Stardew Valley’s Yandere Elliott Mod

One of the core ideals in Stardew Valley is the wholesome interactions with the characters. Most of the NPCs are quick to welcome the player to their town and even the ones who take a bit of time to warm up to the player apologize for the way they formerly interacted with the player. They may have had acceptable reasons, but the act of apologizing conveys that act of personal growth and overcoming personal trauma through the interactions with the player. Stardew Valley has an expansive range of mods available. Among them is a mod that adapts the dialogue and behaviors of one of the romanceable characters, the “Yandere Elliott Mod”. With this mod, the wholesome dialogue of Elliott is replaced by dialogue and behaviors that speak to underlying toxicity and possessiveness that becomes more pronounced as the relationship develops. Depending on the player’s actions, there can even be a result wherein the player is no longer able to leave their farm. Attempting to leave the farm will trigger a cutscene that has Elliott catch the player to prevent them from running away.

The Yandere Elliott Mod, and many other Yandere mods similar to it, can definitely affect the player’s sense of wholesomeness. By bringing in elements that are not native to the game, a player can have a completely different experience in the gameplay. This is especially true if you reach a “bad end” like the one in this mod, which prevents the player from leaving their farm. By preventing the player from leaving their farm, this ending cuts off a significant part of the gameplay experience. If the player cannot leave their farm, they cannot go to the mines or the forest to gather materials. They cannot build new buildings or buy new animals. They cannot travel to the desert. Perhaps most significantly, they can no longer interact with other characters apart from Elliott. This goes against many of the vanilla game’s mechanics. It forces the player to focus on Elliott instead of all the other options afforded in the gameplay. According to Galloway, “It [countergaming] serves to hinder gameplay, not advance it.” With that being said, I certainly feel that this mod relates to this theory of countergaming.