Animal Crossing: New HorizonsandStory of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Townare both adorable life simulation games and fall under this same umbrella, emitting the same relaxing vibe as players complete tasks to build themselves from the ground up and socialize with the unique NPCs around them.
But even though the gameplay might be quite different, gamers who playedAnimal Crossingand are looking for something fresh will likely find a home inStory of Seasons, as long as they know what to expect.
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Tasks
Busywork and tasks in the newestStory of Seasonsinstallment will vary from past games somewhat because the premise has changed a bit. Rather than the familiar inheritance of an old relative’s run-down farm, it looks likePioneers of Olive Townwill be more about reclaiming the wilderness. For example, rather than raising livestock from a young age after purchasing them, players will be able to find roaming wildlife and corral buffalo, cows, and alpacas onto their farm. Obtaining seeds could be similar: gathering them in the wild rather than purchasing them in town.
However, making money inPioneers of Olive Townlooks to be similar to past installments. Players will plant crops and gather animal products as their main source of income, while also fishing and mining as either secondary income or other tasks that need to be done to complete objectives, aand doing these tasks is also different because of the way time passes in each game. While inPoOT, 10 minutes pass in a matter of seconds, whereasAnimal Crossingkeeps real-world time, meaning that players might need to wait a day before in-game events progress. This also means thatNew Horizonscan continue to evolve as time goes on, althoughthe same can be said aboutStardew Valley.
ButAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsis also about building a small town on new land from the ground up. Similarly, players can sell fruits from trees or turnips for money and can go fishing, which can be donated to Blathers' museum or used as another source of income. But acquiring Bells inNew Horizonsis done more often so players can buy items to decorate their islands with and landscape, which can cost a pretty penny.
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Landscaping and Terraforming
Landscaping both inPioneers of Olive TownandNew Horizonsplay a much bigger role than they have in past installments of their respective series, thoughPoOTlikely won’t allow players to create entire rivers and lakes the way thatAnimal Crossingdoes.Olive Townwill allow for much more customization and decoration than in past titles, such as creating pathways and deciding the overall layout of the farm and its buildings.
Animal Crossing: New Horizonsis far more about the island’s quality in terms of looks and attractiveness, however. How clean or cluttered it becomes as well as the types of furniture used decides the island’s overall rating, which can, in turn, allow for high-quality items to appear, such as golden roses. With each new season,New Horizonshas released new themed furniture, like the Festive DIY and Mermaid DIY recipes.
And while crafting also plays a role inPioneers of Olive Townvia the blueprints andcrafting tables,Animal Crossingfocuses more on decorating islands, partially for the sake of the social simulation aspect of the game and impressing friends.
Social Sim
Both games feature a limited social simulation aspect, but they differ greatly.Animal Crossing’s social sim has always been about the villagers, giving them gifts, and doing small tasks for them. Villagers do have affinity levels with the player character, but it’s mostly insignificant in that it doesn’t change the over “outcome” of the game.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town,on the other hand, has a much more meaningful relationship meter and of course, has the marriage option, which is oftentimes a big draw for farming simulators such asStardew Valley. Here, players will also need to give gifts and speak to the locals to raise friendship levels, but the promise is that many of thebachelors and bachelorettes can be courted. In fact, many fans ofStory of Seasonscommend the developers for including LGBT+ relationships, an element that the newHarvest Moongames have left behind.
Many fans feel the overall goal ofHarvest Moon-like farming sims is getting married and starting a family. InNew Horizons, players do seek out specific villagersto bring onto their islands, but they, of course, cannot be romanced and is done for more aesthetically pleasing reasons or bragging rights among friends than anything else.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Townreleases for the Nintendo Switch on July 04, 2025.
