Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town first made its debut back in March of this year and was an instant hit with gamers of all ages. Created by the masterminds at Marvelous Inc. and XSEED Games, Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is one of the most anticipated farming sim games of 2021.
A picture of delight, the world of Olive Town is full of vibrant colors, happy tunes, and cutesy animation. However, despite all this, there are a few odd moments that players can’t help but laugh at, or even flat out facepalm over. Most of these are gaps in logic, whilst others give the seemingly pleasant game a much darker twist.
10 Wait…What?
The adventure begins with an epic and rather heartfelt tale of our protagonist’s grandfather and his friends, who banded together to create a thriving town. Said town is the stuff of legend and our hero can’t wait to arrive and learn all there is to know about their lineage.
Only when arriving in Olive Town the farm is absolutely derelict, and of course it falls on the grandchild of the once great farmer to reinvigorate the land, rebuild the stables, oh - and harvest all the food so the entire town can eat.
9 An Axe To Grind
What’s the first thing most (if not all) gamers do when playing a charming farming sim like Story of Seasons for the first time? They admire their surroundings of course… Check out the wildlife, frolic around the map… then it’s time to smash things up!
For a Pioneer of Olive Town nothing gives you that surge of power in a picture book world quite like smashing an axe into a tree until there is nothing left. However, do this for too long and risk passing out from exhaustion.
8 An Unusual Set Of Skills
Perhaps one of the most bizarre plot points in the game occurs within the first cutscene. When arriving at Olive Town, the motorbike suddenly experiences some sort of malfunction (thank goodness we’ve arrived at our intended destination first!). The mayor is kind enough to get this fixed for you.
However, it is strange to say the least that our adventurer is unable to repair their own bike, but has all the necessary skills to plant crops, tend to livestock, and build entire buildings from scratch… all with the correct set of tools which come with a variety of upgrades.
7 A Very Trusting Individual
Not only is Olive Town’s Mayor, Victor, extremely eccentric but some might say he’s a little irresponsible too. As if it isn’t bad enough that he can’t remember the name of his dear friend’s abandoned farm, he also chooses to welcome a complete stranger to town by handing them a bunch of sharp tools and leaving them unsupervised.
More specifically a sickle for long grass, an axe for felling trees, a hammer for crushing rocks and a hoe for groundwork. Better hope they’ve not ventured here from a life of crime, huh?
6 Release The Hound
When it comes to the world of Story of Seasons there is more than one way to get from A to B. For starters, wave goodbye to that old motorbike. In Olive Town mounts play a huge part in getting around the farm faster and looking stylish whilst doing it.
Throughout the game, there are a variety of creatures that can be obtained and used as a means of travel. Once the stables are repaired, mounts can be bought from the store in town. However, there are some secret special mounts that can be unlocked by achieving certain criteria.
5 Curating The Museum
When first arriving at the Olive Town museum, unlike the farm, things look pretty impressive to the naked eye. The museum is a large building with impressive architecture, and cheerful staff.
It soon becomes clear, however, why the museum staff are so happy… they are paid to not even lift a finger! When exploring the inside it becomes clear that the museum is pretty much pointless, that is until our hero is granted the task of seeking out artefacts and photography for the exhibits. Yippee! More responsibility!
4 Where Babies Come From
Talking or ‘responsibility’, Story of Seasons not only allows the player to build loving relationships with NPCs but also provides them with the opportunity to become a parent to a child in need of a home.
Once a relationship has reached the required level of hearts and certain criteria is met, an Earth Sprite will appear one morning offering up a child for our hero and their chosen partner to adopt. Isn’t that adorable?
3 Turn Back Time
Just about the most cut throat part of the entire Pioneers of Olive Town experience comes if the player decides that they no longer wish to be with their spouse, or perhaps even want to have the entire courting experience again with the same person.
When visiting the shrine north of Olive Town the player is given the opportunity to reset their relationship status back to the way it was before either party confessed their love for one another. The thing about a reset is it will completely wipe any shred of evidence from the relationship, offspring included. That’s right, goodbye Pioneer Junior… Harsh!
2 Fiction Vs. Reality
Aside from farming, one of the main focuses of Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is building relationships with people. Throughout the game players can choose from a selection of unique marriage candidates and with their affection in a variety of ways.
Once a certain level of hearts is achieved with an intended partner a heart scene will play out. After a specific amount of heart scenes the player will then be able to marry their partner and even have the opportunity to raise a child (see above).
1 The War Has Just Begun
Once upon a time, the studios of Natsume and Marvelous worked in perfect harmony to create the infamous Harvest Moon franchise. In fact, the partnership lasted 16 years before Marvelous stepped away to explore different avenues.
Whilst the company moved on to pastures new and created the Story of Seasons franchise with XSEED, Natsume continued to thrive and retain a loyal fan base. However, this year both franchises have released new and exciting titles. It will be interesting to see how fans react to these two very different yet similar games.
NEXT: 10 Things That Make No Sense In Story Of Seasons: Pioneers Of Olive Town
