Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu is a pretty popular publication, especially for those who enjoy keeping up with highly-anticipated Japanese titles. Now, it appears that Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town was featured in the newest issue, and it was revealed that the farm life simulator is about 80% done.
The four-page Famitsu feature contained not only new, never-before-seen art and screenshots, but it discussed how the game’s development is going as well. Based on this news, it’s safe to assume that Marvelous Inc. is currently right on schedule, as Pioneers of Olive Town is currently set to launch in Japan on February 25, 2021.
Meanwhile, those who want to experience the localized versions will be able to play the game shortly after, with a scheduled release date of March 23, 2021. This new entry in the Story of Seasons franchise was initially announced last October during that month’s Nintendo Direct event.
That being said, the company doesn’t plan on letting the fans wait too long for this charming RPG. Japanese players will be able to experience the game only four months after its initial reveal, while Western fans only have to wait one month after that in order to play the localized versions.
Nintendojam from GoNintendo scanned two pages from Famitsu’s feature and then shared it on their website, along with a quick summary of its contents. From what we can see based on the scans, the two pages talk about Pioneers of Olive Town’s character creation. Screenshots showcasing NPC interactions are also included.
That being said, Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is still a game that’s currently in development. Therefore, it’s still subject to numerous changes depending on what the developer sees fit.
However, we can’t deny the fact that this kind of progress seems promising, especially for those fans who have been waiting for another Story of Seasons installment. The last game in the series was More Friends of Mineral Town, which was a remake of a classic Harvest Moon game.
On the other hand, the game before that was entitled Doraemon Story of Seasons, which was an interesting spin-off title based on the popular Japanese cartoon, Doraemon. February 2017 introduced Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns, also known as the latest flagship title in the franchise.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is the next game in line in the Bokujō Monogatari series. For those unaware, the series of Bokujō Monogatari games were initially known as Harvest Moon, but the titles were changed to Story of Seasons in 2015.
The reason behind this change goes like this: American publisher Natsume no longer has the licensing rights to release Bokujō Monogatari games. As a result, it decided to release its own series of farming simulator RPGs underneath the Harvest Moon titles. This explains why More Friends of Mineral Town was remade as a Story of Seasons game rather than a Harvest Moon one.
Based on the trailers and the press, we expect that Pioneers of Olive Town will be bringing back a number of iconic features from the series, including festivals and events, as well as romanceable characters.
