About a week ago, on December 2nd, a Q&A with Hikaru Nakano (director of Mineral Town and Olive Town) was conducted by Chinese gaming news site TGBUS. Nakano answered a lot of key questions about the upcoming game that sheds some light on how they’re approaching the game this time and what they hope to accomplish with this particular entry. New info including but not limited to:
- The 10 marriage candidates we’ve seen so far are the total number. No secret candidates this time.
- Your child will have more growth than in SOSFOMT, but still will not become a teenager.
- Foraging and exploration are a major focal point this time, with a lot of progression being tied to finding new crops and animals in the wild before you can freely buy them in town.
- There are multiple types of rideable animals.
- No Harvest Sprites (or any other NPCs) to hire this time.
- Lots of new crops and materials, such as clay, have been added to the game. Crops can also be multi-seasonal now, as well as certain crops growing in the winter.
- Eating at restaurants will be part of the game’s social aspect, and also food will be important for recovery.
- Reaffirmation of confirmed features like same-sex marriage and character customization.
- A focus on deeper characters with more events, including non-romantic events to flesh out their personalities.
- A tease, but no confirmation that they were considering reintroducing rival marriages, as well as cameos from past games.
Check out the full translations from our translator Catte below the break:
Q: What is your position in this work and what series of works have you participated in?
Hikaru Nakano: Hi, I’m Hikaru Nakano from Marvelous. I’m in charge of the original project, including the worldview and overall direction of Bokumono: Olive Town. I first got involved with the series when I participated in the development of Bokujou Monogatari 2 for the N64 platform. Since then, I’ve overseen a number of games in the series. The most recent project I worked on was Reunion of Mineral Town.
Q: What were the reasons for developing this project?
Nakano: The platform changed from 3DS to NS, and once the platform was changed, all the elements and systems needed to be rethought to come up with a better Bokujou Monogatari game and more fun approach to planning.
Q: When was this work first developed?
Nakano: It was almost 2 and a half years ago now. It took some time to do trial and error work before that.
Q: Are there any new elements in the NS version?
Nakano: I can’t discuss those features at this time. But, the NS is portable, so it’s a perfect fit for the series.
Q: In which languages is this work available?
Nakano: In Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, including simplified subtitles.
Q: What is the theme of this work?
Nakano: The theme of this game is exploration. In this game, the ranch area is a forest, and the player can expand the area available through exploration. In the forest, there are also various kinds of discoveries. You don’t have to keep exploring, and you can stop when you get to a certain point. It is possible to exploit all the land, or to exploit some and stop. That’s why the theme of this work is “exploration”.
Q: What is the special meaning of the game’s subtitle “Olive Town and the Land of Hope”?
Nakano: Olive Town is literally a town where olives are grown. The idea of the those who shaped the town is included in the name of the town. Regarding “Land of Hope”, the area of this work is a forest where all kinds of crops and animals can be found. The player can fish and dig. For the player, this area is full of hope. As the ranch grows, the life of the town will be enriched. For Olive Town, the forest is also a land of all kinds of hope. That’s what it means.
Q: What are the changes in the system?
Nakano: In past works, a ranch has been prepared [for the player]. In this work, we used the forest as a stage to bring us closer to nature. In the woods, you can make all kinds of discoveries, and using the woods as a base is a radically different place from what we’ve done in the past. In the past, the ranch started with some relatively boring work of pulling weeds and removing rocks. This time, there is a difference because it involves cultivating a forest, so I don’t know what will happen. The other thing is that in the past, when you went to a town, you had to go through many kinds of roads, but this time you can go there directly. In reality, there is definitely some distance to travel from the ranch to the town, but this was removed to make the trip smoother for everyone. Elements that were taken for granted in the past have been removed this time. In other words, there are additions that were not there before. Of course, there are also some parts that have not changed much. For example, the use of fields is not much different from that of Reunion of Mineral Town.
Q: In addition to the planting, digging and animal husbandry features, what else is new in this game?
Nakano: In simple terms, there are new items such as the bucket, with which players can go digging in puddles to get materials like clay. With this material [new to this work] you can make something different.
Q: Are there any mining towns, sprite stations or other mines in this work?
Nakano: There are. There are simple mines, and there are complex mines.
Q: Does this work have an element of greenhouse and tree planting? How many types of crops are there?
Nakano: There will be a total of 60 types of crops in different seasons. In Reunion of Mineral Town, there are more than 20 kinds of crops, so the selection has expanded a lot. In addition to crops you can eat, there are also flowers in this work. It’s also fun to [customize] the ranch with decorations.
Q: There are cooked dishes and handicrafts in this work, can you please briefly introduce these two?
Nakano: Both cuisine and handicrafts are about making new things out of different things. In the case of handicrafts- in the past, if you had money, you could buy basically anything you wanted. The theme of this work is exploration, and there are all sorts of things you can find in the forest. So by combining them, you can make a lot of new things yourself. A lot has been added to this aspect of the work. Of course, there are many things you can buy in the store, and you can buy these items in the store if you can’t make them yourself. What you can find on your own will be an important part of this work. There is not much change in the cooking, but in this work, cooking is more important for physical recovery. In addition to cooking for yourself, you can also eat at restaurants, which is a very important part of the game’s [social aspect]. There are people in town who love to cook, and you can also give them the food you make.
Q: A paving element has been added?
Nakano: Building up your own ranch is definitely the most important thing. There are all sorts of things that players want to make, and there are also those who want to create something purely decorative, and in order to respond to this demand, paving has been added.
Q: Can the characters in the game dress up freely?
Nakano: At the beginning of the game, the player creates a character using set guidelines. When the game progression reaches a certain point, the appearance can be changed. Players can go to a Tailor to make clothes, and there are many options. In addition to clothing, there are also accessories, so I’m sure players will be able to find something they like.
Q: The dialogue in this work does not have 2D vertical drawings, are they all 3D?
Nakano: This work was produced in full 3D, and so the expressions were also made 3D.
Q: The characters are more similar to Trio of Towns, but it seems the animals are closer to the types from Reunion?
Nakano: The human characters have been developed in this style in order to better express their actions. For the animal characters, we have adopted the morphing style defined in Reunion. The characters will be adjusted according to the needs of the work, but the animals will probably remain the same. When users saw the PV, they thought, “Why is the cow so big?” When the development team looked back, they also thought it was a bit big. But in order to emphasize the importance of cows, we handled it that way. In fact, I am still a little worried about it.
Q: The marriage system in the series has been well received, and the addition of same-sex partnerships in the previous games has also surprised many players. Is it going to be retained in this game, and are there any changes to the affection and housing system required to get married?
Nakano: Same-sex couples can be partners just as well as in Reunion. The process of marriage is the same. Unlike in the past, there are not only sweet events, but also events where you listen to their worries and emphasize your individuality as the relationship develops. This is something that is not quite the same as in the past.
Q: How many marriage candidates are there in this work, are there any secret characters?
Nakano: There are 5 men and 5 women, making a total of 10 people. There are no secret characters such as in past works. We are discussing whether or not the candidates can get married [to each other].
Q: Is it possible to have same-sex marriages, or multiple lovers?
Nakano: Players can be partners with the same sex. The aspect of plural lovers was attempted by players in Reunion. In this work, based on everyone’s play style, it is also possible to achieve this.
Q: What are the forms of interaction for the candidates? Is there a special event where they can help with farming?
Nakano: You can marry your partner, have children, and start a family. However, he or she has his or her own career and lifestyle, so he or she will not help you with farming.
Q: After you get married and have children, will your children have special events?
Nakano: It’s unclear what kind of special event you’re referring to. But compared to Reunion, there is more to do regarding the child growing up over time.
Q: Can children grow up to be adults, or is it just until marriage and childbirth? What is the maximum number of children I can have?
Nakano: Players can only have one child. Although not to the extent that children can grow to adulthood, there is more growth than in Reunion of Mineral Town.
Q: Are there any familiar faces in this work that will excite fans?
Nakano: We can’t answer that question yet, but it has been discussed.
Q: Is there any increase in the number of NPCs that can communicate with each other and the number of candidates in this game compared to the previous game? Is there a special festival for Olive Town only?
Nakano: The number of characters in the town is about the same as in Mineral Town. The number of candidates is slightly reduced. The worldview has been redesigned, and it took time to develop the characters. Compared to previous titles, the characters’ personalities are more in-depth, so there are fewer characters to love, but the depth of the characters is more than in the past.
Q: Is it possible to share the land with the villagers in this work?
Nakano: No.
Q: Can I hire NPCs to farm?
Nakano: Although the job-hiring thing is realistic, it’s still not available in this work.
Q: Will Olive Town also have colorful holiday events, and how many times can players participate in them during the year of the game?
Nakano: As usual, you can participate in festivals. Some you can participate in with a pet, and some can be attended with a partner. You can participate in up to 8 festivals per year.
Q: With the fully automatic sprinkler that appeared in the PV, is it true that there are no Sprites to help us with farming in this work?
Nakano: Unfortunately, there will be no sprites as you previously knew in this work. There will be no one to help with the farming, but a round creature called Maruko is scheduled to appear.
Translator’s Note: The interview says まるこ/Maruko, but I haven’t seen anything like that yet. I think it might be this guy:
Q: Since the equipment has evolved so much, are there any greenhouses for vegetables in the winter so that players can continue farming in the winter as well?
Nakano: This work features crops that can be planted in winter, regardless of the equipment and requirements, so that the player can concentrate on the planting work.
Q: Are there any brand new animals in the game?
Nakano: Although there are no additional species of animals that have never been seen before, many previous types such as goats and buffalo have been prepared.
Q: In the process of exploring the forest, players will encounter different plants and animals, can players bring these plants and animals to the ranch to cultivate or raise them?
Nakano: Animals that can be tamed can be brought back to be raised. Players can also buy the same animals from an animal shop in town and raise them. Foraged crops, after harvesting, can be purchased as seeds in the town [general store].
Q: In the trailer, we saw alpacas, which can be raised in their own ranch, will there be more new animal variations waiting for players in this game?
Nakano: Well, goats and buffalo were mentioned earlier. There are also variations of chickens. Many different kinds of animals that can be ridden will appear, such as horses other animals.
Q: How big is Olive Town? How does it compare to Mineral Town?
Nakano: Olive Town is surrounded by nature and the environment is harsh, so it’s not that big. The people who live there are also stronger. It’s about the same size as Mineral Town.
Q: Will there be any online elements in this work?
Nakano: This work has two online elements. Players can upload photos and look at other people’s photos. After uploading Character Data, you will appear as a tourist in someone else’s game. If not uploaded, the game itself also prepares some default tourists.
Q: For those who don’t know the Bokujou Monogatari series, do you think it will appeal to them?
Nakano: Even though the main focus of this game is to develop the land, in the end it is still a ranch. Even though it’s for the ranch, exploration itself is very important. Development is a very interesting element. Compared to the past works, the first time you play it, you will feel more fresh and excited. It’s also easier for new players to get started.
Q: How is the development progress, will the Chinese version be synchronized?
Nakano: We are in the final stages of development. We will try to release the Chinese and Japanese versions at the same time.
Q: Did you encounter any difficulties in development?
Nakano: The development has been full of difficult situations. It took a lot of work to make the characters seem more human.
Q: Will there be a linkage element with the previous work?
Nakano: No.
Q: What about the two-week element?
Nakano: There isn’t any.
Translator’s Note: Not really sure on this one
Q: Why is there no full voice acting in this work?
Nakano: For the development team, Bokumono is a game with a large workload, and in order not to spoil the smooth gameplay feel, full voice acting was not included, considering that it would have been a negative element in this regard.
Q: A word to Chinese gamers, please.
Nakano: This is the first completely new work to be released on NS. The animals on the screen are all very cute and the characters have a lot of personality, so I hope that you will support it.
(Source: api.xiaoheihe.cn)
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