CHENNAI: Stardew Valley deserves more attention. More people should play it, play it for longer, and feel nice and warm and happy inside. Quoting the opening cutscene dialogue, this game is a gift for when “you feel crushed by the burden of modern life”. So open that PC/Mobile app/Nintendo Switch and start your brand-new farm just outside the tiny Pelican Town. Reader, I really want you to play this game, although I still haven’t finished it. There’s a lot to do. It’s difficult to put the right words; this game is a growing universe, with opportunities infinitely expanding as you move ahead in the story. How can I tell you what I enjoy about the game if there’s nothing that’s amiss? It would be easier to coax you if you were an NPC in the game; I would simply gift you a Golden Pumpkin, or a Prismatic Shard, so that you’d “heart” me enough to listen to me.
Stardew Valley is inherently a patient game, in that you could always do it all over again the next day, if things don’t go well today. But it also rewards you if you’re efficient with your time. Doing chores and following a routine provides more serotonin in game than it has ever done in real life.How I wish a Junimo gifts me the ability to wake up at 6 am like my in-game character… The “routine” is not merely a strategy to get better at the game, the routine is an inherent part of the game, it was born in it, and moulded by it. And despite this grind, it manages to keep you involved through tasks, festivals, people interactions, changing seasons, multiple income generating activities, fresh areas to explore, new items to craft. A lot, ok?
While the progression of the campaign is similar in both, the experience is worlds apart on whether you choose to play it alone, or with your friends (co-op). Single player Stardew is an introspective, meditative experience. You want to take it slow, finish side quests, gain the trust of all citizens, and slowly renovate the Community Centre. Co-op Stardew is mostly a party, occasionally a well-oiled organisation that adheres to a routine, and a potential race to date the coolest person in Pelican Town. 8/8 rarecrows for this game that has managed to scare away the crows sucking out my brain cells of positivity.
Anusha Ganapathi
@quaffle_waffle
(This economics graduate spends her leisure time preparing for the zombie apocalypse)