Gematsu recently spoke with Hikaru Nakano, the director developed by Marvelous Story of Seaons: Pioneers of Olive Town, which is now available for Switch.
During our short email interview, Nakano discussed his experience in The story of the seasons the series helped shape The pioneers of the city of Olive, the defining features of the game, the possibility that the series will come on new platforms and much more.
Get the full interview below.
Like someone who was involved in The story of the seasons for a very long time, how did the direction of your experience influence the previous entries in the series? The pioneers of the city of Olive?
Hikaru Nakano, director: “The story of the seasons gives players a high degree of freedom. Not all players will follow the same linear path. I realized that it is important to pass this idea on to everyone on the development team, especially the new staff. When I was a developer, I remember asking Yasuhiro Wada, who was my superior at the time, if we should make a game that followed a single story. He told me that this game is not about following a thread to a conclusion, but about the many different paths that players can choose to travel down. I didn’t understand what he meant at the time, but I feel like I understood better now. It is the essence of our game, so we have to take this lesson very seriously. ”
What would you say are the new defining features of The pioneers of the city of Olive?
Nakano: “The new defining feature is itself a pioneer. The farm area is located in a large forest where you can fish, mine, collect wild herbs, meet wild animals, harvest wild crops and discover all sorts of things. You can fully develop the land or you can just cut the space you need. Your relationship with nature depends entirely on you. ”
Are there any plans or ideas for a deviation from the usual formula in the future?
Nakano: “My goal is to keep it The story of the seasons series faithful to itself. But if we talk about evolutions outside of basic identity, there are certainly a lot of possibilities. ”
The story of the seasons The series has led to the creation over the years of many independent games to simulate agriculture, including the massive popular Stardew Valley. Similar to how The story of the seasons have you influenced the creation of these games, have you been influenced by these other titles in any way while working on? The pioneers of the city of Olive?
Nakano: “I play a lot of simulation games, so I find myself influenced in countless small ways by many different titles. An example of this is our implementation of the skills system in Rune Factory series. It serves as a way to display the player’s skills and is the method by which the player unlocks new craft recipes. ”
Can we expect same-sex marriage to become a serial standard from now on? Will it always be called the “best friends ceremony” in Japan?
Nakano: “Giving players the freedom to marry anyone they like is important for a game like The story of the seasons. I think it should be included in these games, so the development team and we intend to continue to implement same-sex marriage in future titles. There is a precedent in Japan for the “Best Friend Ceremony”, but it may change in the future. ”
A fan asks: In Trio of Towns, manufacturers could create up to 10 products at a time, while in The pioneers of the city of Olive, I can only create one at a time. Was there a reason for this change?
Nakano: “I can’t speak for one reason, but I can say that we take fan feedback seriously and test various solutions internally in the hopes of improving the game.”
The story of the seasons games have been released exclusively on Nintendo systems in recent years, but previous entries have been released on PlayStation 2 and Friends of the mineral city even saw a surprise release on Steam. There is some consideration to bring Trio of Towns, The pioneers of the city of Olive, and / or future The story of the seasons games on additional platforms such as PlayStation, Xbox and PC?
Nakano: “Nintendo Switch is an incredible console and I’m glad I was able to launch this game on it. It would be great to have the opportunity for more people to play our game in the future. ”
This August is the 25th anniversary of The story of the seasons. Can we expect more surprises to come in the holiday?
Nakano: “I would like to do something, but for now our focus is on updates and downloadable content for Pioneer of the city of Olive. ”
Thanks for your time, Nakano-san!
Gematsu also asked Nakano the following questions, to which he was not free to answer:
- A fan asks: The pioneers of the city of Olive It has some of the best moment-to-moment gameplay for the series, but a few long-term goals. How did the animal, culture and cooking festivals for which the players work fail?
- Are there plans to bring back features such as portraits of rival characters and rival marriages / children, whether it’s a future update or a whole new entry?
- This can be a sensitive topic: in the west, The story of the seasons was known as Harvest month until 2015. How do you feel Harvest month trademark owner Natsume continues to use the name, although its games are no more Bokujou Monogatari titles?