I don’t know what it is about these Harvest moon style games but they are like crack to me. I have long periods where I have seemingly kicked the habit and then one little taste and BAM, it’s 3am and I haven’t eaten or showered for a day. I abscond myself completely within the domain of my blanket fort in front of the computer while my dog looks at me through the door with that sad face because I didn’t walk her, again and my hubby just rolls his eyes when he sees the farm as he walks by.
These simulators are always bad news to me. I love them but probably a bit too much and even bad ones played on Facebook, mobile, or from the browser get me addicted to it. There is just something relaxing and comforting about getting involved in a certain in game routine. Completing the same actions over and over for meager rewards, but oddly satisfying when you look back after a time at what you’ve completed. Or not consider how much you don’t do in the real world.
Stardew Valley is everything you expect from those games and more. Farming a variety of different plants, tending animals and growing a small plot of plants into a large, thriving farm. However it does just tend to offer a lot more than I usually see which is great. There are a wealth of different plants there, several animals and a variety of ways about how you want to maximise this growth. It starts off rather time consuming but as you go, you start reply optimising the process until a lot of it is automated, or at least easier to do which leaves you to tend other areas or enjoy other parts of the game.
It is these aspects that give you a lot of choice and also a strong ongoing sense of progression. New plants to grow with the seasons, bigger plots to develop, and buildings to add to the growing farm that let you grow certain animals . There are also a few other neat machines to add as a way of transforming certain items you have like making beer, cheese and honey. There is just so much there to pick from and to work towards, enough to keep you very busy.
There is a nice element of personal progression too with it being the more you sell and earn in a particular area, the higher your level in that task gets. First it’s just a slight buff to your tools and such and then every 5 levels a larger buff of two to pick from. Each area of the game is included from farming, foraging, fishing, mining and combat.
All these elements are rather fun distractions as well and technically, you could specialise in either of these and start making a lot of money. For me, they are more activities to be done when everything is finished at the farm. Fishing to pass the time and earn extra money. Mining because I need more crafting components. I tend to enjoy fishing the most, after getting used to the little mini game it’s rather enjoyable and there are many different areas to go, each with their own types of fish to catch that change with the seasons and weather.
The caves where you mine and kill mobs for drops is an interesting diversion as well. You constantly delve deeper into the mines and the deeper you get, the more you find. New ores and crystals. Different cave biomes and lots of new mob types. Each 5 levels it tends to save your progress to the lift as well so you can easily get back to where you were the next day.
Each area has a certain long term progression aspect in the case of the mystery at the community centre. Those weird little nature beings that inhabit the place and ask for certain gifts that need a collection of seasonal produce, fish, ores and other little items. Each time you fulfilling a package it rewards some really nice items and fulfilling a complete section allows new access to different areas, or new buildings to use on the farm. It’s nice to have these to work towards as they give a lot more direction to your play about what to do, grow and build next.
And last there are the collection of villagers out there to meet and greet that each have their own schedules they kind of keep to during the day. Walking around, running their shops and seemingly interacting with each other. You can slowly earn their trust and friendship but this was an area I didn’t really focus on that much. Just talking to then everyday as you pass through can be enough to lift interest although, very slowly. The best way is gifting presents and each person has there own interests, gleamed through conversations, that it helps to appeal to. This rewards a good bit of interest with them and you can give 2 presents a week, doing this would me out the friendship relatively quickly. Eventually, with a few of the residents you are able to be more than friends and even have them move in with you at the farm where they may help out a little.
A lot of cool Community events too
It’s a great game, and an addictive one at that, that perfectly exemplifies the “one more turn” kind of play. You get completely sucked into that daily lifestyle of set chores and tasks yet because of how well it balances short and long term goals, with many little options to choose from about how you want to grow and develop your farm, it never feels that overwhelming and continues to feel rewarding no matter how much time you put in.
I give it a “I nearly missed work today because of it” out of ten.
