Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is a farm management simulation game. Already available on PC and Switch, it landed on Playstation 4 this summer. But the competition is fierce, so we'll have to stand out!
I was lucky to have the edition including the expansion pass adding a ton of outfits, quests, new islands and many other things. You can find the long list on the official website.
We start with the creation of the character which is a bit confusing. It includes all the usual choices, eyes, hair, face shape, etc... But you don't choose your gender!
Your avatar created, we're off to Olive Town (Oliville in French)! You give up your life to go and live in this small town, where your grandfather built his farm. He was one of the pioneers. The years have passed, his farm is abandoned and all his stories have made you want to take the plunge! So here you are on your way on your scooter to your new life.
There follows a rather comical dialogue with the mayor, Victor:
Negative, I'm a moth in a sweater.
Honestly I don't see the point of putting this information in a dialogue, it had its place in character creation. After his unusual presentations, Victor teaches me the basics of gameplay: using tools, inventory, how to sleep, etc. to save space, then pulled out and placed in the shortcut bar when you plan to use them.
Our estate is currently made up of a tent, an ersatz garden and a ruined chicken coop. As with any game of this type, it's up to you to decide what happens next! Obviously we follow the same path as usual: lay out a garden, plant, gather resources. I struggled a bit with maneuverability at first, to steer my character. We are on isometric 2D, which took me a little time to adapt to, being used to the 3D of My Time at Portia and the 2D of Stardew Valley.
The culture does not differ from what we already know if you are familiar with farm management games: digging the garden, planting (taking care to respect the seasons) and watering.
In terms of resources, we have wood which seems limited since it is only available on our land, but the fir trees grow back quite quickly. We also have a small mine to stock up on stones and iron.
Finally, let's not forget fishing, an easy source of money for a good start. It is easy to handle: the bar is blue, bring in the fish. It turns green, beware. And finally when it turns red, we stop moving! We will quickly take the fold and very few fish will survive.
Let's complete the activities on your estate with construction. You have a dedicated category in the menu. It's a bit of a mess, I would have liked this tab to be better organized so that we can easily find all the objects to be crafted. Everything is loose: fences, bait (I still haven't figured out how to use it haha.) and machines.
The use of the machines is just as basic. We gradually discover what we can put in it:
Storage chests, ingot, wood and wire machines.
Machines for yoghurt, mayonnaise, condiments and bricks.
In short, it lacks a bit of ergonomics for the interface. I still haven't figured out how to sort my inventory. I would also like a shortcut to put my tools directly in the dedicated bag.
You can find all the usual businesses in the small town: the DIY genius who can build anything, the one who improves your tools, the general store, the grocery store, the restaurants (all your actions require energy and you have to eat to go back to it or sleep)....
There is of course the town hall where two things will be useful to you:
- The list of requests: what the inhabitants need and what you can provide. (Impossible to access it remotely, you will have to take notes so as not to forget what you are asked)
- Title rewards: as you progress you will achieve small feats, such as performing such an action the first time, leveling up in a skill. These titles unlock rewards.
There is a little trick that bothers me (but that others will appreciate): the delivery of a request is made on the board at the town hall and not in person. It's a shame because in Portia we delivered the requested object, which made the quest much more lively and gave the impression of forging links with the community.
In Story of Seasons this link is sorely lacking. Afterwards, it's also hard to judge a game that you're playing compared to others where you've spent dozens (or even hundreds...) of hours. On Portia you really feel like you're integrating into the community, making friends with the NPCS. It's very lively, really well done. Here it's more difficult because they are quickly introduced (and there are a lot of people in this city) and for the moment, apart from the mayor, no one is coming to see you.
Outside the town hall we also have the museum which again will remind you of those of My Time At Portia and Stardew Valley: we bring back artefacts but also more common objects and photos to fill the museum. By doing so you will unlock decorations to buy.
Finally, once your tent has been transformed into a small cabin, you will be able to cook and store your ingredients and dishes in the fridge. You will also unlock the bathroom, the bath is a small source of energy.
Housing remains very basic, even rigid. You cannot place your furniture freely, spaces are provided for this purpose. Consequently, I have absolutely not lingered there for the moment, completely abandoning the purchase of furniture and decorations.
But if you don't feel perfectly at home, you can still break the loneliness with a pet. A nice list of cats and dogs is available in the pet store in town.
Finally, I will address two elements in Story of Seasons that are out of the ordinary, because for the moment I really had the impression of playing a mix of the two famous games mentioned several times!
When you collect resources there are sometimes very small round critters that run away. For a moment I wondered what it was until I met one of their representatives: They are goblins! These cute little creatures can take you to their territory where they collect resources for you. To do this, simply assign workers (the famous round critters found during your activities) to each "chief elf". The more there are, the more resources you will get there.
Later you will unlock a new place thanks to these cute people where mini-games await you.
Conclusion
Don't think I didn't enjoy Story Of Seasons. Of course, I can't help comparing it to others, but it deserves a chance! I also learned that it is actually a famous license in Japan known as "Bokujo Monogatari". If that doesn't ring a bell, then maybe you've heard of “Harvest Moon”? And yes, with a little context we realize that Story of Seasons is not new and that it is even rather one of the pioneers of the genre! The first Harvest Moon dating back to 1996, we can even suppose that it is thanks to its success that we have such successful games today in the simulation of farming, crafting, like My Time at Portia and Stardew Valley .
So I think it's a great opportunity to try this license if you like the genre with its release on PS4.
Just For Games - €39,99 (with a plush gift!)
