Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town Reviews
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.
Ultimately, Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is exactly what you would expect from the beloved staple. The farming sim makes some bold leaps with its crafting system, but there is nothing groundbreaking in its formula. You can expect the same charming and wholesome aesthetic from this game much like all those that came before it. And even so, this routine will keep fans of the franchise coming back for more.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town provides a new and entertaining farming adventure, but some design decisions hold it back from becoming a must-play entry
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.
Farm sims, at least the cute and casual ones like Story of Seasons, fall into a comfortable groove. You know what you’re getting into when you fire up one of these games. Pioneers of Olive Town is no exception. Yet, is that really so bad? If these kind of chop/craft/till/harvest/date cycles appeal to you, Olive Town will be just the dose you’re looking for. The game loop is well-crafted, the systems are polished to a glittering sheen, and the pace is downright swift. On the other hand, if you’re sick of the usual farm sim routine, this isn’t gonna win you over. We’re in well-trodden territory here. But of you’re anything like me, more adorable farming is exactly what the doctor ordered.
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.
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 – Switch Review Overall though, Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is a great addition to the series and will easily appeal to longtime fans as well as newcomers. With plenty of options of how you want to go about your days, you’ll easily see the real world clock jump hours ahead of the last time you saw it and even debate playing for “one more day” before calling your own day quits to get some sleep for your own next morning. ----- Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town Review (PS4) Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is a fantastic experience. Whether you are looking for something to casually hold your attention in a soft roll of days forward or have grander ambitions in mind with wanting to grow all of the crops or raise all of the adorable livestock and be outstanding in your field, this is for you. Score: 9 / 10
Fun addictive timeless gameplay married with grind and bugs. Much like seasons you take the good with the bad
An innocence that glows throughout the onset, and charm that cannot be overstated. Story of Seasons’ legacy continues to grow through its muddied Harvest Moon bedrock, right to foundations that deliver a contrast and loop that’s sorely underrated.
Better visuals for the farm-sim improve the interaction but slow loading undermines the laid-back flow
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.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is a farming simulator that doesn't dare much but that offers all the elements of the genre with the right expertise. Don't expect particularly deep gameplay though.
Review in Italian | Read full review
If you like peaceful, low-stakes simulation gameplay and have a few months to spare, consider relocating to Olive Town.
If you’re a fan of Story of Seasons, I think you’re definitely going to love all-of this game...Get it?
The implementation of “makers” and poor optimization may hinder Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town but it still remains a solid entry in a franchise that is still going strong 25 years later.
Personally, I found the game to be an okay experience. It wasn’t by any means bad, I enjoyed my time playing Pioneers of Olive Town. Which reminds me, I should mention that the game has a ton of content. It took me about 50 hours just to get through year 1 and see the credits resulting from completing the main goal of the game, attracting tourists to Olive Town. I also want to state that, for as much inconvenience was added this time around, there is also a lot of convenience added in, particularly when it comes to taking care of your farm animals. And that reminds me, XSEED has stated that they have various fixes planned for the game (aside from fixing freezing problems), including making the loading screens less annoying and somehow improving the maker system. We don’t know at this time more specifically what they’re going to do, or how much better the game will be when they’re done. In the end, it was still merely an okay experience, like I said. I had fun and I enjoyed myself, but it’s far from my favorite Bokujō Monogatari game and not the best Marvelous could’ve put out for the 25th anniversary. However, if you’re a huge farming sim fan, or you simply appreciate the care XSEED always puts into their physical releases like I do, then you might want to consider picking this one up.
"Industrial revolution is close."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
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.
Story of Season is a great game for people who like to relax while playing. While having some issues with long loading times, its mix of simple and intuitive mechanics, a lot of activities to experience and a good online multiplayer mode, will make the players who give it a shot surely satisfied.
Review in Italian | Read full review