It’s basically Stardew Valley, but the fishing is less bullshit.

Ok, that’s a little bit reductive, but the game does play almost identically to Concerned Ape’s 2016 farming simulator. Turns out, there’s actually a reason for that: the Story of Seasons franchise used to be called Harvest Moon, and Harvest Moon was easily the biggest influence on Stardew Valley. Why it’s called Story of Seasons anymore is kind of convoluted, and not really something I want to get into here.

Anyway, I’ve never played a Harvest Moon game, so Stardew Valley is really going to be my main point of comparison here.

Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town was released on March 26 for the Nintendo Switch, by Marvelous! and Xseed games. In this game, you leave the bustling city for a quieter life, by taking over your grandfather’s farm. From there, you can go into the nearby town to meet it’s quirky residents and buy supplies, plant crops, gather resources, and raise animals.

And yes, this is also the premise of Stardew Valley, but I will remind you that this particular series has actually been around since 1996. I say this because I know that there are probably some people out there are going to call this a Stardew Valley ripoff when it’s really not. Just because two things have a similar premise or execution doesn’t mean one is ripping off the other.

Anyway, let’s start off by talking about the art style. In lieu of Stardew’s old school SNES look, Pioneers has gone for 3D graphics, though still in a cartoony style. And I must say, that style is absolutely adorable. I mean, just look at these kitties!

As for the gameplay, you start off with a handful of turnip seeds and some tools to get started from the mayor. From there, you’re basically on your own, though the game does give you some direction in the form of derelict barns, coops, and stables that you can rebuild. You also can find chickens, cows, and other livestock wandering around that you can tame to help get you started.

The one thing, however, that I think elevates this above Stardew is the one that I mentioned above: the fishing. I am quite vocal about my utter hatred for the fishing minigame in Stardew, in that I think it’s far more difficult than it needs to be. Hell, I only play the PC version so I can use mods specifically to make it less of a pain in the ass. In Pioneers, you do still have to pay attention, but when you should start reeling them in is indicated by the color of the fish icon, rather than mashing Y to try and keep up with the thing.

As for bugs, I really haven’t encountered any in the game, although I have found that the framerate does hitch on occasion. This, however, is not enough to hinder my enjoyment of the game, as it’s not really that frequent.

So, would I recommend this game? Seeing as how I’ve played it for several hours a day since I got it, I would say yes. It’s a lot of fun, and a really good game to just chill with.

Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is currently available on the Switch store for $49.99.

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