By Curtis Mikell
How the pixel-graphics farming simulator captured the hearts of a loyal fanbase.
Why does Stardew Valley stand atop the farming sim genre? Some might point to its sole programmer, Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone. Barone Created Stardew Valley by himself in his basement, which was unheard of at that time. In 2016 Stardew Valley won The Golden Joystick "Breakthrough Award" and was nominated for seven other awards that year.
Stardew Valley was released on PC on Feb. 26, 2016. Barone created and programmed Stardew Valley as a passion project. One of Barone’s main inspirations for Stardew Valley was the Harvest Moon series, so Barone pushed his game to be better.
I think Stardew Valley hits the mark in every category for a farming simulator. It is like my favorite dish at the local restaurant: I always try to eat something different, but sooner or later I end up going right back to my favorite dish. That is how Stardew Valley is for me, no matter what I'm playing, I always go back to the valley.
In the town of Stardew Valley - Source: Game Developer
It is up to you, the player, to help rebuild the town community center or invest in the shady corporation Joja Mart. This aspect of Stardew Valley really appealed to my wife and I, rebuilding the community center is a fun and challenging way to present busy work without it becoming too tedious.
There are many different features packed into Stardew Valley and many tasks to accomplish. Although, I would have to say the main purpose is to earn money and have your farm prosper. There are many ways to earn money such as selling animal products, like your cow’s milk or you can process the milk into cheese for a larger profit.
Barone created one of the best fishing mechanics in Stardew Valley. It’s challenging, yet fun and rewarding. At first, it was challenging for me to master but once I understood it, it became something I looked forward to.
There are a variety of fish in Stardew Valley’s waters and all these fish reside within their proper biome: ocean, river or lake. Some fish may only come out in certain seasons, at night, or on a rainy day, which gives the player plenty of reasons to keep fishing.
If you are into dating simulators, Stardew Valley has 12 different dateable characters to choose from. The game allows you to date and marry any of the 12 love interests regardless of their gender.
Like most dating simulation games you have to interact with these characters by either chatting with them or giving them gifts. The more you interact with the character the larger your “heart” meter grows. Once you reach max hearts, you are given the option to marry them.
Stardew Valley also has a massive modding community on the PC. The term modding, in a video game, is the ability to modify different aspects of a game.
Do you want your pigs to have a cuter aesthetic? How about changing all the villagers into anime characters? There is a mod for all of that.
Stardew Valley hits every mark that makes a farming simulator great. If you are curious about the farming sim genre, Stardew Valley is a great place to start. If you are a seasoned vet, you should definitely give it a shot.