characters, story, and events—it's absolutely awesome.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization aspect received mixed reviews, with a score of 5/10 for its DLC, which some players felt was a cash grab that added little value in terms of characters and locations, although the job board content was considered enjoyable.

    • “The DLC felt like a cash grab; the new characters and locations added nothing meaningful, but the job board content was somewhat enjoyable.”
    • “The monetization strategy is frustrating; it feels like the game is designed to push players towards spending more money rather than enjoying the core experience.”
    • “I was disappointed by the aggressive monetization tactics; it detracted from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

24hMedian play time
26hAverage play time
9-50hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 14 analyzed playthroughs

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