[REVIEW] Stardew Valley (Switch)

Stardew Valley

Played on: Switch
Genre: Life simulation, RPG
Developer: ConcernedApe
Publisher: Chucklefish

Our hobby is home to a few truisms, but this is at its core: games are meant to be fun. It's a simple assertion, but the job of turning ideas and lines of code into memorable moments is everything but 'simple'. This is something I often come to when thinking about creativity, and it gets exponentially more fascinating whenever a video game manages to transcend the confines of what it apparently should be. Stardew Valley, a life simulation game inexplicably designed by a single person, gave me a lot of fun. But also so much more.

In the game, your customizable avatar has inherited a patch of land on the countryside and, tired of the demands of modern life, decides to bring an old farm back to life. From there, it's all about buying seeds, planting crops, nurturing them. Then eventually building a coop, a barn, buying animals, selling their produce. It's a soothing cycle that can be laid-back fun, but also a fine challenge for those looking to micromanage everything and being as productive as possible. It's really up to you to approach farming life however you want. 

The first indication of something special lying beyond first impressions is how everything in the farming mechanics comes so naturally. There's no true tutorial here, not really; most of the whys and hows are presented as you go, with nothing to break the immersion. You just go about your business, figure things out, and they happen. This is why Stardew Valley is a game better experienced by not looking anything up in advance; just start a file and let it flow.

Soon enough, you'll realize this is not simply a farm sim. You'll walk to nearby Pelican Town and get to know its characters, its locations, its wonderful idiosyncrasies. If you're anything like me, you'll be amazed at how those little pixelated beings can pack so much personality, thanks to the game's excellent writing. You may feel a little silly after turning off the console and realizing just how involved you are with virtual characters you like or dislike. That warm, persistent, almost indescribable feeling you get all the while makes it all worth it, though. Some may even call it 'fun'.

And then it goes on. Months pass, bringing new events, local holidays, quests. Seasons come and go, meaning you have to change crops. You go foraging, fishing, mining. You meet mystical beings, you join an adventurer's guild to fight wild creatures and monsters. You realize there is so much more to everything in the game, to the point that there's secrets to uncover and new things to see dozens of hours in. There are new areas and gameplay mechanics you never even imagined when you started a modest farm so long ago. You feel so much joy for helping Pelican Town be the best it can be, you start feeling genuine camaraderie towards this or that character (yes, pixel characters on a pixel town).

Suddenly you're not just midlessly experiencing a recreational activity, but also feeling immersed, enthralled by a certain sense of wonder that only the best works of art can bring about. This is further enhanced by the absolutely phenomenal music, from upbeat spring songs to ydillic summer tunes to melancholy winter ballads. And I guess I mentioned all of this was made by a single person?

TL;DR:

Stardew Valley is one of those special treats that make me such a believer in the independent game scene. It's overflowing with passion and care, and those are the only factors that can explain how a single person managed to develop such a deep and involving title. By taking the farming sim genre and adding large helpings of exploration and combat, as well as a cast of characters that feel extremely real in spite of their pixellated origins, this is a game that has etched itself into my gaming life in a very precious way. At the end of the day, my time in Pelican Town is (not 'was', as it's still ongoing for the foreseeable future) the very definition of fun. But also so much more.