Stardew Valley

Please note that this review is based on the Steam version of the game. I'm pretty far into the game and I have to say that it's absolutely amazing! It's as if the developer set out to make a homage to the Harvest Moon series and then left it in his dust. This game is better than any of the recent Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons games by far. The gameplay, graphics, and music are phenomenal and you can feel how dedicated the developer was to making a quality game. It's very well programmed and runs smoothly on just about anything. Why are you still reading this? Go buy the game! It's so incredibly worth it. This might be my game of the year for 2016. It's set a very high bar for anything else to come close to topping. Oh, I'm not quite done with the game yet either. In fact I believe the main story lasts for three years of in-game time and I'm only into spring of my second year. I've been taking my time. I may edit this review again further down the road depending on how things go.

This is a very playable game; comfortable and easy to get into, a relaxing, easy playing style and lots of nice and interesting things to do each day. Playing one extra day only takes another 10-15 minutes, so it's easy to justify not quitting! Appealing to kids and adults alike - my young daughter enjoys the game as much as I do. Never played Harvest Moon or Rune Factory but I have played Animal Crossing on the Wii and it's quite similar to that. Most of my thoughts about it are positive so take it as read that I think it's a great game. :) My few criticisms revolve around some knowledge being based too heavily on trial and error. Knowing which gifts to give people to gain favour, for example, and knowing the daily routines of the people in town -- if you have to get a certain item and give it to a certain person within a couple of days, for example, it can be hard to track that person down in time. Some people spend a lot of time in their bedrooms, which you don't have access to if you don't already know that person well. Some method of being able to track people down would be really useful. In some cases I consulted guides on the web to answer some of these questions. Overall, it's a great mix of RPG aspects, exploration, simple combat, puzzle solving and relationship building. Great for all ages, it holds your interest well and seems like it would have a good degree of replayability. Highly recommended!

As this game starts, it would seem like a harvest moon type game but it goes so much farther than that. This game has so much more customization than most farming games on the market right now, and goes beyond farming to include a storyline plot with the 2 different options for the main line (Joja Cola or Community Center), social aspects up to babies, physical fighting with control, complete customization of layout of the farm, and a very large exploration map. This seems like a crash between Harvest Moon and Fantasy Life (3DS). I highly recommend if you want a game with a large amount of replay ability.

This brings back so many wonderful memories from my childhood playing Harvest Moon. I honestly enjoyed it so much i bought it on GOG and Steam. The game is made with love and is still being supported and will have a new patch soon. Im writing this (12th Sept 2016) and will add more content for free. Make sure to treat yourself on this. You will for sure spend time on this game and look up and wonder where all the time went. You can date , get married , farm , fish , mine , explore , be a good person , or be bad. Its all in there. Pick what makes you happy. No wrong way to play this. Playing on PC you can easily mod this, but play the first version before you go anywhere with modding, you will find it enjoyable. I highly reccomend this for anyone who likes these types of games. If you are unsure if you would like it make sure to check out a video on youtube.

I resisted this game for years. I finally put several hours into it. The world is fairly open, and there are a lot of quests and npcs to get familiar with. After only a few days, I believe the price of Stardew Valley is very generous for what the game offers. Good: - There's so much content. This game continually surprises me with all the mini games and extra game mechanics. -I didn't think I'd appreciate the tool/item crafting, but I now see how it adds to the game depth as my farm grows. -So far, the game is friendly enough to enjoy with friends and family. I like the fact that it doesn't rely on guns and violence to engage the player, but still offers optional combat in the mines. - All the in-game routines have something of a meditative effect. I often feel a little more relaxed after playing. It wouldn't be surprising if Stardew Valley were being used in neuroscience research. Bad: - Tracking down the npcs takes more work than most of the quests themselves. That process can be a little boring at times, but whatever. Maybe it's designed that way to get the player to explore more of the map. - The plot is forgettable. Something about a bus and a community centre? The plot thread is just too thin. Maybe it will come together later on, but all the side quests feel like complete diversions from the story. It would be nice if they were a little more integrated than just earning money/supplies.