Stardew Valley is an indie farming simulation game crafted by sole developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone. With a February 26th, 2016 launch date, Stardew is celebrating its ninth birthday during the month of February. Initially, the game was only available to those playing on PC; however, its massive success has spawned many ports to other platforms including Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo Switch, IOS, and Android. Across all available platforms, Stardew Valley has sold over 41 million copies. You create and play as the farmer, who scraps their boring life in the city to inherit the farmland of their late grandfather in Stardew Valley. Upon arrival, your farmer gets to experience everything that the valley has to offer — the distinct seasons, the mysterious mines, the intriguing secrets, and the charming residents of Pelican Town, including twelve romanceable bachelors or bachelorettes. Before moving forward, Falyn and I would like to voice that Stardew Valley may not be suitable for all players. Some NPCs suffer from alcoholism, depression, or severe suicidal thoughts. If you’re uncomfortable with any of these topics, Stardew may not be the best fit for you. If you’re searching for an alternative, Minecraft and the “Animal Crossing” franchise bear similarities to Stardew Valley but do not feature these themes.
In Stardew Valley, there are five main “professions” that the player can master: farming, mining, foraging, fishing, and combat. These areas can look a bit different depending on the in-game season. These various skill sets provide the player with plenty to do to stay busy — it is quite impossible to find yourself bored in this game. Farming is the first skill the player would usually practice; all farms have soil which can be tilled and used to plant crops. Crops are the major producer of income when first starting off the game. Each season provides its own set of crops, all which can be purchased from Pierre´s Shop or Joja Mart. The only season with no buyable seeds would be winter unless the greenhouse has been unlocked. Mining is another profession the player can take up. The game has two main mines, one being the initial one in Pelican Town and the second being the Skull Cavern in the Calico Desert. In the mines the player will come across various ores and minerals, as well as mobs. This is why the player is granted a sword when first entering the mines. The ultimate goal in the first mine is to reach level 120 by digging down; the completion grants access to the Skull Cavern. There are unlimited floors in the Skull Cavern — and the mobs are much more dangerous — so tread with caution!
The next profession is foraging. The player can run all around Pelican Town, gathering all sorts of items — like seasonal fruits and flowers. This is an important aspect to the game as foragables are needed for some of the community center bundles. Foragables also provide an easy and smooth way to gather energy for the mines or ingredients to later use in preserve jars to make jam. Fishing also provides an assortment of outlets for gold accumulation. The higher quality and rarity of fish that you catch, the more gold you will make off of selling them. The player can fish in an assortment of spots, some mine levels such as 20, 60, and 100 have special ponds where rare fish can be caught. There is also the beach, the river, the lake, and the Secret Woods’ pond. Lastly, combat skills are acquired from fighting mobs in the mines in both the basic and Skull Cavern set of mines. Mobs can drop a mixture of items the player will need and can use for later purposes in the game. Most items gained from these professions can be sold for money or used in bundles at the community center. Gold is crucial for the player to gain, as it can be used to buy new seeds for more farming opportunities, upgrade tools, buy stronger swords, purchase farm animals, or upgrade your farm. If you plan on being stylish, you can also buy hats using said gold!
Stardew grants a miscellany of farms to pick from when the player first starts up the game. Each farm has both its pros and cons. For example, the cliff farm provides a unique design but the amount of farming soil is limited and some parts of the farm naturally get in the way. You also have the basic farm which provides the most farmable soil but lacks the unique aspect. Certain farms favor a different profession such as the beach farm which provides little soil to farm but a wide variety of fishing waters. You can also gain foragables from the waters, but the beach is not a recommended starter farm for new players. The four corners farm grants larger spaces for co-op opportunities. It’s a farm with 4 large corners with different purposes, making it great for those fishing to play with friends. The selection is all dependent on the player’s skill level and plan for their save file. While all farms come with their own unique designs, they can all be decorated with an assortment of paths, scarecrows, statues, etc. You can gain recipes for these decorations by leveling up and purchasing them from Robin at her shop. Once you gain a certain amount of overall earnings, you’ll be treated to a cutscene featuring Demitrius, the local scientist. All farms include a small cave that appears to be useless prior to this cutscene. In actuality, the player gets to make a critical decision on what they’d like to use this cave for — fruit bats which drop fruits within the cave, or a mushroom cave that grows mushrooms. Mushrooms and fruit are both helpful to the game, however, the items serve different purposes. Some argue that the fruit cave is more useful, dropping an assortment of fruit which can be used to make jam, gifts, fulfill bundles, or produce wine. Stardew Valley provides plenty of opportunities to customize your farm and character to your liking, making the game even more fun to explore with the added customization.
Stardew Valley’s NPCs are at the heart of its gameplay. There are over 40 characters, all with distinct personalities and, for some, backstories to be uncovered. The player can strengthen their relationships with the people of Pelican Town by speaking with them daily and gifting them their favorite items. Some characters will respond differently to certain items than others; Elliott is a character who loves lobster, but Haley is a character who hates lobster. NPCs that the player maintains a positive relationship with will sometimes deliver useful gifts of their own. Your relationships with the townspeople are measured in hearts, and once you reach certain heart milestones (two hearts, four hearts, etc.), you will experience “heart events” which are cutscenes focusing on that character. Some of these cutscenes will reveal information about the character that cannot be gathered from their daily dialogue alone. Twelve of Stardew’s NPCs are romanceable — the farmer can date, marry, and have children with a bachelor or bachelorette of their choice. The player’s relationship with their romantic partner will be stronger than their other in-game friendships, and spouse relationships will be measured using a maximum fourteen hearts instead of ten hearts. In my save file, I married Harvey — Pelican Town’s local doctor. Falyn chose to marry Shane, a decision they soon regretted due to the character’s pessimistic nature.
“All he does is gurgle at me and talk about the old days, instead of our future together. I much prefer Alex.”
In Stardew, you do have the option to divorce your spouse. However, you’ll have to pay a fee of 50,000 gold to initiate the separation.
Falyn was excited for us to include the bonds that can be formed with the animals of Stardew as well. This is likely due to their love for Maizy, their Stardew Valley cat who shares the name of their real life kitty. Most players acquire a dog or cat within the first in-game year — but the player can adopt additional pets from Marnie’s farm with enough gold. You are not limited to the standard house pets, though — this is a farming simulation game after all! Cows, horses, goats, pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks, rabbits, and even turtles are able to be purchased and kept in barns or coops.
In short, Stardew Valley provides a rich gaming experience with diverse and compelling gameplay, engaging customization, and charming, lifelike NPCs. Stardew sells for $15.00 on Xbox, Playstation, and Windows, $20.00 on Nintendo Switch, and $5.00 on IOS and Android. The game has been nominated for and even won some awards, including the 2016 Golden Joystick Breakthrough Award and the 2017 NAVGTR Best Simulation Game Award. This RPG’s massive success is wildly impressive given the fact that it was made by one man, Eric Barone. Falyn and I highly recommend the game, as we have both thoroughly enjoyed our time with it.
