Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town Reviews
Overall, this review of Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town may sound a touch negative, and it is in some parts. I like how it deals with progression while keeping most of its addicting farming foundations intact. Most of what it adds feels nicked from other games and has often been implemented less convincingly. Combined with performance issues and a few other missed opportunities, Pioneers of Olive Town is a solid entry in the series, but it isn't the must-have experience that many had hoped for the series' 25th anniversary.
Story Of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is an okay farming game but if you are expecting giant changes to the already worn out formula then you should look elsewhere.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is wholesome. It's a little naive in the way it presents the "grass is always greener on the other side" perspective on country living, but this series has been kicking around since the Super Nintendo and always gets away with it, on account of being so sweet and good-natured that it's impossible not to love.
In its current state, Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is hard to recommend. Crafting is tedious because of the clunky way the makers are implemented, and the town is lifeless due to a lack of varied dialogue or meaningful events each season. Patches are supposedly planned to improve these problem areas (along with performance), so the game could be a decent entry in the series after some updates.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town has the potential to be the best entry in the Story of Seasons series. Sadly, the combination of major and minor bugs, including frame rate dips on the farm itself, severely decreases gameplay enjoyment. There has been one pre-launch update and further updates are on the way. This will hopefully address some of the issues encountered and maybe even allow active participation in more of the events. It is still a fun experience so long as the noted problems can be tolerated. There is a huge variety of animals and crops to tend to, fantastic range in character customisation, and the usual aspects of a Story of Seasons title that long-time fans have come to love.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is not exactly an example of innovation within the farming management genre, but it beautifully summarizes all the main qualities of the franchise in a charming and addictive way.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
For fans of the genre, Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is a great example of a life/farming sim at its finest. There’s a mixture of everything here: farming, town building, exploration, relationship building, fishing, cooking, crafting – and it’s all blended together so well. If you’ve got the time to sink into it and you’re looking for something seriously relaxing, you really can’t go wrong.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is the most barebones of a farming simulator. While updates have been promised to fix the technical issues and inject some life into it, it's not worth playing in its current state.
Pioneers of Olive Town offers familiar beats but none of the conviction of its contemporaries
What it lacks in technical prowess, Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town more than makes up for in sheer fun.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town takes a fresh and engaging step forward; it is packed with varied content, adorable animals and deep customisability that will make many farming sim fans happy.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is a game that will definitely keep you busy. I was seldom ever bored while playing as there was always a task I was working towards and a lot to do. I'm pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed playing it.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is a stunning showcase of the classic Harvest Moon series, now available on PC. With its release on the platform, players can also purchase DLC for the game, with new areas to explore and customization options. The result may be cute, but it's not without its problems.
If you’re a fan of Story of Seasons, I think you’re definitely going to love all-of this game...Get it?
While I do have a few complaints with Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town, overall I really enjoyed the time that I spent with the game. The actual meat of the gameplay is really satisfying with a lot of more modern gameplay ideas to freshen up the already well-loved franchise. The characters are very sweet and lovely and the cows are so round and adorable.
Pioneers of Olive Town modernizes Story of Seasons' formula in a wilder, wider and somehow easier way, but such industrial revolution often feels heavy, then ultimately lacks life, if not charm, compared to the previous episodes.
Review in French | Read full review
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town does have that compelling farming gameplay loop that we’ve seen time and time again in different series, but it lacks depth — much like the rest of the game — to keep farming sim veterans coming back. At a time where the likes of Stardew Valley continue to push the genre forward and provide greater longevity, it’s difficult to recommend this rough-around-the-edges excursion to Olive Town.
Pioneers of Olive Town is a farming adventure.
Whilst the graphics are packed with charm, the story feels as empty as my farm on the day I arrived. Farming sims owe a lot to this series, but other games perfected it. But for newcomers to the genre, or for those who are looking for a simple life on a plot of land, Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town certainly isn’t one to miss.
While not by any means the best Story of Seasons game on the market, Pioneers of Olive Town is promising and disappointing in equal measure. Perhaps future patches will iron out some of the issues with framerate and boring character dialogue, but for now, potential buyers should be aware that this game isn't quite in a state we can recommend.