Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town arrives on Nintendo Switch

Bokujo Monogatari is 25, making this the perfect time to enjoy growing veggies in the light of the harvest moon.

Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is available on Nintendo Switch starting today, publisher XSEED Games announced. The title, the latest in the long-running Bokujo Monogatari franchise, marks the first time the series has come to Nintendo Switch with an original title (last year's Friends of Mineral Town was a remake).

In Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town, players arrive at the seaside community of Olive Town, located right between the ocean and the wild frontier. They are tasked with reviving their grandfather's dilapidated farm, a task that will soon acquaint them with the local residents and change their lives in unexpected ways.

Story of Seasons is the new-ish name in North America for the franchise once known as Harvest Moon, which dates back to the Super Nintendo. To celebrate 25 years of farming goodness, the developers have put together a stand-alone "Expansion Pass," which retails for $19.99 USD but is being offered at a 15% discount through April 12.

The Expansion Pass includes extra story content, characters from previous series installments and even some exclusive costumes. These apparently include the Buffalo Costume and Neil's Jacket DLC, also available separately for $1.99. You can find additional details on the Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town expansion pass page.

"Not only is Story of Seasons celebrating its 25th anniversary with Pioneers of Olive Town," said director Hikaru Nakano, "it's my anniversary too! Having worked on the series from its early days, I'm very proud of how we've been able to grow and expand on gameplay with each iteration based on fan feedback. But I'm most proud and humbled by how popular the series has become not just in Japan, but around the world."

The features offered in this latest installment include:

• Tame the wilderness of the peninsula and build your farm from the ground up! — Gather and process materials to fulfill requests and improve Olive Town’s infrastructure, upgrade tools, or commission new outfits and accessories.


• A farm of endless possibilities — Clear the land, repair old facilities, and place new buildings wherever you see fit and level up farming skills to craft a variety of decorations and facilities, from fences and automatic feeders for livestock to sprinklers for crops.


• Participate in local festivals and events as the town comes to life! — Get to know your neighbors better and you may even find love with a special someone among them.


• Simple mechanics, deep gameplay — Greenhorn farmers can rest easy with the return of Seedling Mode and Normal Mode while veteran players will find familiar features and facilities with new twists on classic gameplay elements

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Staff article by Jason Venter (March 23, 2021) Jason Venter has been playing games for 30 years, since discovering the Apple IIe version of Mario Bros. in his elementary school days. Now he writes about them, here at HonestGamers and also at other sites that agree to pay him for his words.