Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town

 Switch
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 95 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 60 out of 95
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 95
  3. Negative: 21 out of 95
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  1. Griever88
    May 3, 2022
    2
    I played every Story of Season game out there, but this is the worst of them.

    Graphics and Sound are okay-ish. But it feels like some stuff, especially Events, are lacking of Sound effects. They probably got inspired by Stardew Valley, and added them to their game. (like crafting or the museum) But they forgot to make these features fun. The inventory is way too small. You have to    I played every Story of Season game out there, but this is the worst of them.

    Graphics and Sound are okay-ish. But it feels like some stuff, especially Events, are lacking of Sound effects.

    They probably got inspired by Stardew Valley, and added them to their game. (like crafting or the museum) But they forgot to make these features fun.

    The inventory is way too small. You have to collect so much stuff, but so little space. Even the biggest inventory upgrade is way too small. Chests take way too much space on your farm.
    Clearing the farm of trees and other stuff is annoying. The crafting need this stuff, and it spawns very frequent. But you need this space for everything else too. like 1000 processing machines, stables (also space in front/around the stables, on sunny days for the animals), chests.. Oh maybe Crops?

    The museum gives no rewards. (Maybe if you fill it completely?) It just feels bad filling a whole museum without getting rewards.

    I had 50% Hearts on a relationship, and all she said was something like "Oh its your birthday. Maybe I should have gotten you something. Maybe next year!"
    Oh yeah thanks for nothing. I'm getting her a gift each day for over a season, and she is emotionless like day one. The relationship events are bad too.

    This game shows that more isn't better. And if you copy stuff from other games, make them better, not worse.    … Expand
  2. Morgan35
    May 21, 2022
    1
    it's my first SOS game and will be the last one!

    1. Romanticism is really bad. You have barely romantic moment with your partner, your partner acts like your friend rather than a partner. Also, your partner doesn't help you about anything or doesn't earn money and your partner doesn't celebrate your birthday. 2. Mining is totally awful! You're finding a rare stone every couple of    it's my first SOS game and will be the last one!

    1. Romanticism is really bad. You have barely romantic moment with your partner, your partner acts like your friend rather than a partner. Also, your partner doesn't help you about anything or doesn't earn money and your partner doesn't celebrate your birthday.

    2. Mining is totally awful! You're finding a rare stone every couple of level. When you arrive the final level you just have a one rare stone.

    3. Electric mole is the most stupid thing in the game! When you reach level 30 or something in the third mind electric moles are keep pooping out and their damage range is large so it's easy to consume your stamina

    4. Improving tool is another annoying thing in the game. When you improve your tools to max level you still need to hit some threes and rocks a couple of times. It's kind of unnecessary to improve it to max level. Only benefit is just consumes less stamina, you have to hit sapling a couple times with max improved hammer.

    5. The most unnecessary DLC ever in gaming industry, 3 new island you just can fishing and talk to villagers. Just make the island bigger and add this characters in Olive Town rather than making this unnecessary DLC.

    6. You can't rotate furniture in the house. There’s only one way that you can put furniture, can’t also change design of the house like; roof, door, windows.    … Expand
  3. herpes01
    Mar 25, 2021
    9
    I really don’t understand all the negative reviews I’ve played both of the farming games out this month harvest moon one world and story of seasons but seasons is by far superior it’s just a fun farming/ life sim so if you have ever played and enjoyed a story of seasons or stardew valley or the older harvest moon games or are interested in trying a game like this just give pioneers ofI really don’t understand all the negative reviews I’ve played both of the farming games out this month harvest moon one world and story of seasons but seasons is by far superior it’s just a fun farming/ life sim so if you have ever played and enjoyed a story of seasons or stardew valley or the older harvest moon games or are interested in trying a game like this just give pioneers of olive town a try you won’t be able to put it down it’s just that addictive.… Expand
  4. uncharted4
    Mar 24, 2021
    9
    this game is pretty good. i noticed few bugs here and there.. gameplay is solid.. characters are interesting and craft things is pretty cool
  5. OhNoItsSenpai
    Mar 26, 2021
    9
    Great game play and plenty to do. Story of seasons has adopted a lot of things from other entertaining Sims and added their own original flair to it. The characters models are quite a bit better than the PlayStation remake we got, and the pastel style world manages to look decent enough on the switch without crashing the poor console. My biggest complaint is the same with all of theseGreat game play and plenty to do. Story of seasons has adopted a lot of things from other entertaining Sims and added their own original flair to it. The characters models are quite a bit better than the PlayStation remake we got, and the pastel style world manages to look decent enough on the switch without crashing the poor console. My biggest complaint is the same with all of these games, a want much more time to do everything! Although it's probably the small time frame in a day that ends up making the game so addictive, planning out your day and the next so that you can complete the task you want. Also, I was excited to see that they had put in a museum system j like animal crossing, but without being able to actually see the animals or artwork of the photos you take it definitely falls flat from the game it was pulled from. Would have rather had it on the PS4 though.… Expand
  6. Fcubero
    Mar 26, 2021
    9
    I’ve been playing the game since it came out and I have been enjoying it a lot. The activities and things you get to do have been fun so far. My only issue is the 10000 makes but I hope these get patched
  7. Sercho
    Mar 30, 2021
    9
    The bokujo monogatari series has evolved through the years, Pioneers of Olive Town has some new mechanics such as crafting, the museum, and the way crops and animals are raised. I love the art and the characters designs too. This new game allows you to marry whoever you want regardless the gender and you can choose your character's appearance, voice and stance besides choosing yourThe bokujo monogatari series has evolved through the years, Pioneers of Olive Town has some new mechanics such as crafting, the museum, and the way crops and animals are raised. I love the art and the characters designs too. This new game allows you to marry whoever you want regardless the gender and you can choose your character's appearance, voice and stance besides choosing your pronouns. This is a great game I recommend to any harvest moon fan or Story of seasons fan.… Expand
  8. firemawile
    Mar 24, 2021
    8
    So far, so good. As a long time fan of these farming sims games, since FOMT on GBA, Pioneers of Olive Town is a largely inoffensive evolution of the series.

    The game is much slower paced in a way. Not that tasks take too long to do, but instead the days feel longer and there's a lot to take care off. Crafting is done fine, although the sheer number of Makers is staggering. It    So far, so good. As a long time fan of these farming sims games, since FOMT on GBA, Pioneers of Olive Town is a largely inoffensive evolution of the series.

    The game is much slower paced in a way. Not that tasks take too long to do, but instead the days feel longer and there's a lot to take care off. Crafting is done fine, although the sheer number of Makers is staggering. It surprisingly feels more like 'My Time at Portia' than SoS at times. The UI needs some additional organizing as well.

    As for the performance, it's also fine. There's a couple of occasions were the framerate will drop (Still a massive improvement from the 3ds SoS, Thankfully). You will also get the occasional visual oddity, try pausing and you get an ugly blur effect.

    I absolutely love this artstyle. It's a nice and natural progression from the 3DS games. The villagers so far are interesting enough, Although the exclusion of character portraits is very disappointing. Olive town is rather charming place, and refreshingly well organized.

    It's a very good entry into the genre. Some may want to compare it to it's competition, I too spent hundreds of hours playing Stardew Valley, but its overall a very different experience. If you like farm sims than SoS Pioneers of Olive Town is a worthy entry.    … Expand
  9. JamesC1992
    Mar 27, 2021
    8
    I felt like this game was trying too much to be like Animal Crossing & Stardew Valley that it lost it's magic of being what it was known for back in the day. The characters are very soulless & the framerate is annoying at times. It's not a bad game & I expect the dlc and patches to really make the game a better experience but it's something to hold me over until the masterpeice of Runefactory 5.
  10. queenpuffgaming
    Mar 29, 2021
    8
    Farming sims have been exploding these days, especially since stardew valley came out everybody wanted to try at least 1 farming sim. Story of seasons goes way back, and so does harvest moon. I have played most of them, and was very ecxited to hear that story of seasons was getting a brand new game instead of another remake/remaster.

    That said, at first i was a little dissapointed in    Farming sims have been exploding these days, especially since stardew valley came out everybody wanted to try at least 1 farming sim. Story of seasons goes way back, and so does harvest moon. I have played most of them, and was very ecxited to hear that story of seasons was getting a brand new game instead of another remake/remaster.

    That said, at first i was a little dissapointed in this new title, small things bothered me like: framerate drops, the townspeople being a little dull, makers only making 1 thing at the time...But as i continued playing i started to see the prospect and potential of the game. They added new simple, yet important things and visualy it is quite pleasing to the eye.

    Time goes a bit slower then it did in friends of mineral town, leaving me to do things a bit more in my own pace. Stamina drops a little less fast too, which is perfect when you go mining.
    I am quite sure they will patch things here and there and bring out the full potential of this charming farming sim, also...if you got the special edition..how cute is that notebook?

    Hope this review helped make up your mind :)    … Expand
  11. WishDreams
    Apr 19, 2021
    10
    I love this game. A unique, cozy, old-school style.

    If you like farm management games, you are going to love this one. It is true that it had a few bugs but currently with the patches everything is fixed. They will also improve the dialogs for free in the latest patch that they will release. Thus leaving a complete game without negative points. I think that after this game the    I love this game. A unique, cozy, old-school style.

    If you like farm management games, you are going to love this one. It is true that it had a few bugs but currently with the patches everything is fixed. They will also improve the dialogs for free in the latest patch that they will release. Thus leaving a complete game without negative points.

    I think that after this game the franchise will only get better.    … Expand
  12. Daitya
    Mar 26, 2021
    10
    Este juego podemos describirlo en un sola palabra, y es, "relajante". Este concepto se lo gana con su estética simple pero cuidada, una banda sonora que calmará tu mente agitada después de un día duro de trabajo, el diseño encantador de cada animal, el uso de los colores con una tonalidad clara...

    Es innegable que este juego está hecho para que te sientes y juegues sin ningún tipo de    Este juego podemos describirlo en un sola palabra, y es, "relajante". Este concepto se lo gana con su estética simple pero cuidada, una banda sonora que calmará tu mente agitada después de un día duro de trabajo, el diseño encantador de cada animal, el uso de los colores con una tonalidad clara...

    Es innegable que este juego está hecho para que te sientes y juegues sin ningún tipo de prisa. Pese a ser un juego de gestión de recursos no te pide la forma más eficiente, te pide que lo hagas a tu manera, como más lo disfrutes. Para mí es el punto fuerte de este título, me ofrece un momento de desconexión al día, dejando a un lado mis preocuaciones y centrarme en disfrutar de mi granja, sin tener que estar pendiente de los objetivos, estresado por no aprovechar cada segundo del día o llevar la mejor gestión posible.

    Hubo mucho revuelo con las opiniones de este título, debido a que en un principio tenía unas pantallas de carga bastante largas, se calentaba y podía haber un poco de lag al entrar en la granja. Esto es un problema y los propios desarrolladores lo saben, por eso lanzaron un parche el 23 de marzo reduciendo a 1/3 las pantallas de carga y mejorando el rendimiento del juego en sí. También han comunicado que este no será el último parche y que continuarán mejorando el juego para hacernos llegar la mejor experiencia posible.

    En mi opión es un juego que me ha sorprendido, y me está encantando. Recomiendo a todas aquellas personas que les guste este género probarlo y también a las que quieran adentrarse en él.
    También creo que este juego va a marcar un antes y un después en la saga. A diferencia de las últimas podemos ver una serie de novedades y contenido nuevo. No han realizado unos cambios a gran escala pero han dado el paso, y creo que esto en la siguiente entrega significará la evolución que algunos tanto esperaban. Por mi parte, estoy contento contento con este título y me encantará ver el siguiente.    … Expand
  13. MarkALV
    Apr 1, 2021
    10
    No hay nada mejor que acostarse, jugar un rato con la luz apagada y la habitación en silencio. Olvidarte de tus problemas y jugar con ilusión, como si volvieras a ser un niño. Me encantan los gráficos, la música y la actualización que la han metido a la fórmula.
  14. eliaaa_elial
    Apr 3, 2021
    10
    This is my first time playing Story of Seasons. It's a pretty good game. The graphics are unbelievably incredible and there is so much to do! The villages dialogues are kind of bland, however, but I hope later they will make it better. I love this game!
  15. Alexcase
    Apr 4, 2021
    10
    I love it, I have enjoyed every hour of the game.

    It would improve some things like the conversations with the NPCs but overall it is a very good game. I'm looking forward to the next one and to polish what I've seen in this one. The next one could become a GOTY if they continue on this path of growth and development of the saga.
  16. Second-of-Relax
    Apr 6, 2021
    10
    Hi, I've seen a lot of complaints about loading screens and npcs conversations. That is why I would like to share an official announcement from the developer (https://marvelousgames.com/blogs/news/story-of-seasons-pioneers-of-olive-town-v1-0-4-patch-notes).

    For the person who is reading this review I have to tell you, don't worry about anything, the game has been improved and updated    Hi, I've seen a lot of complaints about loading screens and npcs conversations. That is why I would like to share an official announcement from the developer (https://marvelousgames.com/blogs/news/story-of-seasons-pioneers-of-olive-town-v1-0-4-patch-notes).

    For the person who is reading this review I have to tell you, don't worry about anything, the game has been improved and updated since its release, and right now it is a game with great potential that will give you many hours of play.

    It is a nice, relaxing and fun game. It has a cheap price and I assure you that you will love it, if you like this type of game.

    Marvelous is doing a great job and you can tell he cares about his product and his fans. I hope that people who have given a negative review of the game for these bugs and errors will re-rate the game, because their reviews are outdated.

    I will leave the twitter of the developer in the US and Europe so that you can validate the news for yourselves.

    Europe: https://twitter.com/marvelous_games
    US: https://twitter.com/XSEEDGames

    Thanks for your attention    … Expand
  17. Eldwind
    Jul 5, 2021
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have been a big fan of XSeed's Story of Seasons games for a long time now. The game that came out before this one, Trio of Towns, is my favorite installment in the series and rekindled my hope that the company had found it's stride in the genre.

    Pioneers of Olive Town however, leaves a lot to be desired. The premise is the same as always, inherit a farm and take care of it while experience the idyllic farming life only a game can offer.

    This game specifically takes a huge turn towards hyper casual gameplay and over-reliance on the more recent staples that have been forming around the genre. Other Story of Seasons game all included varying levels of depth in farming, exploring and socializing. Well developed dialogue and the ease of immersion in the game's quaint environment and setting has always been a major selling point of the series.

    This time you will find familiar tropes you might recognize from games like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley. It almost feels like XSeed's new game director just glanced at all the other, high-scoring games of the genre and decided to take a bit of everything, with little consideration to what purpose and how each part actually fit into their respective roles.

    Stardew has a museum? Good, let's stick a museum in our game as well, except it does nothing but sit there, completely empty at the start (despite having a good tenth of the town's residents working in it) for some god-forsaken reason which the game feels is inconsequential enough to not need explaining.

    Other games of the genre have events right? Let's throw some in there, but make them simple and generic so we don't actually have to create interesting dialogue or fit it into the larger (mostly non-existent) narrative for our game.

    Oh yeah, there's characters in the game. Let's give each a handful of generic dialogue and call it a day. Even the character's descriptions in-game are limited to their professions, a random piece of curiosity (used to play football, still exercises) and the gifts they like. I befriended half of the town only to realize each villager's dialogue was limited to about five or six dialogue boxes, each with two or three sentences. This was AFTER the developer released an update to improve the honestly horrible dialogue the game actually launched with. My in-game now husband still gives me the same generic comment that I probably have good taste after giving him the same gift for the 100th time, after getting married to him. And no, his dialogue didn't change very much as our relationship evolved, he just gained a couple of extra dialogue quotes which he cycled through.

    Hell, even the game's events seem completely out of place, a couple of times even including characters I hadn't even met yet giving me stuff (the fishing rod event for example) like they knew who I was. Often the events don't even include you - which I don't necessarily hate, but how do I know what is going on during someone's date in the woods as I just walked into the museum?

    The gameplay is an extremely simplified version of past entries of the series, which comes as a mixed bag. While it can be nice not to have to switch to a milker, then to a brush and finally to a clipper as I care for my animals, a lot of the entertaining intricacies of animal husbandry and farming have gone out of the window. Animals have both affection and happiness ratings but nothing beyond that. Same for plant care, which was simplified by having their quality being related to a generic farming skill and overall soil quality (which is one-time purchase thing).

    Overall, if you are entirely new to the series, or a very casual gamer who didn't quite enjoy the more in-depth mechanics or won't miss the varied and deep characters of past entries, you might enjoy this game for what it is. An incredibly generic, shallow and simplistic farming and social simulator.    … Expand
  18. Rsy6219
    Apr 18, 2021
    3
    If you are a long time player like myself, you’ll find yourself sorely disappointed with Pioneers of Olive Town.

    The blandness and lack of creativity of this game is obvious after completing the first month of the game. Completing the main story of refurbishing Olive Town is dull and simply uninspiring. Villagers do not have much to say to their new resident, expanding little upon their    If you are a long time player like myself, you’ll find yourself sorely disappointed with Pioneers of Olive Town.

    The blandness and lack of creativity of this game is obvious after completing the first month of the game. Completing the main story of refurbishing Olive Town is dull and simply uninspiring. Villagers do not have much to say to their new resident, expanding little upon their basic, one dimensional personalities. Even the villager you choose to be your spouse does not acknowledge the change in your relationship and simply repeats the one line that they were scripted. The only change in their monotonous routines is if a festival approaches.

    But even those monthly events lack the excitement and challenge most games in the past usually presented players. There is a underlining lack of pride or achievement that I used to feel when I finally grabbed first place at the cow competition or cooking festival like in the previous games. Do not expect these festivals to be what they once were, the only reward your farmer gains is a trophy to simply display on their mantle piece. The only positive aspect of this game is that the farming gameplay itself is still addictive. It’s fun to watch your crops and livestock grow. Gathering items is a lot easier as they are automatically are put into your inventory and you don’t have to waste time picking up the wood you just chopped. But then, once again failing us, are the makers. This was so poorly planned by Marvelous that I a shocked that no one thought it was a terrible idea. Unlike last game where you could put in multiple items into the makers, these new ones only allow you to process one item at a time. The barely superior value of a butter compared to a milk is hardly worth the tedious maker process. All in all, I am very disappointed with Marvelous’ abysmal game. Instead, I will go back and explore the colorful world of Rune Factory 4 while I wait for a farming game that isn’t as dull and dreary as this one was.    … Expand
  19. julietfes
    Mar 20, 2022
    9
    A lot of the negative reviews come from the game's original release but the updates have fixed a lot of the issues! the game is way more fun now, so check this out if you like casual games like stardew valley and classic harvest moon :)
  20. Midnight2shayla
    Mar 25, 2021
    10
    The negative reviews seem obnoxious; hence my rating being a 10. I could see giving it a 4-8 due to the fact that it needs post-release patching (and how you feel about that), but lower than that does nothing to tell of how much work went into this game. Does it need love? Yes, absolutely. They already said they are going to patch it - they’re even adding dialogue. The game, as it stands,The negative reviews seem obnoxious; hence my rating being a 10. I could see giving it a 4-8 due to the fact that it needs post-release patching (and how you feel about that), but lower than that does nothing to tell of how much work went into this game. Does it need love? Yes, absolutely. They already said they are going to patch it - they’re even adding dialogue. The game, as it stands, is still adorable, though. The graphics are fantastic, the gameplay is cute, and the characters are like-able enough. I personally love the crafting and collecting additions, and I’m glad they’re experimenting. I do really miss the 2D portraits, and believe the issues connecting with the characters would be fixed if they re-implemented them. It’s a farming game, there has always been grinding. They have two modes so that you can decide how much you want to grind, but it’s still something you should expect. I’ve been finding it easy enough (and actually relaxing) clearing stuff out. Only real complaint is makers, they need to have variable output.

    Overall, I pre-ordered the premium and have already bought the season pass, no regrets. This game is good and, I believe, going to be fantastic by the time they’re done with patches/dlc.    … Expand
  21. Niisp
    Apr 2, 2021
    10
    I love everything about this game. The music, the relaxing atmosphere, the character design, the new content ...

    I'm glad to return to the saga and enjoy as a child.
  22. ultra_lame
    Apr 2, 2021
    8
    This game is okay, it's really not that bad. Sure it could be better, a masterpiece or something, but it'll hold you over until there's a Stardew sequel. But I really wish the developers would step it up and make something worthy of this great genre.
  23. yamixf
    Mar 26, 2021
    9
    This game so far so good, as long as you like farm-sim game, have a lot of things to explore and a lot of new feature that help you to enjoy the game, not only waste your time everyday to do the same boring things because there's some machine that will help you so you can enjoy the Olive Town more and more. I agree with the people say that this game still need post patch release because ofThis game so far so good, as long as you like farm-sim game, have a lot of things to explore and a lot of new feature that help you to enjoy the game, not only waste your time everyday to do the same boring things because there's some machine that will help you so you can enjoy the Olive Town more and more. I agree with the people say that this game still need post patch release because of some bug is kinda annoying thats why i didnt give this game 10/10 lol… Expand
  24. ShyFarmer
    Apr 2, 2021
    10
    This is the first game in this series that I play, and I have to say that it surprised me in a good way.
    After playing for a week I can say that it is a good game. Addictive gameplay, relaxing music, and cute graphics.

    The development team is working hard to fix the only issues the game has. And they have succeeded :3
  25. Allmygames
    Apr 5, 2021
    10
    It has been years since I played a Harvest moon (currently called Story of Seasons). And I'm glad I bought and played this one. I love that they have polished the 3D graphics and the movement of the characters is natural, and that they control the proportions and volume. (Which in 3DS games was not very successful).

    There are new things in the mechanics, and the game maintains the    It has been years since I played a Harvest moon (currently called Story of Seasons). And I'm glad I bought and played this one. I love that they have polished the 3D graphics and the movement of the characters is natural, and that they control the proportions and volume. (Which in 3DS games was not very successful).

    There are new things in the mechanics, and the game maintains the essence of the first games which is something I love.

    If I were them I would improve the dialogue of the NPCs in normal days. Heart events represent deepening or knowing more about a citizen, but not for that reason normal conversations have to be limited to "Hello" "How are you" ...

    In summary it is a very good game and I will buy the next one if they maintain this rate of improvement in their next games.    … Expand
  26. Poring
    Apr 7, 2021
    10
    Hi there! Here's a rookie with her first Story of Seasons game. I have to say that I love this game.

    Raise your animals, plant your strawberries, fish, go into the mine, meet the villagers, have a child ... You can do many things and that is what I like about this type of game. As I have read, this is the saga that created and expanded the farm genre, and so I tried one of their    Hi there! Here's a rookie with her first Story of Seasons game. I have to say that I love this game.

    Raise your animals, plant your strawberries, fish, go into the mine, meet the villagers, have a child ... You can do many things and that is what I like about this type of game.

    As I have read, this is the saga that created and expanded the farm genre, and so I tried one of their games. I have to say that I do not regret it, and I am looking forward to playing more.    … Expand
  27. avara
    Jun 15, 2021
    3
    Possibly the worst SOS game made. Towns people are extremely boring, the makers are horrible and clog up your farm they are fixing this in the next patch. However, this does not change the fact that everything about this game is lacking.

    - Lack of story they ask you to build up the town but you barely do anything - Festivals suck the only fun one is the summer one with the barrels.    Possibly the worst SOS game made. Towns people are extremely boring, the makers are horrible and clog up your farm they are fixing this in the next patch. However, this does not change the fact that everything about this game is lacking.

    - Lack of story they ask you to build up the town but you barely do anything
    - Festivals suck the only fun one is the summer one with the barrels. Plus they took out all farming festivals and the cooking one :(
    - You are literally busy all day fussing with your makers in order to get enough mats to build things and upgrade your house

    On top of ALL this they just released one of the expansion pack features with a new town. Guess what though? The new town has new people living in it (including new marriage candidates), BUT otherwise, its empty.

    This game just screams lazy to me and I can't believe they released it in this state. I won't be buying future titles. I only gave it a 3 because its playable, but otherwise this is just a lifeless excuse for a farming sim.    … Expand
  28. PantheraPardus
    Apr 2, 2021
    5
    I like this game for the most part, there’s more to it now than before but my issue is that the Instructions to do a lot of important things aren’t clear I had to google on how to do several things, events should be playable and it should be more clear who is dateable and not. I’m also really upset that Lars and his brothers aren’t dateable like you can’t put a guy like him in the game andI like this game for the most part, there’s more to it now than before but my issue is that the Instructions to do a lot of important things aren’t clear I had to google on how to do several things, events should be playable and it should be more clear who is dateable and not. I’m also really upset that Lars and his brothers aren’t dateable like you can’t put a guy like him in the game and not make him dateable.… Expand
  29. Penguino
    Apr 4, 2021
    3
    The game is alarmingly dry, given that there's clearly a relationship building aspect to the game - the building itself is fast paced (everyone is neutral or loves everything(no hated gifts)). Even once you're in a relationship with a townie, they still speak with you as if you're new to the town. Cold, distant, bland. I've got about 9 hearts with Ralph and he still gives the "Hello."The game is alarmingly dry, given that there's clearly a relationship building aspect to the game - the building itself is fast paced (everyone is neutral or loves everything(no hated gifts)). Even once you're in a relationship with a townie, they still speak with you as if you're new to the town. Cold, distant, bland. I've got about 9 hearts with Ralph and he still gives the "Hello." Dialogue. One word dialogue after almost full hearts. And I'm only into my first autumn but 10/28 days of each season, NPCs only talk about events. I don't care about cutscene events, tell me about YOU. There's no point in there even being a town building relationship aspect if it's pointless to build their points up. That being said, I feel like that's almost half of the game on its own being pointless. I hope the updates fix this.… Expand
  30. tippidink
    Apr 10, 2021
    9
    This game really took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it based off of all the negative reviews. They really put a lot of effort into the farming aspect of this game. A lot of QoL features which were missing from past titles. I love the sense of progression; the way silver ore rocks will eventually start spawning outside. Waking up and visiting my beaches to find oysters andThis game really took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it based off of all the negative reviews. They really put a lot of effort into the farming aspect of this game. A lot of QoL features which were missing from past titles. I love the sense of progression; the way silver ore rocks will eventually start spawning outside. Waking up and visiting my beaches to find oysters and clams, breaking the rock salt rocks. I absolutely adore this game so far. I think people are being way too harsh on it. The only thing I have a problem with is the framerate. I feel bad for the devs because you can tell they put a lot of care into this one. I'd recommend it if you like Harvest Moon games, easy.… Expand
  31. AlbinoCrow
    Apr 5, 2022
    10
    I almost skipped PoOT because of the negative reviews.
    I'm glad I decided to give it a chance. One of the best games I ever played.
    The game seems to have had serious problems when launched, but I honestly didn't notice anything that bothered me. A bit of loading between farm and town, but you usually go there once or twice in a day, and it's nothing too absurd. Some small framerate    I almost skipped PoOT because of the negative reviews.
    I'm glad I decided to give it a chance. One of the best games I ever played.
    The game seems to have had serious problems when launched, but I honestly didn't notice anything that bothered me. A bit of loading between farm and town, but you usually go there once or twice in a day, and it's nothing too absurd.
    Some small framerate issues on some places (probably much smoother on PC), but again nothing that would break the enjoyment.
    And I really liked the characters, chats, cutscenes. Seems more like normal people on a normal small town (I loved Rune Factory 4, but characters behaviours are too exaggerated for me).
    I'm really enjoying the game and created this account just to review it. If you had read some bad reviews and have doubts about it, most of those were written before the latest patches.
    The game is incredible, and if you played and liked FoMT, you will love it.    … Expand
  32. sex69
    Mar 28, 2021
    10
    There was this game before 'Stardew Valley'.
    'Stardew Valley' was created by copying this game.
  33. Oleg_Dyatlov
    Apr 13, 2021
    1
    Incredible boring "Harvest Moon" game I must say. The game has like NO soul. The characters is flat, the dialog is so bad that this game feels like an aprils fools day joke. They saw how popular Animal Crossing was and tried to copy that - But it failed big time. The whole game feels irrelevant, boring, bad music, bad framerate (the game is lagging when it rains) You could have told meIncredible boring "Harvest Moon" game I must say. The game has like NO soul. The characters is flat, the dialog is so bad that this game feels like an aprils fools day joke. They saw how popular Animal Crossing was and tried to copy that - But it failed big time. The whole game feels irrelevant, boring, bad music, bad framerate (the game is lagging when it rains) You could have told me this was produced by 5 people over a weekend. The dialog with you wife do never change. She always say the same boring thing like "Hi" and "Morning" - I mean, come on? We´re in 2021 and this was the best you could do? I will look forward to explore other farming games (or play some old ones) in the future. When a game can be THAT BAD, then its just the end for me supporting this company.… Expand
  34. woodydave44
    Apr 5, 2021
    3
    So after several hours of playing this game. I have come to the conclusion that this game is either unfinished, or content was cut in order to sell it back to you as the DLC content. Anyways, a rant as I am extremely disappointed with this game.

    I've played several farming SIM games this year like many people. This one by far hits bottom tier. The lack of content is staggering in    So after several hours of playing this game. I have come to the conclusion that this game is either unfinished, or content was cut in order to sell it back to you as the DLC content. Anyways, a rant as I am extremely disappointed with this game.

    I've played several farming SIM games this year like many people. This one by far hits bottom tier. The lack of content is staggering in comparison to other farming sims and even other SoS games. FoMT has a decent sized map. Stardew valley had a humungous map. My time in Portia had a huge overworld. This game? Your farm, a small town, and a few tiny side areas? What's even worse, the small side areas you do get aren't even connected to the main world, you just talk to the sprite, and "poof" you're there. There also nothing really new in these side areas aside from a few exceptions. Oh, an extra area to hit rocks and cut wood? Really? I feel like the DLC they are paywalling was perhaps cut from the game in order to sell it back to you?

    Lag. What is this? No other games on my switch have this fps issue. None. My time in Portia, which has a massive overworld, has 0 framerate issues on the switch. This by itself tells me that this game wasn't finished. This is something I expect from an early access title.

    Makers. Who is their right mind thought these were a good idea? Other games realized the problem with these things (such as clutter), and had work arounds. Stardew Valley had the shed to place them in. Portia has the workshop. My farm is littered with ingot and wood makers. I have heard people put them in the secret areas, but that just seems like something the players thought to do, not something that was intended.

    Villagers. They all seem lifeless. There's almost no variation to their daily lives. Their dialog also seems like it took a day to write all of it.

    In comparison, where's examples of other games.

    https://stardewvalleywiki.com/Emily

    https://mytimeatportia.fandom.com/wiki/Emily#Sunday

    Festivals. Were these just an afterthought? There's like, 0 effort put into these. A few flags and dialog change? A quick cutscene? Other farm sims transform the entire town to fit the current holiday theme. PooT does almost nothing and I don't even realize half the time that something is even going on.

    This

    https://www.vg247.com/2021/03/25/story-seasons-olive-town-egg-hunt/

    Compared to this

    https://stardewvalleywiki.com/Spirit%27s_Eve

    or this

    https://mytimeatportia.fandom.com/wiki/Day_of_Memories

    So. Why am I ranting so much and comparing this game to others? Games are supposed to be different. Different developers do things differently, so why so upset? Well, heres why.

    Portia was developed by a team of I think less than 10 people? They are an indie company that gets crowd funding to make their games.

    https://mytimeatportia.fandom.com/wiki/My_Time_at_Portia_Wiki

    Stardew valley is made by ONE PERSON. Yet the amount of content and effort put into the game is massive. He also began development of the game with 0 coding knowledge when he started.

    https://stardewvalleywiki.com/Stardew_Valley_Wiki

    Marvelous games is an established company with hundreds of employees, with a huge list of games across several console generations. This is the best they could come up with? Is this a joke? If not, its a down right embarrassment.

    Also, another addition. This game is not even out yet, and is already vastly superior in every way. Again, made by a small indie studio that required crowdfunding to even proceed.

    https://coralisland.fandom.com/wiki/Coral_Island_Wiki    … Expand
  35. Shayla1993
    Mar 25, 2021
    2
    The game feels like work. Trees, rocks, and weeds come back way too quickly so its impossible to keep you farm clear. Makers can only make one of a thing at a time so if you want lumber you have to make one at a time. Making things and repairing things costs alot of resources so it takes forever. All in all I regret buying this game.
  36. arijamas
    Mar 25, 2021
    1
    worst story of seasons/harvestmoon ever, dry dialogue, No animal or harvest festivals, festivals in general are just cutscenes, i thought it was to be a mini games, talking to people is boring, everyone face stays the same feels like talking to wall or a robot, dont buy it until they fixed this mess
  37. Phuz
    Feb 12, 2022
    0
    I am really sick of buying kids games where they use stupid, unnecessary slang, or write the sound instead of the word, at an age where kids are developing English skills, words like 'em instead of them and developin', instead of developing is just ridiculous. I would not have bought the game if I thought it was going to de-educate them.

    I have noticed this in adult RPG's too and it just    I am really sick of buying kids games where they use stupid, unnecessary slang, or write the sound instead of the word, at an age where kids are developing English skills, words like 'em instead of them and developin', instead of developing is just ridiculous. I would not have bought the game if I thought it was going to de-educate them.

    I have noticed this in adult RPG's too and it just sounds retarded. I use slang as much as the next man but writing it sounds dumb.

    Can you imagine a Scouse character: alrixxqqwhhqqxt maxxccqqkkhhte, cxxggome 'edqqqckkgh.    … Expand
  38. Aeron_ZX
    Jul 18, 2021
    10
    After Story of Seasons Friends of Mineral Town I was expecting a similar experience (a poor game) but 80 hours later I can confirm this game is really fun to play. The progression system is really well designed, so you have always a new craft to make, a crop to harvest, clean and pave your farm, etc.
    I played a lot of Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons entries and this is the first time I've    After Story of Seasons Friends of Mineral Town I was expecting a similar experience (a poor game) but 80 hours later I can confirm this game is really fun to play. The progression system is really well designed, so you have always a new craft to make, a crop to harvest, clean and pave your farm, etc.
    I played a lot of Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons entries and this is the first time I've been able to marry and finish the game.
    It seems the game had a bad reception, but try it first by yourselves and you'll see it gets you hooked.    … Expand
  39. Kosama
    May 2, 2021
    7
    Un 8 aunque no se lo merece jaja.

    La mecanica de las maquinitas me tiene malo, los aldeanos no tienen mas de dos rutinas o estan trabajando o es el día libre, las cutscene comparado a Mineral town son pesimas, que el control desaproveche los L/R, a las 30 horas ya cuando tienes tu granja enorme el juego va 20 fps.

    Que tiene bueno? no sé jaja pero aquí me tienen con mas de 30 horas,
  40. wallabee
    Jul 2, 2022
    8
    Great game whether picking up new or seasoned. Lots of fun to be had! Pay no attention to performance reviews all have been solved for some time now thus the higher debut score on the PC which benefitted from all these updates. Could be a little more deep character development/dialogue but great farming sim with animals l, crops, flowers villagers A must play if you like the series orGreat game whether picking up new or seasoned. Lots of fun to be had! Pay no attention to performance reviews all have been solved for some time now thus the higher debut score on the PC which benefitted from all these updates. Could be a little more deep character development/dialogue but great farming sim with animals l, crops, flowers villagers A must play if you like the series or farming sims.… Expand
  41. alza2
    Jan 22, 2023
    8
    My daughter wants to give it a 10... but I won't go above 8...
    here comments:
    "C'est hyper cool, mais si on a une maison en bois on a le droit d'acheter qu'un seul animal mais en brique on peut en avoit plusieurs... On peut planter tout ce qu'on veut... On peut fabriquer des jardins..." She's 7 now and has been playing surprising a lot out of it, while she has also Animal    My daughter wants to give it a 10... but I won't go above 8...
    here comments:

    "C'est hyper cool, mais si on a une maison en bois on a le droit d'acheter qu'un seul animal mais en brique on peut en avoit plusieurs...

    On peut planter tout ce qu'on veut...

    On peut fabriquer des jardins..."

    She's 7 now and has been playing surprising a lot out of it, while she has also Animal crossing, all the mario stuff, Miitopia, Kirby, Link' awakening...    … Expand
  42. Ardho
    Aug 28, 2021
    8
    The story is not interesting, but I really enjoy the progress of the gameplay, good game after all, i love harvest moon, bring good memories
  43. heycats
    Nov 5, 2021
    5
    The game isn't that bad - it's just very repetitive and underwhelming past a dozen of hours.
    I like farm sim games and this one is lacking a lot of nice things from the previous BokuMono games. Plus it's kinda grindy and the farm is constantly flooded with grass to cut, rocks and unuseful stuff. I had to put floors everywhere so I could avoid my farm being a mess.
    The fences are purely    The game isn't that bad - it's just very repetitive and underwhelming past a dozen of hours.
    I like farm sim games and this one is lacking a lot of nice things from the previous BokuMono games. Plus it's kinda grindy and the farm is constantly flooded with grass to cut, rocks and unuseful stuff. I had to put floors everywhere so I could avoid my farm being a mess.
    The fences are purely cosmectic, animals will go where they want. The story and most of the characters aren't very memorable too.
    That being said I had some good times, but there are better farm games imo, and better BokuMono..    … Expand
  44. MnfH
    Jul 15, 2022
    8
    yep the update fixed a lot of the problems so people should give it a chance and you'll find that this game is a good game.
  45. itsIanWatson
    Sep 13, 2022
    9
    Story of Seasons is one of my favorite game series of all time.

    It has the charm that all the old games have, just with a couple of fresh new game mechanics. Pros: Really good customization. All the characters are very lovable. You can date bachelors and bachelorettes, regardless of gender. The map update is so good. You can find everyone so easily. All the farming and animals    Story of Seasons is one of my favorite game series of all time.

    It has the charm that all the old games have, just with a couple of fresh new game mechanics.

    Pros:
    Really good customization.
    All the characters are very lovable.
    You can date bachelors and bachelorettes, regardless of gender.
    The map update is so good. You can find everyone so easily.
    All the farming and animals are adorable and fun.
    The fashions are really cute.
    LOTS of content!

    Cons:
    No character portraits when speaking to characters.

    There's also a lot of grinding to 100% this game which I personally love. Just think it's important to note. But I also dated every possible romance option so I could see every single cut scene so that added a lot of time to the grinding. But all the cut scenes are so worth it and the dating is my favorite part!

    I highly recommend this game. It has brought me many hours of joy and I don't think you will be disappointed if you love this genre of game.    … Expand
  46. GameHunter
    Sep 23, 2021
    6
    Rating updated version 1.08. I’m a long time player of this series, and I must say this one is the worst I can remember. I haven’t had any game ending bugs or glitches, and haven’t been distracted by any noticeable lag so far. But the formula of the game is either it’s best feature or it’s worst. That’s up to you. This games main focus is resource gathering and material production throughRating updated version 1.08. I’m a long time player of this series, and I must say this one is the worst I can remember. I haven’t had any game ending bugs or glitches, and haven’t been distracted by any noticeable lag so far. But the formula of the game is either it’s best feature or it’s worst. That’s up to you. This games main focus is resource gathering and material production through makers. It can get to be way too much at times. Trees, grass, and rocks spawn far too fast in this game and clutter up your yard. The only way around that is to lay tiles of wood, stone, brick, etc. to creat pathways. It’s a lot of work. But it’s supposed to be. But I do find it a bit excessive at times. Like when you need 30 silver bars to open up the third area; that’s 90 pieces of silver ore, which need to be mined and then processed (2 in-game hours per piece) into the bars. Silver ore isn’t extremely rare, but to collect 90 of them will take you at least a few in-game days. Then to process it all would take much more time, or cut your time down with multiple makers.
    Basically your going to be quickly cluttered up with the makers. But if you’re up for the challenge of sorting everything into a system that works for you then you may enjoy it.
    I don’t like how time passes when your indoors now. I know I can just hit the X button but I don’t want to have to worry about that. It just kind of effects how I strategize my next move. Still having trouble getting used to just hitting X to pause.
    I think it’s absolutely stupid how you can’t hatch chicks from the eggs you get from your chicken. You have to impregnate (?) the chicken at the animal shop.
    Also not a fan of the fact that I can’t have any indoor storage boxes. And why can’t I upgrade my fridge without bio grading my whole house? That’s a huge undertaking requiring tones of materials and cash.
    I think lots of this game is full of bad ideas. But at the same time I’m somewhat drawn to the focus of managing the farmland. And the social aspect of this game overall is satisfactory compared to older SOS games. Just satisfactory though, not outstanding in any way. A mostly bland cast of characters as well, but at least they have a decent amount of things to say.
    This game will be my dirty little secret that I keep to myself and play from time to time. But there’s no way I’d recommend it fully to anyone. Not even fans.
    Best advice I can give is to consider if you want a game that focuses this heavily on organization. Because that’s what this is. It’s a constant balancing act of resource gathering, material production, and having every set up in a way that makes sense to you. I personally don’t mind that too much.
    If trees, grass, puddles, and rocks respawned at a (much) slower rate, and material requirements weren’t so outrageous for upgrades and new areas, I’d give it a much higher score.    … Expand
  47. TheKillerFries
    Jul 19, 2021
    5
    I tried pretty hard to enjoy this game, but I really just can't.

    I'm a long-time fan of light farm sims such as Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, and Stardew Valley. I was sad to see that Harvest Moon had taken a pretty stark decline after the big change, though Story of Seasons was delivering where Harvest Moon failed, and Stardew Valley was perhaps the most seamless game to come from    I tried pretty hard to enjoy this game, but I really just can't.

    I'm a long-time fan of light farm sims such as Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, and Stardew Valley. I was sad to see that Harvest Moon had taken a pretty stark decline after the big change, though Story of Seasons was delivering where Harvest Moon failed, and Stardew Valley was perhaps the most seamless game to come from the genre. That being said, I was excited to try Pioneers of Olive Town after Trio of Towns and the remake of Friends of Mineral Town ended up being pretty great.

    I've put about fifty hours into PoOT, about half of which happening at launch and the other half happening after most of the patches, and both experiences have been highly disappointing. It's clear that it wants to be a mixture of previous SoS games and SV, but ends up just being a worse version of both.

    Admittedly, the patches have fixed up a lot of the problems regarding the maker system and the performance, so I won't harp on that too much. Unfortunately though, the game's world is still incredibly bland with the townsfolk being cardboard cutouts and the world itself offering little to no exploration. The DLC is insulting, as the extra areas offer literally nothing more than other bland characters -- and the most recent expansion crashed my game twice just trying to go to the island.

    This has to be the low point for the Story of Seasons series so far, and it's a shame. Even their licensed Doraemon spin-off was of higher quality. The graphics, music, and farm customization are genuinely quite nice, but ultimately PoOT just makes me feel like playing any of the older games or Stardew Valley whenever I boot it up.    … Expand
  48. Tortor
    Jan 3, 2022
    7
    Easily spent 100+ hours in this and didn't even get through 40% of the content. There's a lot to do and master here.

    I personally avoided all the romance and plot stuff. I'll likely come back around to this game to dive into that at a later point. I spent most of my time just having a cozy farm. I found this super relaxing to play while listening to an audiobook. You really could    Easily spent 100+ hours in this and didn't even get through 40% of the content. There's a lot to do and master here.

    I personally avoided all the romance and plot stuff. I'll likely come back around to this game to dive into that at a later point.

    I spent most of my time just having a cozy farm. I found this super relaxing to play while listening to an audiobook.

    You really could just pick and choose what you want to do with your time here and I really enjoyed all that level of freedom.

    I guess the only complaint I had was how tiny the game is. You're not given a whole lot of farm space when you unlock everything. The town is also really tiny too.

    Overall I felt like this was maybe a bit too small of a game and I'd have appreciated some more open areas or something to explore. For a game like this the farm areas really should be bigger too. I was constantly running out of space and having to reorganize early on because of space.

    This game ran well though and was definitely my go to when I needed to chill out.    … Expand
  49. Ysgjr
    May 18, 2022
    7
    a relaxing game where it's actually good to be a farmer. wish the game gets more budget in the future
  50. succhini
    Jun 2, 2022
    7
    It was a cozy game. I liked it better than the original Story of Seasons on the 3ds. I appreciated the little vietnamese family. I thought that was a cool addition to the game.
    I didn't like that there weren't character icons during the dialogue. And it was annoying that I had to have so many machines because of capacity (like making the ores).
    I didn't feel that drawn to decorating or    It was a cozy game. I liked it better than the original Story of Seasons on the 3ds. I appreciated the little vietnamese family. I thought that was a cool addition to the game.
    I didn't like that there weren't character icons during the dialogue. And it was annoying that I had to have so many machines because of capacity (like making the ores).

    I didn't feel that drawn to decorating or making my farm look nice. But I did enjoy making everything, as you usually do with these sorts of games.

    Characters weren't that memorable in my opinion.    … Expand
  51. Azhyre
    Aug 17, 2023
    4
    Pros:
    - Smooth/attractive graphics
    - Solid movement and interaction Cons: - Bland, flavorless town and characters Not a single NPC has an interesting personality. Several of them have distinct appearances, but not the majority. I can’t really tell the difference between four of the male romance options, and the fifth one is a generic ~*~ Traditional/Ye Olde Japanese ~*~ NPC. All that any    Pros:
    - Smooth/attractive graphics
    - Solid movement and interaction

    Cons: - Bland, flavorless town and characters

    Not a single NPC has an interesting personality. Several of them have distinct appearances, but not the majority. I can’t really tell the difference between four of the male romance options, and the fifth one is a generic ~*~ Traditional/Ye Olde Japanese ~*~ NPC. All that any of them will talk about in the beginning is how much they want more tourists. Coming on the heels of replaying Trio of Towns, this was a complete shock. Unfortunately bought on Switch, so no refunds.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

25
#25 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 60 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 60
  2. Mixed: 31 out of 60
  3. Negative: 2 out of 60
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Oct 6, 2021
    65
    It feels like the very narrow gap between Japan's release date and ours worked against it, and I would not have minded waiting a few more months for a more polished final release. [Issue #53 – July/August 2021, p. 72]
  2. Universo Nintendo
    Jun 9, 2021
    80
    Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town shows that the franchise can maintain its established formula by taking risks in other ways like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing without the fear of losing its own charm. A game recommended for both fans and newcomers to the farming experience.
    Read full review
  3. Checkpoint Gaming
    May 29, 2021
    70
    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.
    Read full review
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