Stardew Valley

The phrase "Harvest Moon ripoff" gets thrown around a lot on the review page, but let me set the record straight: This is a ripoff of Harvest Moon, you know, in the sense that both Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley are games about farming. In reality, this game offers so many improvements over the Harvest Moon style that it's a wonder we haven't seen a game like this sooner. Yes, you plant crops, raise animals, ship produce and animal products and use the money to improve your house and buy gifts to impress the single women (or men) of the small town you live in. But the mechanics go so much deeper then that. There are dozens of plant types you grow, from vegetables to flowers, and even more things you can ship and sell, from minerals to fish to maple syrup to mayonnaise to even building materials, like cut wood or mined stone! There's a crafting system in the game that allows you to produce scarecrows, furnaces, syrup taps, fertilizer, and a host of decorative items. You can build multiple types of fences, paved pathways to map out your land, wells to provide locations to refill your water can, and even automatic sprinkler systems. The townsfolk are lively and every one of them have their own schedule and story lines, even birthdays. They aren't badly translated Japanese characters either (like Popuri or Wizard) They are realistic people with realistic goals and desires that make sense based on their home lives. The quiet bookworm lives in a trailer with her single, poor mom. The handsome, aloof man lives on the beach and surfs all day. The shopkeeper has trouble competing with the mega chain store just down the street, etc. The town, though small, has a ton of charm you'll fall in love with Combine this with a cooking system, movable furniture, an adventure mode in the mines, and even a collectibles minigame and you have one of the best farm games ever made. Don't call it a ripoff, baby. This game is an improvement over the HM series in every way!

Stardew Valley takes elements of Harvest Moon, Rune factory and animal crossing and then becomes better than all three. Bold statement, huh? Here's why. Firstly, the amount of content this game has is astounding. You have farming, fishing, mining, foraging, combat, NPCs, quests, special events... and the best part is that the game is well-balanced and makes different play styles viable, and fun. Next, characters. No silly anime-like tropes in this game, no sir-ree. The characters feel like real people who you can relate to, and, yes, you can marry one. So awesome and fun character interactions! You've also got a HUUUUUUUGE amount of customisation for your farm. Want a fenced off area for your maple syrup plantation? Sure! How about a place you can put all your pickling vegetables or spring berries you're turning into jam? We got a place for that. How about all your animals and bee huts, you want a place for them too?... I think you see where this is going. This customisation extends to the house as well as your main farm. Finally, music, graphics and overall feel... are spectacular. The music is awesome at conveying mood, and the sprite-based graphics are great (and will give the game much longevity for many many years to come). Probably my favourite aspect are the seasonal changes. The change in colours, sounds, music and everything culminate into a genuinely beautiful world. Good - A beautiful game - Well-balanced with many fun characters (Abigail = best girl) - Very nice music - Addictive gameplay that can suit different styles and approaches - An overarcing main story (Not done... pretty poignant so far) - The developer is very attentive to community Bad - Has a few minor bugs on release (that are being fixed) - Perhaps needed one more 'older' marriageable bachelor - Takes a little time to figure out at start This game was made by a single developer whose love and dedication shines through... looking forward to the planned multiplayer and added features!

The game no doubt borrows ideas from harvest moon and adds some really interesting (and addicting...ack!) aspects to the gameplay from other games...and mixes them up in a way that feels like a fresh perspective. At it's core it's a farming/life sim. Farming, exploration, and getting along with the neighbors feels solid. You have lots of options for making $. There is also combat and rpg elements like upgrading equipment and more. You can craft...it's not super deep but you do have options with little to no confusion. You probably have read this several times from other reviews but it's true...for fans of harvest moon, rune factory, or animal crossing just get it. You won't regret it. It scratches the same itch and more. Stardew Valley is its own thing so you aren't playing the previously mentioned games over again. Even if you had a hard time getting into harvest moon series, Stardew Valley does a great job of introducing you to the genre and explains things clearly in a well-paced manner. It won't take you long to see where the game is going. You are dropped with a lot of options but the journal/questlog helps get you started. The graphics and music are a charming throwback to the 16 bit era but look and sound a bit fancier. I told myself I was just going to play for two or three days (in gametime...30 min to 1 hour typically) and before I realized it, it was FOUR hours later in my real life. This has happened more than once. I'm not complaining...because it doesn't feel like a grind. It's really fun. I can see so many hours into this game. $15 is a great value for the timesink this game is. Hopefully multiplayer will be along someday. It is currently planned for this game. Beware. Some folks are crashing but I've not personally seen anything game-breaking. Only 3 days into the release and quite a few things have been fixed. Hopefully this game becomes totally bug-free for most people. It's great. A really leisurely-paced comfy game so far. 9/10.

An absolutely fantastic game inspired by Harvest Moon. If you've enjoyed Harvest Moon in the past, and have a desire to play a new Harvest Moon I can not recommend this game enough.