Review of Stardew Valley: the game that kept my mind intact

Note: this review discusses bereavement, drug addiction, and mental health concerns.

If I were to filibuster anything, I would present my case for why Stardew Valley is the greatest game ever made. You're free to disagree, and that's all very well, but know that I have a very long list of my own justifications. It is well-known. It's captivating. To me, it's everything, but let's begin from the beginning for the sake of this retrospective Stardew Valley review.

Eric Barone, a lone developer, created Stardew Valley under the alias ConcernedApe. The Story of Seasons series was as Barone's primary source of inspiration, since the developer aimed to create his own game within the evasive genre of "farm sims." Thus, he began development of the game in 2011, Chucklefish agreed to publish it in 2013, and on February 26, 2016, the finished version was released on Steam. With more than five years of content upgrades to take Stardew Valley beyond the farm, it is now accessible on almost all consoles.

And now for the actual game. Above all, Stardew Valley is an agricultural simulator. When you first start the game, your grandfather is dying and has left you a present to open the day "your bright spirit will fade before a growing emptiness." Before you know it, this day comes, and your character, who works in a cubicle at the Joja Corporation, the corporate organization that this game's counterpart of Amazon is called, eventually snaps and opens the letter. Of course, it's telling you that you inherited the property.

You decide to give up and travel into the valley, where you discover your very own patch of greenery and farmhouse. Here, you meet Penny, the neighborhood carpenter, and Mayor Lewis, who give you an overview of the area. The majority of Stardew encounters begin similarly. You plant your free turnip seeds, greet the people, and acquaint yourself with mining, fishing, foraging, and fighting. The goal of this game is to achieve level 10 in each of the four mechanics, which also include farming.

After the farm is operating well, you come across Stardew Valley's primary objective, which is repairing the community center. The structure, which is located across the river from the Joja Mart, is in ruins and seems to be beyond repair when you get to town. The game presents you with two choices at this stage. You have two options: either save up enough money to give the Joja corporate stooge in exchange for fixing some of Pelican Town's problems, like a broken mine cart system and no bus service, or gradually pay for the community center bundles in order to get the community center and Pelican Town back up and running.

Let's speak honestly. I don't like you, I don't trust you, and we can't be friends if you accept the Jojo Mart offer. The option you make also seems to have the back of the game, because it removes a good deal of stuff. As difficult as it may seem at first, finishing the community center bundles is the only sane course of action that will enable the Junimos, or spirits of the forest, to bring the structure back to its former splendor.

However, the fact that Stardew Valley is a place where actions have little effect is one of its advantages. If you want guidance, there are resources available to you; nevertheless, once the first few months are over, the onus is entirely on you. I simply had a great little time on my first playthrough; I didn't even bother with the community center (don't worry, I didn't bother with Joja Mart either). I was a farmer for three seasons and spent the winter down in the mines. I continued in this manner, pleased as a pig in mud, for about a hundred hours, delighted to simply keep going.

Although farming has been mentioned, all five of Stardew Valley's main features are excellent. In the early game, foraging is an excellent method to acquire your bearings on the map. Fighting provides a break from the monotony of farming, while resource gathering and treasure hunting are aspects of mining. But fishing is also an option.

I think the most contentious aspect of Stardew Valley is fishing. It's one of the few gaming mechanisms that may be very aggravating, but in the best possible way—one where you know it's partly your fault. All you have to do is tell that jerk to get gud by glancing at your little sixteen-bit avatar. However, there is one element that all of these ideas share in common. Everyone improves. Each opens up new creatures to defeat, fish to capture, and rocks to destroy as you play. On the farm, your to-do list becomes longer and longer, but that's a good thing.

Naturally, a review of Stardew Valley would be incomplete without discussing the ensemble of personalities that inhabit Pelican Town. Every character in the game—from Leah the nature-loving hippy to Alex the jock—clearly fits into a stereotype, but the game twists these representations to reveal something more nuanced. Everyone has issues, and you're not there to handle them on your own; rather, you're there to work with the community to find solutions so that everyone in the valley may live better.

However, the writing does not overwhelm you. Even though Stardew is on every list of "cozy games," there are moments when things get awkward. Among other things, you have to cope with Clint's desire, Alex's grief, and Shane and Pam's drunkenness, yet everything is always handled delicately and thoughtfully. Because of how honestly the game handles these subjects, it gives each scenario the humor it merits, gives you the impression that you are a real member of the community, and for some people, may even provide a kind of emotional catharsis.

Barone is not only the creator of the whole project but also the guy behind the Stardew Valley music, which is really amazing. This game's soundtrack, which includes songs for each season, is well-known for its catchy melody lines. Its in-game music is so good that it perfectly complements the main idea of the game that it rivals that of Undertale, another indie hit. The Stardew Valley music is consistently engaging and never seems out of place, ranging from soothing to captivating.

However, I find the game loop to be the most amazing feature of Stardew Valley. Even though this game is just seven years old, I can speak from experience when I say that, as someone who has had some very difficult moments with mental health, this game has repeatedly put an end to it. How? That's how, forcing me to think about something else.

You're transported to Pelican Town as soon as the main menu theme starts playing, where there are so many things to do that you almost lose contact with reality. Each day in the game oozes into the next, making it almost too simple to waste hours on end. A twenty-minute in-game day gives you twenty minutes away from the worries and problems of your real life. My intention is to convey that the phrase "engaging" will have sufficient explanation in the next version of Collin's dictionary only by using the word "Stardew Valley."

What Stardew helped me through was the devastating end of a relationship and the death of my dog. I'll always be thankful to Stardew for getting me someplace else during those times of severe sadness. It may seem absurd, but all it takes to pass years of in-game time is organizing your schedule of activities around the twenty-minute time limit. You may lose yourself in exploring the mines more, making friends in Pelican Town, and farming, of course.

To put it plainly, Stardew Valley and I have a connection unlike any other game. It just strikes a chord with me. Stardew is what let me forge a bond with the person I want to live a lifetime with, even after all these years and in a much happier location. It did that through teaching me a little bit about what life is and, more importantly, what life can be if you interact, engage, and give people gifts that say, "hey, I know you," when the recipient opens them. It did this without eventually offering local co-op, though foraging for my girlfriend keeps me in her good graces. The last sentence is really crucial.

The Stardew Valley version that is now accessible is even more jam-packed with activities than it was when it was first released, thanks to yearly content upgrades since 2016. After using the community center, you may now go to Ginger Island, the Witch's Swamp, or even transform your kids into doves. Although the final one is a tad gloomy, it illustrates how many different methods there are to enjoy Stardew Valley. Are you tired of your children? Transform them into avian creatures. Are you tired of your partner? Clear their head. After that, you may relax on Ginger Island's beaches with a few bananas and feel a bit better about everything. Everything is conceivable.

Additionally, there is a reason why Stardew Valley is relevant to the shift in political views of the adult generation that occurred between 2015 and the present. Stardew Valley is, in essence, the quintessential anticapitalist dream. After quitting your desk job to become a farmer, you finally take a stand against the man by driving Joja out of town. There's an unadulterated sense of escape there, something that reflects the players' emotions. Dissolving corporate hierarchies is the hip new thing, and saving the princess is your grandfather's cliché.

With the generation of gamers that emerged between 2015 and now, it's not only these undertones of anti-capitalism that ring true, but also their earnestness. The people of Stardew Valley are quite self-assured. Despite the opportunity to continue funding the Joja Mart, it is not cynical; rather, it extols the benefits of communication and community. You are free to spend as much time as you want sitting in the bean bag—it's like a giant hippie commune in a video game.

Even now, Stardew Valley remains a bit of a lovely enigma—a one-man show that, in less than ten years, managed to transform into the model for the rapidly growing "cozy games" genre. If my review didn't make it obvious enough, my favorite game is Eric Barone's; it's my "just in case" item, my digital comfort blank, and my desert island disk. It could have saved my life. Granted, it may not rescue yours, but come on, farming's fun enough without throwing you for a loop. Please make this pledge to me. Always bring the purple shorts to the potluck if you decide to go.

See Pikmin 1+2 review, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code review, and Sonic Origins Plus Switch review for our opinions on the newest titles. See our selections for the top agricultural games on Switch and mobile devices for even more games featuring an abundance of veggies.