Stardew Valley falls into a species of games where you develop your town, farm, community or other societal unit to its fullest. In the process you grow crops, care for animals, and find resources. It feels similar to the Harvest Moon games with some elements of Animal Crossing brought into the mix.
Stardew manages to take elements from the two and builds an incredibly addicting game. This game feels like an homage to Harvest Moon in a two-dimensional, bit graphics style. Relatively straightforward mechanics slowly reveal themselves to be much more complicated than initially thought. As the game progresses, you start to learn much more about how farming, fishing, mining, and foraging work to make you money.
You are brought into Stardew Valley after your grandfather leaves his farm for you to take care of and regrow from the ground up. You start with no knowledge of each of the crops available during the season, how they work and what works best. There is guidance through missions and journal entries; but, most of it you have to figure out for yourself. You start with a pack of seeds and a lot of soil to clear and use to build up the farm to its former glory.
Having to figure things out through trial and error gives this game character. So many games of this type hold you hand and teach you how to do each and everything. Stardew does a little of that but leaves the rest to you. You have to figure out the best setups for farms, the best times to go fishing for certain fish, the best ways to make money, how to build relationships with the townsfolk.
Early on in the story it is revealed that the community center of the town has been closed and in a dilapidated state for some time. You have the option of working to rebuild it with the help of little creatures known as Junimos or siding with the Joja Corporation, a Walmart esque company that plans to turn the old community center into a warehouse. There’s a distinct message of choosing community or capitalism within this game.
Seeing the town regrow and celebrate during each of the seasons makes the game that much more enjoyable. You feel the sense of community and belonging that each of the characters has. Eventually, you will be able to marry your character to one of the single men or women of the town. You are a part of the community, and that is apparent from the start.
The challenge of figuring things out while learning and interacting with the townsfolk is what gives this game undeniable charm. After some time interacting with the people of the town, choosing to rebuild the community center seemed like the only option. Stardew is as much about the town as it is the farm. You’re there to build both the farm and the town back to its glory. This goal keeps me coming back. I want to see the community rebuilt and see how the characters change through the seasons. I want to see what that charm brings with each day.
