Stardew Valley is NOT a Wholesome Game, and Here’s Why
WARNING: Spoilers ahead
I can’t lie, the first time that I saw Stardew Valley gameplay, it was not looking like my cup of tea. I have always been a first-person game kind of gal (Think Skyrim, Horizon Zero Dawn, Assassins Creed, etc.) so when my boyfriend started playing this pixelated 2D game, I was less than interested…until I tried it.
Let me tell you, the chokehold that this game has had on my life, is bonkers. Since I started playing, I have purchased the game on three different platforms so that I could take it on the go. On the PlayStation alone, my save file sits at over 300 hours of gameplay and counting as my farm is growing and I work toward total completion. Stardew Valley was completely developed and composed by Concerned Ape, a one-man show of talent in development and composition, and he has continuously updated the game and added new features over the few years that it has been out. The game was expansive in the beginning, and the story just kept getting richer and deeper.
Recently on TikTok, there have been many lists of “wholesome gaming” options, usually targeted toward women, and usually produced by women with a very aesthetically pleasing room and a custom-wrapped Nintendo Switch to play on, who grab their cup of tea and fluffy socks to sit in their room and play, calling it such a “wholesome little game”. Which, if you’re playing it as strictly a farming simulator, is very wholesome indeed. I mean no hate to these women because honestly, I want my room and life to look like that too (who wouldn't…they always look so comfortable!) However, if you go beyond the farming simulator aspect to try and unlock every tiny detail of the game and to get into the full story of Stardew Valley and its residents, is to know that this game, is far from wholesome. It’s no secret that every small town has its problems.
- The town alcoholic drives the bus.
Before tackling the community center bundles to get it fixed, the town bus that rides between Pelican Town and the Calico Desert is broken down right outside of your farm. Pam was the bus driver previously and according to the dialogue was laid off when the bus broke down and comes back as the bus driver once the required bundles are completed. She is also known as the most loyal customer at the Stardrop Saloon, where you will find her every night after her shift. Does it seem a little concerning to anyone else that the one person in town that probably shouldn’t drive, is the only one who does? A few of Pam’s favorite gifts are beer, mead, pale ale, and pina colada. Gus, the owner of the Saloon, enables her nightly when she has a shift in the morning. You’ll often find her sitting at her trusty spot, where she's asking for another drink, hiccupping, or straight up not responding because she's “out of it”.
2. Mayor Lewis just sucks.
He’s the mayor, and we all want to respect the mayor, right? Wrong. First off, he let the community center sit in disrepair until he expects you’re the one who’s going to fix it for him, when Robin, the carpenter, and builder lives right up the road. He was ready to sell the space to Joja Mart and let them virtually bulldoze the town. Not only that, but we frequently see Lewis in the town buildings, claiming to be there to collect business tax. What is the tax being used for if not fixing the community center or the bus? Penny mentions that the tax goes to running the Museum, yet there are library books scattered in the dirt all around town. Most notably though, his relationship and sneaking around with Marnie is something else. If you have both Mayor Lewis and Marnie at 6 hearts, the game triggers a cutscene in which Marnie is confronting Lewis about how she doesn’t want to sneak around anymore, but Lewis is more worried about his reputation than showing off his woman. When you stumble upon the scene, Lewis makes you decide whether you’ll out them or not, which doesn’t seem fair. If you do choose to out them to the whole town, Lewis will cry, which is a great outcome if you ask me.
3. Abigail may not be Pierre’s daughter.
This may be the most well-known scandal in Stardew Valley, but still a scandal! Notably, there is some pretty suspicious dialogue that does everything but gives us a confirmation that Caroline used to mess around with the Wizard in the past and that Abigail might be his illegitimate daughter, and not Pierre’s. It’s no secret that Abigail is a unique and quirky character, but there must be a reason for it. Caroline mentions that when they first arrived in Pelican Town, before Abigail was born, she used to take “secret walks to the Wizard’s tower, but don't tell Pierre, he has jealousy issues.” What would cause Pierre to be jealous if it was an innocent walk to the Wizard tower? Abigail mentions that she “can't remember the last time she dyed her hair” and that the purple color never seems to fade, which would make purple her natural color. Caroline has green hair, and Pierre is closer to a redhead, but the Wizard has purple hair, which would explain why Abigails would mysteriously be a natural purple. Lastly, we see the wizard say, “You mustn't tell anyone…but I have reason to believe that one of the locals is actually my daughter.” How much more undeniable could it be?
4. Demetrius is a jerk.
This has been more of a recent find for me and one that caught me off guard. It appears that Demetrius’ relationships with his family members are rather rocky. He is married to Robin, the town carpenter, Maru is his daughter, and Sebastian (Robin’s son from a previous marriage) is his stepson. He puts Maru on a pedestal. If you gain friendship points with her, one of the first cutscenes you’ll encounter is Demetrius threatening you not to hurt his little girl, even though she is an adult. He frequently gets upset about you interrupting his plans for his daughter’s future, regardless of what she wants for her own future. Now a protective father figure can but endearing and all, but he holds Maru in such high regard and leaves Sebastian in the dust. Sebastian already feels like an outsider in the town, and Demetrius likes to reinforce that feeling which is so low. And somehow, Robin still tolerates him, even though he treats her son like dirt. In a cutscene, Robin sends Demetrius to the store for fruit, and he brings back tomatoes, which triggers an argument between the two on whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable, and in the end, you are asked to decide who is right. Regardless of who is correct, when someone asks for fruit from the store, they almost never mean tomatoes. It makes Demetrius. appear cocky to make such a ridiculous assumption. Additionally, after completing a request from the job board of delivering 80 pieces of hardwood to Robin, another cutscene is triggered in which she has built a new bed from the wood you provided. She is incredibly proud of her creation, and Demetrius comes in to tell her how much of a waste of materials it was for the carpenter to use wood to build furniture. Seems ridiculous right? But once again, you are mediating their petty fight.
I know that there are more reasons that the Stardew Valley storyline could be considered not-wholesome (ie. Leah’s abusive ex, Alex’s previous abusive situation, Emily and Haley's Parents abandoning them, and Shane’s ENTIRE troubled life) but in the end, this games relationship development is beautiful. Characters do develop and warm up more to you as you interact with them which makes Pelican Town so alive and like an actual small town that has dark secrets hidden behind the charm.
Will I ever discover every secret of Stardew valley? Who knows. I will enjoy the journey and continue to get to know the quirky townsfolk for now as we look forward to the next masterpiece from ConcernedApe!
