The Ushi No Tane websites specialize in information, FAQs, and guides about the Nintendo console versions of the Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, and Legend of the River King video games. These game genres are created and published in Japan by Marvelous (JP). In other regions, you'll find Natsume, XSeed Games, Marvelous (EU), and Rising Star involved in the series' release.

The latest version of the mainstream farming series that have been released in various regions of the world are:

• Japan: Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town (February 2021)
• North America: Harvest Moon: One World (March 2021) and Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town (March 2021)
• Europe: Harvest Moon: One World (March 2021) and Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town (March 2021)

The latest version of River King, in all regions of the world, is River King: Mystic Valley (NA 2008, EU 2009).

Since 2000, Ushi no Tane has been run by a grouchy old lady who happens to be fond of video game agriculture along with two one feline intern. The website is not officially affiliated, sponsored, endorsed, or employed by the developers of Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, or River King. This is simply a fan site.

Latest Farming Video Game News

Happy Farm'n Friday! A few weeks ago, I tried out soil blocking, a technique where a mix of garden soil, compost, and other goodies are compressed into squares and arranged together with empty space/air between each block. The idea is that as the seeds sprout, the roots will hit the empty air around the block, keeping them within the soil and less prone to be twisted together and root-bound.

It appears to have worked pretty well! The roots of these germinated marigold sprouts kept to themselves within each block of soil. Eventually, the roots exited the bottom of the block and started spreading across the container. But it cut down on needing numerous plastic pots to hold the seedling mixture, and the flowers easily transplanted to their permanent spots. Watering was simple too!

Putting the blocks together was a bit messy and dirty (har har), but the success was nice! Looks like this method of seed starting will work well with the Fogu garden. Now to try it with some herbs!

If you're interested in trying it out, you can find soil blocker handheld devices at online retailers or maybe your local plant nursery (they weren't in stock locally here anyhow). The 4-block metal device that makes 2-inch blocks worked fine for me. There are additional sizes available, and even some that can nest different sizes together.

E3 Farming Reveals

On Wednesday's Nintendo Direct in Japan, video game developer Hakama revealed a new Nintendo Switch game scheduled to be released next Thursday (the 24th) on the JP eShop. The cute fantasy RPG Worth Life is a collaboration between Yoshifumi Hashimoto (the former producer of the BokuMono series) and Igusa Matsuyama (the long-time character designer for BokuMono).

In this game, the kingdom's special crystal has lost its brilliance and all sorts of unusual things are occurring. The local monsters (Mamono) are running amuck, and the land is in bad shape. The king summons the protagonist and 29 random citizens to the castle and orders them to find a solution.

As the game's hero, players will fight the wild Mamono and discover vacant land. This land can then be cleared and developed into fishing ponds, cultivated with seeds to harvest crops (farming!), or have houses constructed for people to live in. The choices the player makes will trigger inspirations and additional actions.

The game is now available for preorder on the Nintendo eShop in Japan and costs 2980円 (about $27 USD).

Also revealed during this week's E3 was an announcement from Marvelous that Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town and Rune Factory 4 SE will be ported to the Playstation 4 and XBox One platforms. The release will happen sometime this Autumn. Also announced was that the highly-anticipated Rune Factory 5 will finally has an EN release window of early 2022.

Terracotta Oasis Preview

Marvelous JP released a trailer for the upcoming Terracotta Oasis expansion pass, the second bonus area in Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town. Just like Windswept Falls, this area is accessible by using the boat dock on the farm. The boat takes the farmer to a sunny oasis with a wide plaza containing bazaar stalls and a lovely fountain.

【牧場物語 オリーブタウンと希望の大地】
「エキスパンション・パス」第４弾
恋愛候補パック「赤土のオアシス」
6月24日(木)に配信決定！

本日は『牧場物語 つながる新天地』より移住した
4人の様子を少しだけお届けします！

https://t.co/eYAaDD6qDM
#牧場物語 #オリーブタウン pic.twitter.com/BmA5EOCGBG

— 『牧場物語』公式アカウント (@bokumono_PR) June 18, 2021

This is where you can meet four characters from Story of Seasons: Doctor Marian, farm rival Georgio, novelist Iris, and chef Raeger. Iris and Raeger are optional marriage candidates that players can woo instead of the normal candidates from Olive Town.

Terracotta Oasis is scheduled to be released on June 24 in all regions.

PoOT Sale

Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town and its expansion passes are currently on sale on the Nintendo eShop in North America, Europe, and Australia. This sale ends on June 21 (North America) and June 27 (Europe and Australia). While the Expansion Pass itself is on sale in EU/AUS, the individual DLCs are not discounted.

Game Only

• North America: 20% off (was $49.99, now $39.99)
• Europe: 30% off (was €49.99, now €34.99)
• Australia: 30% off (was $79.95, now $55.96)

Expansion Pass Only

• North America: (No discounts available)
• Europe: 30% off (was €19.99, now €13.99)
• Australia: 30% off (was $29.95, now $20.96)

Game + Expansion Pass Bundle

• North America: 20% off (was $69.99, now $48.99)
• Europe: 30% off (was €69.99, now €48.99)
• Australia: 30% off (was $109.95, now $76.96)

Additional farming games for sale on the eShop until the 21st (NA) or 27th (EU/AUS) includes:

• NA only: Little Dragons Cafe: 70% off ($17.99)
• EU/AUS only: Little Dragons Cafe: 75% off (€12.49 / AUS $18.75)
• NA only: Doraemon Story of Seasons: 70% off ($14.99)
• EU/AUS only: Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town: 30% off (€27.99 / AUS $41.96)
• EU/AUS only: Harvest Moon: Light of Hope SE: 50% off (€19.99 / AUS $30.00)
• EU/AUS only: Littlewood: 15% off (€10.47/ AUS $16.15)
• NA/EU/AUS: Farming Simulator 20: 40% off (US $26.99 / €26.99 /AUS $41.97)

Doraemon Story of Seasons is also on sale for Steam/PC for $19.99 USD (60% off) until June 24.

Until next time!

- Cher
(Interns are doing great! Intern Reba is fed up with rambunctious Intern Captain, while mellow Intern Hondo is more compatible with her.)

RSS