Stardew Valley

I've been stuck in this game for hours and hours, and I don't regret a minute of it. There are so many levels of depth, and so many different things to do. As soon as one thing starts to feel repetitive, something happens that gives you a new goal to work on. The pacing and "complexity curve" (speed at which new concepts are introduced) is well done, it doesn't feel overwhelming or confusing. What I love most is that the game progresses at such a leisurely pace. Anything you don't understand right away, you've got plenty of time to learn, and even with the time sensitive tasks, there doesn't seem to be a penalty if it doesn't get done, so there's no harm in picking it up and getting sidetracked. Relationships develop fairly slowly, making it feel rewarding when the townspeople start to open up and share things with you. Everything you get, you feel you've earned, and that's something that I haven't seen in too many recent games, which seem to be more about instant gratification. There are learning curves, in the best possible way. As soon as something starts to feel frustrating, you start to get the hang of it. And the world itself has so much charm, which is built on by the ambiance of the music. The attention to detail is wonderful, it's obvious that a lot of love was put into every facet. There's more than enough to fill each day in game, but there's so much to complete - and thus, the addictive cycle of wanting to finish the day's tasks, but being excited for tomorrow. Promising yourself "just one more day" isn't going to cut it. If anybody decides to create a real life Stardew Valley, I'll be on the first plane. It really does feel like home.

I'm going to preface this by saying that I have never played any of the Harvest Moon series. I've seen a handful played, but I've never played one myself. Not really knowing what to expect, I bought the game right after 1.2 came out, loaded it up, played obsessively for a while, then set it back down. Then a few months later, went back to it, played it obsessively for a while, and then set it back down. In two years, I've logged 268 hours of play time. And I find myself going to it more and more when the stresses of real life get to be too much. You can play the game with an eye on maximizing profit, ignoring any other goals. There's nothing wrong with that, and there are plenty of ways to make money. Harvesting any of a wide variety of crops, making jellies, wines, cheese and mayonnaise, harvesting honey, creating an orchard full of fruit trees. You can go fishing, or mining, even raise fish or certain kinds of monsters (slimes). Talking to villagers gives you unique scenes to look inside Pelican Town and the relationships between the villagers. They will also send you useful things in the mail and most villagers have a recipe or two (sometimes more) that they will send you in the mail. Once you've upgraded the farmhouse once, you can cook a wide variety of meals with a wide variety of ingredients required. But you don't HAVE to do any of this. You can forge your own path if you want. The game doesn't force you into anything. I like to go down to the saloon, play one of my favorite tracks and talk to everyone in the saloon, then sit (well, stand, there's no sit animation) and relax until my song is finished. Finally, all updates to the game are still happening (1.4 came out last December), and they are free. There is no DLC, and there don't appear to be any plans for DLC. Simply put, this is one of the best $15 I've ever spent. It's a steal at twice the price. You'll find yourself coming back to the valley again and again. Now I have a fair to get ready for.

Run a farm, befriend the locals, spank some slimes, fix a community centre and run the Amazon analogue out of town. What's not to like? The day cycle is, frankly, a bit short for my liking, and partly results in some unnecessary pressures, but for the most part, it's all rather chill.

There is much to love about this game, the bright colorful artwork, the passing seasons , many animated flavor bits like leaves blowing, water ripples etc. There are events that add fun to the game, just because. There are trippy mermaid concerts, and a hermit with self worth issues. There are calves, chicks, ducklings to grow, horses to ride, lands to explore. There are some slight skill trees, do you ace combat or do you want to just wander around and forage. There is love too and friendship. The sheer amount of stuff to do is great, you build up your farm the way you want, you try and make friends for gifts and bonuses, you build up a community center or not. All the while a clock is ticking to seasonal end and new crops to plot or to while away the winter crafting. The music is pleasant and charming as well. What is not pleasant or fun is the timer. very short daily timers leaves you exhausted trying to get something done before you pass out, which incurs a big penalty if you cant get to bed in time. Just getting up in the morning, checking for tv recipes and then watering your crops or tending to animals puts you into the late afternoon when shops/homes close and you have to wait a day. Its rush rush rush which ruins the whole laid back theme of the game. I almost quit in the beginning as i hate timers. i stuck with it and im glad, it gets better the second in game yr. Still, the game is a grind. Sell what you can to gain money to buy the next improvement. grind grind grind. rush rush rush. Im playing to get to the point where i can just chill, farm maybe. try the absurdly hard fishing game, explore. whatever, but at almost 70s hrs in im finding it hard to play cuz of the grind, the insane rush. take that as you may,

I was looking for a game my daughter can play, most Jump´n´runs are to fast for her, she does not like fighting or weapons (Mario Kart is something she loves, at least). So i was glad that i found this for her to try out. And what can i say? Her older brother also started to play and love it, the same happened to me. It´s simply the best gaming experience i had in years. In the meantime i married and have a kid, still not finished the desert temple, but i will... I think this game is good for everyone looking for something like it and even more for the people who would never think that running a farm in a 16bit village while adventuring, fishing and flirting is the best thing to do.