Stardew Valley

A fun game that consumes my time. Really scratches that Harvest Moon itch. Two gripes, though.... 1) Really difficult to immerse with the character. IRL I am in my 30's, I started the game thinking I was ambiguously an adult, but it seems that (through game events and dialogue of being called a kid) I am early 20's (able to drink in a saloon though, so over 21)? and the only "single" girls are portrayed as still K12 age (except for penny)? The women that are interesting to me are all not available. Some do not have partners, so it is clear that an age gap is the reason. Sad. Guess I'm playing a loner and have to ignore story elements. 2) Really debated this vs. the steam version in the beginning, but now regretting the GoG purchase: it seems the GoG version is 2 patches behind! I am certain I have the 1.0.5 version, but steam is a month ahead with 1.0.7. You can't see this in game, but the file properties plus comparing patch notes with features in the GoG version confirms ver1.0.5924 as of 5APR. WTF.

It's true this is essentially "Harvest Moon for PC", and if that's all you are looking for then you found it. But what we really have here is a culmination of over a decade of HM-likes, this takes all the good from not just the core series, but ideas from Rune Factory ( the more RPG focused HM series ) as well. I've been partial to the series since the beginning and the addition of dungeon crawling, equipment and a ridiculous number of stats and traits to level ( you literally get XP toward "walk"ing in Rune Factory ) add to the distractions and random fun between farm work. The other distraction is, of course, the townsfolk, and the characters here have all the charm and personality that any of the HM games ever did, which is quite a bit. Characters have a unique feel which goes a long way toward making you want to get to know them, and in turn actually caring about the town and community. It's honestly hard to find a flaw, but even if that's just nostalgia for me, I know this is something very special. Long time fan or curious first timer, there is much more than just growing crops to these games, allow yourself to escape and enjoy the simple pleasures of building a farm and becoming part of this small town.

This is in absolutely charming game with fantastic updates coming out. The developers are absolutely fanstastic, and I will be looking forward to their future games!

It's a game that dosn't let you put it down, i've played it not realised the time fly!

I was ecstatic when I found out that one of my all time favourite game - Harvest Moon, has got a spiritual successor that is better in almost every area. I have been playing it for a while now, it's addictive, it's beautiful, there's a depth and diversity to the story and gameplay. I think what I wanted to say had been covered by most other reviews here, so I will head back to my game instead..