This is not my beautiful virtual wife | Stardew Valley review, years later
Who knew that I would get so invested in a virtual farm and my virtual wife? And that I would tell myself this is not my beautiful virtual farm, and this is not my beautiful virtual wife?
Stardew Valley came out in 2016 and took the indie gaming world by storm. It was developed entirely by one person, Eric Barone, and published by Chucklefish. Nobody expected a farming simulator reminiscent of Harvest Moon would be such a transcendent experience for so many players. I see it recommended on forums all over the place to this day, and gamers often remark on the game’s ability to whisk you away from reality into the bright, happy world of Pelican Town.
The game starts as the player character realizes their unhappiness and boredom with their office job, and decides to move away and restore the family farm they inherited from their grandfather. However, the game isn’t just a thoughtless farming sim and there’s much more than just planting crops and tending to animals. You can go into the nearby mines to search for treasures and encounter light combat, go fishing around town, cook some nice meals with ingredients you foraged, or simply get to know some of the other townsfolk. It’s a very calming experience, but I find myself getting invested in making a great farm and wooing the cute bachelors and bachelorettes in town.
You can’t necessarily “win” Stardew Valley, but there is an evaluation of sorts at the end of the third year. Your grandpa’s ghost comes back to light any number of four candles on an altar on your farm based on your performance in certain areas: things like how friendly you were in the community or how much money you made. Having all four candles lit means you passed the old man’s test and you can continue living a fulfilling, successful life on the farm. If you don’t get all the candles, you can still improve certain aspects of your play and have him re-evaluate next year. This evaluation has no bearing on the gameplay, so players should feel free to navigate the gameplay whichever way fits their style best.
Another potentially fulfilling achievement comes when you restore the town’s community center, should you choose this path rather than siding with the evil Joja corporation. The community center requires the player to bring certain items related to farming, mining, fishing, cooking, foraging, and all the other aspects of the game in order to fully restore it with the help of the delightful and magical junimos. These little creatures might be some of the cutest I have ever seen, looking like tiny gum drops with legs. They help you restore the town’s community center much like you’ve restored the farm. Both the evaluation and the community center encourage the player to experience all there is to offer in Stardew, and to become a well-rounded farmer and townsperson.
These rewarding systems keep me going for the long-term, even when I don’t know what to do with my day whether it be running around the town foraging for wild produce, heading down as far as I can into the mines on a rainy day, or trying to catch the elusive eel in the ocean. I found myself getting sucked in immediately when I first played Stardew, even after the initial confusion of what I should be doing. This is one of those games that is supplemented by a wiki page, similar to Terraria, to help you figure out what sorts of gifts each townsperson likes or where and when to catch the best fish. It also helped me figure out the best crops to plant each season for maximum profits, and how to do well at events during the many festivals that go on in the town. But all this information can be learned on your own, and the player is open to play the game any way they choose.
One of my favorite parts of playing through the game multiple times and starting over my farm is choosing who I want to marry. There are a variety of single people in the town up for grabs, ranging from the preppy Haley to the sensitive writer Elliott. I like to stick with the more artistic characters like Elliott and Leah, but as your friendship grows stronger with all of these bachelors and bachelorettes, there is often more to their story than meets the eye. Shane, for example, seems very cold to your character at first but once you get to know him more you learn why he acts the way he does and he’s got a much deeper story than you may expect. As I’ve said before, Stardew Valley really lets you choose the way you want to play — whether it’s a more mellow approach, or a more involved, “get-all-the-achievements” approach — and this philosophy permeates even when choosing who you want to make out with.
Because players are given some agency in the style or pace they play, it can be a very relaxing game that takes your mind off of external worries and situations. Many folks have recommended it as a game that can help with quelling and dealing with anxiety, and it’s a bit of escapism in which you can really get absorbed. The beautiful visuals and music that change as the year goes on and seasons transform really aid in the dreamlike feel of Stardew Valley. It can be astounding to think that all the art, music, characters, etc. were made by a single person. I don’t think that Eric Barone knew he was making such a diamond in the rough, nonetheless Stardew Valley has become a staple indie title. It still gets talked about throughout the gaming community, especially after its several updates over the years.
Since its initial release, Stardew has changed quite a bit. There are now multiple types of farms to play through with different layouts, such as the hilltop farm which encourages more mining and has many more rocks and ores on the map. Originally, Emily and Shane were not available for romance but that has since been updated. And perhaps the biggest update is the addition of a multiplayer component in which multiple people can play on the same farm, with separate relationships in the town and their own homes on the farm. Multiplayer adds a brand new dimension to the game, warranting even more hours played, and more experiences to be shared. It allowed me to show my boyfriend the ropes and give him tips on the best crops to plant and good ways to lay out the farm, all of which can be overwhelming when first starting out. The wiki really can be your best friend in the beginning, even if it isn’t necessary.
I will keep going back to Stardew Valley, especially as new updates are supported, and creating new farms and new stories. It’s a mesmerizing experience that transports you to a calm world where you make all the decisions. You can learn about all the people in this world, or go about things on your own, though I always choose to marry one of the cuties. It’s a game that seems to have a big impact and real lasting power in the gaming community. I hope to see more games with this much charm and character being published and cherished in the future.
Stardew Valley is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
