Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is a pretty straightforward game with lots of things to do for the aspiring virtual farmer. The game is the latest in the famous Story of Seasons series, an offshoot of the Harvest Moon series featuring many of the same developers and creative team behind the wheel.
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Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is a little bit different than its predecessors in a lot of ways – including its relative lack of secrets. Though there are plenty of secret and unlockable things throughout the Story of Seasons series, Pioneers of Olive Town's offerings are a little more sparse. However, there's plenty to find that most
The Beanstalk Island
Throughout the game, the player will find Follower Sprites by doing just about everything there is to do in Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town. When the player reaches certain milestones with these sprites, new features unlock such as special locations and unique things to interact with. One of these things is the Beanstalk Island. At 60 Follower Sprites to unlock, this secret location has only been witnessed by players who stuck through the game. The Beanstalk Island appears the morning after the player has officially reached 60 Follower Sprites, and it's a unique area that doubles as the location of the Digging for Sprites mini-game. In this mini-game, the player must avoid pulling up beanstalks while trying to uproot as many Gold Sprites as they can in three minutes. It can be repeated over and over again, but an hour passes with each attempt.
The Ancient Lake
While exploring the world of Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town, players will slowly unlock and gain access to areas of the world previously blocked off to them. By accomplishing specific tasks throughout exploration players can access the Ancient Lake, a hub for fishing. This unlock is tied to the third farming area available.
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Once the player has successfully drained the water from the third farm area, the Ancient Lake grants access to a variety of rare fish and rare treasures (mostly through fishing). The area is a little plain, compared to other locations in Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town, but it's nonetheless something not many players have uncovered in progression.
The Mysterious Ninja Matsuyuki
There are two proper secrets in Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town, the first of which is the secret new town resident Matsuyuki. Matsuyuki is a mysterious ninja-like character who only appears in Olive Town if the player marries Iori. After the ceremonies, Matsuyuki will appear near Iori's house in Olive Town, towards the north end. Matsuyuki will tell Iori that they've found a worthy partner and become an interactable NPC within the town afterward. The mysterious ninja is not a marriage candidate or romanceable, though he can receive gifts. His three heart events revolve around locals discussing a mysterious ninja taking residence in town, leading to a final confrontation at seven hearts.
The Grown-Up Spirit of the Spring
This unlock is in the same vein as the Beanstalk Island unlock, in that it automatically happens once the player reaches a certain number of Follower Sprites. At 100 Sprites total, the player will be able to visit the Shrine just north of Olive Town to speak with a much more grown-up-looking Spirit Child. The Spirit Child herself is visitable at 85 Follower Sprites.
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At the Shrine, the player will encounter the Spirit of Spring and converse about the player's adventures through the game. After this interaction, players can make their own blessings at the Shrine, and the Spirit of Spring becomes a giftable (but non-romanceable) NPC.
The Lava Caverns
The Lava Caverns are a dreadfully hot, uncomfortable area that unlocks a little bit earlier in the game than the Beanstalk Island. Though the game is popular amongst its fans, many players don't stick through with Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town long enough to see some of this unique content. At 25 Follower Sprites, players become able to visit this volcanic magma chamber. It's a sort of combination of the Ancient Lake and the Beanstalk Island, as it allows players to fish for unique specimens and treasure and it's also home to a minigame. This minigame is called Mining Frenzy and requires the player to mine as much as they possibly can. It's the best way to develop Stamina, though each attempt at the minigame will result in one hour passing in-game so it cant be done too much.
The Four Season-Locked Gardens
Four locations are locked off until the player reaches the impressive total of 150 Follower Sprites. At 100 Follower Sprites, the player can unlock blessings that aid their adventure, but with 150 Follower Sprites, they are granted access to one of the most useful things in the entire game: four farms that are perpetually locked in a specific season. The four gardens are Petalwind Gardens, which is perpetually Spring, Eversun Gardens, which is always Summer, Redmaple Gardens, which is perpetually Autumn, and Hoarfrost Gardens, a wintery landscape for cold crops. These gardens are chosen individually to unlock when the player spends a total of 100 points at the Shrine north of Olive Town.
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