A game that masterfully balances openness with player progression, Stardew Valley redefines the farming sim genre with a variety of tasks and activities to explore.
The player can opt to complete the community centre, learning how to obtain a myriad of items as they go. Progress can also be bought through the Joja Community Development Form, foregoing tricky items but exploration and NPC friendship too.
There's no "right" way to do things. The farming element can be ditched in favour of exploring the mines or going fishing for cash. Of course, the fun of this game is customising your land with a variety of buildings and layouts.
There's a solid variety of maps to choose from, each offering benefits and hazards. Many will opt for a standard farm with a lot of land, but there are options of a Wilderness Farm that has monsters come out at night, as well as a beach farm that renders the convenient sprinklers useless. It's definitely a game that can be replayed in a variety of different ways.
As of the 1.5 update, players can now achieve "Perfection" through a list of endgame tasks with a surprise for those who manage to finish them. But the game can be played indefinitely, I've seen folks play dozens of in-game years.
The music is beautiful, with a variety of tunes that set the mood for each season. The game somehow captures the melancholy of fall and the sluggishness of summer.
I have very few gripes with this game. The variety of weapons feel redundant once a powerful sword comes into play quite early in the game. Many folks I have spoken to find the fishing to be quite tedious, with many putting it off for as long as possible (although, it didn't bother me personally). I feel that there were a few missed opportunities when it came to the effects of boots and rings, and I certainly would love to see more magical items with properties besides warping.
Other than my gripes, it's very easy to recommend Stardew Valley. It has the variety to be exciting whilst being laid back enough to be relaxing. Wholly recommended.
The player can opt to complete the community centre, learning how to obtain a myriad of items as they go. Progress can also be bought through the Joja Community Development Form, foregoing tricky items but exploration and NPC friendship too.
There's no "right" way to do things. The farming element can be ditched in favour of exploring the mines or going fishing for cash. Of course, the fun of this game is customising your land with a variety of buildings and layouts.
There's a solid variety of maps to choose from, each offering benefits and hazards. Many will opt for a standard farm with a lot of land, but there are options of a Wilderness Farm that has monsters come out at night, as well as a beach farm that renders the convenient sprinklers useless. It's definitely a game that can be replayed in a variety of different ways.
As of the 1.5 update, players can now achieve "Perfection" through a list of endgame tasks with a surprise for those who manage to finish them. But the game can be played indefinitely, I've seen folks play dozens of in-game years.
The music is beautiful, with a variety of tunes that set the mood for each season. The game somehow captures the melancholy of fall and the sluggishness of summer.
I have very few gripes with this game. The variety of weapons feel redundant once a powerful sword comes into play quite early in the game. Many folks I have spoken to find the fishing to be quite tedious, with many putting it off for as long as possible (although, it didn't bother me personally). I feel that there were a few missed opportunities when it came to the effects of boots and rings, and I certainly would love to see more magical items with properties besides warping.
Other than my gripes, it's very easy to recommend Stardew Valley. It has the variety to be exciting whilst being laid back enough to be relaxing. Wholly recommended.