STORY OF SEASONS: Pioneers of Olive Town

The PC release of Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town has benefited greatly from all the quality of life changes which have been patched into the Switch release, making it an enjoyable farming experience right from the start. It looks shockingly similar in quality to the Switch version, a credit to the dev team, and the optional Expansion Pass adds a good deal of content, some of it cosmetic while other features expand the world, the plot, and the personalities which inhabit Olive Town.

Still, Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town gets it right in all the important areas. The characters are definitely serviceable and are full of personality. I’m still absolutely in love with the aesthetic, and I can admit that I’ve definitely stayed up too long playing this game. It is missing any online functionality though, but if you are looking for a new solo farming game, definitely take a look at this one.

Assuming that you're not playing this kind of game for the relationship aspects, Pioneers of Olive Town is a good farming RPG. It continues many of the long-established trends of the Harvest Moon series, whilst adding in some welcome quality of life improvements. Although perhaps not quite on Stardew Valley's level, this is still a game that is worth playing and one that genre fans will enjoy. As a bonus, thanks to it now being on PC you don't have to deal with the Switch version's various performance issues.

Ultimately, Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town feels like a missed opportunity in a pretty package. The crafting system is a good idea but the actual execution was a misstep, causing the entire experience to suffer as a result. Of course, one could play this game almost in passing, making small progress and just reveling in the world, happy with the slow but steady impact they make on those around them. But, you'd have to decide for yourself if that's the true point of a farming simulator, anyway.