On March 23, 2021, the newest addition to the Story of Seasons series dropped on the Nintendo Switch. Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is the latest entry, developed and published by Marvelous (XSEED) and Nintendo. Once again, players get to live out their farmer dreams in this simulation RPG.
The player inherited a ranch from their grandfather in Olive Town, an adorable, whimsical little place filled with curious characters (and creatures). They embark on an adventure of maintaining their land, and of filling it with lots of delicious food and cute animals. They also get to know the residents of Olive Town, participate in enjoyable events, and meet the mystical Earth Sprites. All in all, the player just wants to be the best farmer they can be.
Updated September 17, 2021 by Erik Petrovich: Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town has been out for a little while now, long enough for some players to figure out the best ways to play through the game. One of the most influential choices a player can make happens right at the start - the difficulty selection - as it changes how almost everything is done throughout the game. Some players have that special min-maxing mindset that tends to stress-test the balance of games, and Pioneers of Olive Town is no exception. When it comes to Story of Seasons tips for the most recent entry in the series, don't be afraid to try new things and go against what the game implies you should do to make the most of it.
10 Choose The Right Difficulty Setting
While Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town might seem like a simplistic, easy game on the surface, player experiences are hugely influenced by the difficulty setting. There are two difficulties available at the outset of the game – Seedling and Normal – and there is no typical "Hard" difficulty to select.
The two difficulties make the gameplay wildly different, forcing players to make different decisions throughout a playthrough. Being a casual game, there's no reason not to take it as easy as possible, though some players like the extra challenge. One of the most useful Story of Seasons tips is to choose the right setting for how you want to play the game.
Seedling Mode
In Seedling mode, Pioneers of Olive Town's Easy mode, lots of factors throughout the game are swayed in the player's favor. Shop prices and stamina usage are lower, the rate at which relationships develop and experience gain is increased dramatically. It's the best way to play the game for newcomers to the series or for those who just want to relax in the game's charming world.
Normal Mode
Normal mode is a fair bit more challenging than Seedling mode, as it does not grant the player any of the bonuses from that difficulty setting. However, the rest of the game remains totally unchanged, and while the gameplay and choices players make change a lot, the story progression does not.
9 Sell Your Title Medals
While Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is a pretty well-put-together game with few exploits, there are some that slipped through the cracks. While it might not necessarily be game-breaking or cheating, it certainly feels that way when selling hard-earned medals for coins.
Medals are awarded in-game from the Title system, which grants the player new titles based on their accomplishments on the farm and beyond. While makers, seeds, and other useful tools can be acquired this way, Medals don't really do much for the player (aside from cosmetics, of course). These medals sell for a hefty amount, though, so don't be afraid to get rid of them to clear up space and make a tidy profit on the side.
8 Do Not Plant Too Many Crops
Until the player hits Level 4 in Fieldwork, they will not have access to sprinklers. Therefore, the player must water each and every crop every day by hand. This activity uses stamina, meaning less energy to do other things. One of the most useful Story of Seasons Pioneers of Olive Town tips is to maintain that work-stamina balance to maximize crop output.
That being said, after hitting Level 4 in Fieldwork, sprinklers will do wonders for the crops. They reach eight at a time, each morning, and do not cost stamina from the player. At Level 8 in Fieldwork, they will unlock even better sprinklers that can water 24 crops at once.
7 Grab Extra Tools
There are nine tools in the game. Early in the story, the player gets a bunch of them from Mayor Victor. The Axe cuts down trees and stumps; the Sickle harvests grass, the Hammer breaks rocks and flattens land, the Hoe tills land, and the Watering Can waters crops.
However, they can grab the Camera from Gloria in the museum to take photographs. Additionally, the Bucket is given to the player by Clemens the morning after it rains for the first time in the game. Players can use this to remove water from pools. Lastly, the Leash is obtained from Patricia at the pet shop following upgrading the tent to a log cabin. This allows players to walk their pets!
6 Be A Social Butterfly
The player has a Friendship Level with all the residents in Story of Seasons Pioneers of Olive Town. There are 10 Heart Levels to achieve with each character, and these containers may be filled with a pink or orange color. Pink means romantic, orange means platonic.
To raise Friendship Levels, players should speak to the residents whenever the opportunity presents itself. The heart will fill up just a little once per day for each character. On top of that, Communication Skill Level goes up as well every time the player talks with someone. There is literally no downside to being the social butterfly of the town! Generosity helps too – give plenty of gifts!
5 Free Goodies Up For Grabs At Town Hall
In Olive Town, there is Olive Hall, where players can find Mayor Victor. He manages the town and gives Requests to the player that assist in upgrading the town's infrastructure. These Requests, written on the Bulletin Board, involve the residents of the town and reward money for completion. However, there is a way to earn free goodies without working at all.
In the Town Hall, there is a green mailbox that magically fills up with items up for grabs by the player. Sometimes the player finds seeds, other times they find straight-up processing machines. The kinds of goodies that appear and when they show up are in accordance with the titles players unlock in the game. One of the most consistently useful Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town tips is to check in on this mailbox a few times each week for its random rewards.
4 The Best Fisherman/Fisherwoman Around
When it comes to making the moolah, the player has options. They could keep their turnout with crops as high as possible and keep on raking in cash on them. Alternatively, the player could hit the mines day in and day out with hopes of finding those sweet, sweet diamonds for a sweet, sweet payout.
However, perhaps the most reliable, consistent method is fishing. The effort is low, and the activity is fun (although that is subjective). After they cast their hook, the player must stay alert, only reeling in when the icon turns blue (or white). Red is bad! Also, if two exclamation marks pop up, that means a shining fish (which nets serious money).
3 Use Follower Sprites And Earth Sprite Village
Eventually, tiny mysterious creatures will start appearing on the player's farm. These are Follower Sprites, which are basically friendly Earth Sprites. After 25 appear, the Earth Sprite Village unlocks. Players can employ these little guys to work on the ranch.
There is a Navi-Sprite, a Manager Sprite, a Boss Sprite, a Journey Sprite, a Chef Sprite, a Grass Sprite, a Field Sprite, a Care Sprite, a Log Sprite, an Angler Sprite, a Stone Sprite, a Magma Sprite, a Gold Sprite, and a Sky Sprite. Each kind of Earth Sprites appears according to different circumstances and gives the player materials as well as Sprite Coins to spend in the Village.
2 Maximize Storage, And Therefore Inventory
One of the first things players should do in the game is to craft a storage box (in fact, many agree that one of the best Story of Seasons tips is to craft many at once). Besides a storage box, they need a fridge too (obtainable after a house upgrade). This is where ingredients and food can be stored. Once the player has a fridge, they can cook too!
With the storage boxes and fridge holding the items the player does not readily need, their inventory opens up way more. They can make things even easier for themselves by increasing their inventory space through the tool shop. The player can upgrade their bag twice to cap at 32 spots. Moreover, they can grab a tool bag to store tools separately, making even more room for items!
1 Getting To The Bottom Of It (The Mine)
The journeys down the mines are not easy. To be successful, the player needs to prepare accordingly. This means lots of food and fruits to restore stamina, and upgrading the Hammer as best as possible. Once in the mine, players need to keep shooting for the ladder and only the ladder, conserving as much energy as possible on each floor.
In the game, there are actually several mines. Usually, the lower the player goes, the better the minerals found. Besides the one available from the start, there is another one accessible after they fix the bridge. This mine has lots of silver rocks with silver ore inside. Another mine is reachable through the other broken bridge. This one has even more silver rocks (and therefore silver ore)!