Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town - Farming Sim Preview

If you have already played a farming simulation in your life, then the following plot will probably sound vaguely familiar: You decide to take over the neglected farm of your deceased grandfather! In Story of Seasons you stay true to series and genre conventions in this regard, because guess how the game starts - right, by taking over your grandpa's farm. The piece of land has deteriorated over the years, and who else, if not you, is supposed to bring the homestead back into shape and the account balance in the black area? pour, reap 2 Typical country life With this noble goal, you can choose to move as a young farmer from the big city into the pampas, more precisely near the small village of Olive Town (in German the settlement Olivingen), which the game also has the subtitle owes. Yeah, that premise is pretty worn out, but let's see what the rest of the game offers for ideas.

Sow, water, harvest

Off to a new life: You move out of the hectic city to your grandfather's farm in order to live in harmony with nature from now on. Source: Marvelous Interactive First and foremost, of course, you will invest a lot of time and sweat in the field in Pioneers of Olive Town. In the fields you grow vegetables and fruits, for this the soil has to be worked, seeds planted and the crops watered. The indestructible farming sim principle does not work significantly different in the new part than in all the previous games. In Story of Seasons you can also keep animals, for example cows or more exotic creatures such as llamas, whose natural products you sell for a profit. Speaking of selling: Olivingen is pretty far off the beaten track and could use infrastructure investments to attract more tourists. This is where you come in because, in addition to running your farm, you should also take care of the beautification of the entire peninsula on which you live. Although the environment does not offer different climatic zones as is the case with Harvest Moon: One World, the wilderness should nevertheless make people curious.

Cows, chickens, sheep - in Story of Seasons you also keep different species of animals provide you with valuable natural products. Source: Marvelous Interactive Not only a lot of wild animals and plants, but also raw materials should take care of that. The resources are not only needed for cratfting - for example, you can make fences, sprinklers that do the watering for you and much more - but also for completing secondary tasks. The people of Olivingen have regular jobs for you. When fulfilled, not only does the village grow and prosper, but the residents will also take you more and more into their hearts. Maybe so much that a wedding is coming up! A proper farming simulator has always included the option of courting and marrying partners in order to eventually raise a family. As with Harvest Moon, it is not yet clear whether same-sex relationships are possible or whether the choice of a female or male character precludes certain dating options from the outset. We'll know more by next March at the latest, because then Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town will appear on the Switch. The competition Harvest Moon has a nose length lead, because that comes out at the beginning of March instead of the end of March and is therefore in the starting blocks earlier.

Typical country life

Those who create gigantic fields are happy about it useful tools such as sprinklers. You take over the casting and thus save a lot of manual labor. Source: Marvelous Interactive While Harvest Moon seems a bit more innovative with the big world and different locations in different latitudes, Story of Seasons really focuses on the long-established aspects of the genre and the series. That doesn't have to be bad, and it should especially appeal to loyal fans with a preference for tradition. The innovations in Pioneers of Olive Town can be found in more detail, for example with the option of being able to customize the farm and its surroundings as never before. This is somewhat reminiscent of Animal Crossing: for example, you can place benches, color them, redesign the stables and so on Of course, this is not a groundbreaking innovation, but has become a genre standard. In terms of technology, Story of Seasons does a slightly better figure than Harvest Moon, at least judging by the trailer scenes. With a light cel-shaded look and more fluid animations than with Harvest Moon, Pioneers of Olive Town might not win any graphics prizes either, but it looks cleaner and more valuable than its rival. But we have to keep in mind: Both titles are still in the works, maybe they will be spruced up a bit before their release in March 2021 - it wouldn't hurt.