This post was written by Ashley Lippert for Big Shiny Robot! You can reach her at karanebeti@gmail.com
Stardew Valley – Chucklefish – PC – 02.26.16 — $14.99
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“Stardew Valley” has become an internet darling over the last few months. Every major gaming site was talking about it, which is how it first garnered my attention. Farm sims aren’t usually too big of a draw for me—it’s repetitive gameplay, crops take forever to grow, and the social aspect never grabs me. Stardew’s aesthetic is what sold it for me, though, I smiled just looking at the pictures. The 16-bit art style is full of warm and inviting colors, the animals are adorable and the townsfolk look great. I was pleasantly surprised how much there was to do—there’s plenty to do while your crops grow.
There was only one thing I did every day in “Stardew Valley”—water whatever crops I had. Rainy days were the best because I got to skip that mundane piece and run off to explore some aspect of the town. I spent most of my time in the mine, collecting ores and fighting monsters—nothing too big or scary, just enough to make going through the mines a little more challenging. Geodes were the niftiest things to find, you could take them to the local blacksmith, crack ‘em open and discover new elements.
When I wasn’t breaking my back in the mines, I worked on fixing up the local community center—tiny little forest spirits, junimos, have taken up residence in the rundown center. Junimos will help you get the community center back in working order as you bring them things from around town—it’s a pretty daunting task. Not only do you find things that you can pick up as you wander, there’s all the fish you can catch, crops you grow, and there’s all the raw materials you get from hacking down trees and breaking stones. The junimos also give you rewards in return for your good will, so it was always worth stopping by.
Every other day, I would wander around town and get to know the people. You can give them gifts and such to earn their friendship. At first, you’ll have no idea what to give them, but as you hit certain conditions, you’re treated to little cut scenes that gives you a bit more information about them. There’s a gruff, older looking gentleman that I couldn’t figure out how to win him over. Then I was wandering around town really late at night and I was witness to the poor man dumpster diving for dinner. After that, it was cake.
The rest of the game is pretty standard—you break stuff down with your tools, giving you materials to craft more things like coops or furnaces. There’s the obvious crop growing, and cooking with said crops. I only ran into a few glitches—occasionally, my character would keep walking in the same direction and there were times when I couldn’t move. It wasn’t anything that hindered my enjoyment, but it was noticeable and a little irritating.
“Stardew Valley” is one of the most charming farming sims I’ve come across. It has a memorable art style with vibrant colors, there’s a mine to explore with monsters to fight, quirky little forest spirits, and some endearing cut scenes for the townsfolk. It has a lot more depth than you’d expect and It hits all the right notes for an addictive second life down on the farm.