You may have heard of Stardew Valley, a game created over the course of four years by indie developer Eric Barone (AKA ConcernedApe), initially for the PC. Whether it’s farming, mining, or fishing, fans of the Harvest Moon series have been enamored with Stardew Valley’s offerings. There are many aspects that make this game in the running for one of the best games of all time, ranging from ConcernedApe’s dedication to the further development of the game (Patch 1.4 just came out and added in all kinds of new features) to the realistic and enjoyable cast of characters. There is a notable testament to its success; in its first week, Stardew Valley sold around 800,000 copies. As of 2017, the game has sold at least 3.5 million copies, but that number has only continued to increase as new fans are brought in.
Personally, I was sort of “meh” about the game at first. I’d gotten it for free from a friend who got the Humble Bundle and wasn’t interested, and I’d heard about it before on a few YouTube channels. I didn’t even necessarily put it high on my list of games I had yet to play. It felt kind of slow, farming crops was never the thing I cared about in the Harvest Moon games, and some of the characters were insulting to my face. Haley, yes, I know my clothes are ugly. You don’t have to tell me.
But something planted a seed in my heart for this game. It may have been the appeal to my life- simulation-game roots from The Sims, Animal Crossing, and Harvest Moon, but there’s more to it than that. It takes the genre’s greatest strengths and capitalizes on them. Having trouble getting around quickly? Save up Hardwood to build a stable and get your horse! Not a fan of farming and would rather beat up monsters? Here’s your sword; get swinging. Are you going to fix up the Community Center? You better! (Otherwise, you’re a Joja Co. shill…) Stardew Valley leaves so much up to the player. That feeling of freedom can be hard to find in today’s gaming climate, despite all the open-world RPGs out there.
The moment I realized that I had just spent 7 hours playing this game confirmed it—I love this game. As of now, I have 196 hours in the game. That doesn’t sound like much compared to other serious players, but it’s a lot more time than I’ve spent on most other games. Stardew Valley has that “just one more” syndrome that makes it hard to put down. I often get into the groove of the daily tasks and go with the flow, talking to my neighbors and chasing down artifacts.
There’s one thing in particular that Stardew Valley does right. It lets you be yourself. Customization options are in-depth for the pixel-style artwork. There’s a wide variety of skin tones, hair colors, and extra facial features like mustaches or glasses. Though the only gender choices are male and female, there’s nothing stopping the player from making their character dress and act the way they want. There are always several dialogues options when confronted with the choice to say something, and your responses can trigger the townspeople to like or dislike you.
Most of all, you are free to marry any of the 12 bachelors/bachelorettes in town. No longer are these the days of limited Japanese RPGs that seem hesitant to endorse LGBT+ experiences. Your friendships, romances, and even perhaps future family members are all available to you.
Even beyond all this, there is a magic to the game’s atmosphere. Fantasy exists here. Ghosts and ghouls and slimy foes wait for you in the mine. Fish an eel directly out of what might be lava. Play Journey of the Prarie King and lose a million times. ConcernedApe has given us a lot to discover.
I love this game, and I want to scream it from the mountaintops. I hope that, maybe, you’ll think about moving to the Valley, too.