Let’s face it, at this point everybody and their mother already owns Stardew Valley. The indie Harvest Moon-like released in 2016 and quickly became a hit amongst gamers. Eight years later and the game is still going strong, with no real sign of developer ConcernedApe stopping support any time soon (despite also working on a new game). So while you probably already know all there is to know about the game, this is a PSA for those few people living under a rock for the better part of the past decade: Stardew Valley is 50 percent off on Steam right now and you simply have to take advantage of this deal.
If the term “Harvest Moon-like” confused you, then let me explain. In short, Stardew Valley iterates on the core mechanics of the Harvest Moon (also known as Story of Seasons) series of games. That means there is an in-game day/night and season cycle during which players can grow and harvest crops, do some fishing, construct new buildings on their farm, and form relationships with other residents of the game’s town. This combination of systems (and many more that I didn’t mention) creates the potential for every player to find exactly what they like in Stardew Valley and pursue that for the entire playthrough. In many ways, the mundane but delightful cycle of farming in Stardew Valley’s beautiful pixel art world was responsible for the cozy game trend that is now in full force.
The ability to choose how you play is central to the longevity of Stardew Valley’s success. Each of the game’s systems is fully realized, supporting and rewarding hours upon hours of investment, if you so choose. This also means that you can focus on those elements that appeal to you most. If you don’t like fighting enemies in the mines, for example, you can largely ignore that. Hell, if you want, you don’t even have to farm too much and can just turn this into your own fishing simulator. Which you absolutely should because despite what many people say, the fishing in Stardew Valley is actually excellent!
That breadth of options also means that there is always something new to try if you’re getting stuck in a rut or want to start a new playthrough. Not that Stardew Valley ever really ends. Sure, there is a loose main story to pursue if you want, but even after that’s wrapped up the game constantly has new festivals to attend, new buildings to construct, and even entirely new areas to explore. This is in large part thanks to developer ConcernedApe constantly updating the game. Just this year, patch 1.6 brought with it a slew of new things for players to discover.
All this is to say, Stardew Valley really is as good as everybody says it is. It is the platonic ideal of the cozy farming game. Again, you probably already own it. But even if you do, surely you know somebody who doesn’t, and since Stardew Valley is only $7.49 right now, you could buy it for them as a gift! Who wouldn’t want that gift?
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