Intro

Stardew is a really fun game that I enjoy playing. The game starts with you talking to your grandpa at their house at night while they’re lying in bed with a nice warm fire burning in the fireplace behind them. He hands the player an envelope with instructions for them to open it when they feel crushed by the burden of modern life and when their bright spirit begins to fade before a growing emptiness. The intro cuts to 20 years later when you’re working in Joja corporation in a cubicle workspace. The player is surrounded by dark, dirty cubicles, working mindlessly at their computer; the player then opens the note they received, which reveals that their grandpa felt the same way they did, so they dropped everything and decided to move to a place they truly belonged. They proceed to give you the deed to their farm located in Stardew Valley. After this you move to Stardew Valley you enter a town called Pelican Town where the farm is located and when arriving you discover it to be in shambles, there’s grass, wood, rocks, and trees overgrown everywhere. You’re introduced to the woodworker and mayor of Pelican Town as they greet you, give you a tour of the farm, and teach you how to ship items. You go to sleep, and your adventure starts.

The Fun Begins

From here on out, the player is given complete control, and how you want to continue is entirely up to you. You could stay on the farm the entire time and never talk to anyone or go anywhere else, and it would still work. The fun in Stardew is there’s no real objective. There are quests and stories, but there’s no real losing or winning; the game is defined by what you make of it. You’re able to pursue being just a farmer, fisherman, miner, or whatever the player chooses to be fun. There are hundreds of crops and ways to make money to help you with your farm and journey. I enjoy Stardew Valley because you can take it slow or as fast as you want. If you wanted, you could sleep through 10 years. The only part I feel where I’m pressured by time is that you could pass out if you stay up past 2 am in the game. However, the worst you could lose from it is just 1000 gold, which becomes obsolete when you achieve your first million coins. Every day is saved when you go to bed or pass out at the end of the day, so if you have a really bad day, you could just reset the day (I do that sometimes if I have a really bad day). I think the real shining and beautiful part of Stardew is all the villagers. There are 45 villagers and all of them are unique and have their own stories and feelings. Some villagers have a lot more stories and personalities to them than others, while some are there just for one singular purpose like the museum and library creator, Gunther. There’s not much for you to interact with them besides working towards completing the museum. But there are many more villagers you can interact with and become friends with than those you can’t. You can also marry and date some villagers and same-sex marriage is allowed :33333. There’s a lot of love that was put into Stardew Valley, and it shows. It still baffles me that I was made by one person as just a passion project, and now it’s become one of the most beloved games of all time, and I feel that it is very well deserved. The creator still interacts with the community, updates the game, and works on a new game. Stardew has helped me when I’m stressing out or just having a bad day, and I can load up my game, grow some crops, tend to my animals, children, spouse, meet new people, go mining, and a lot more. There’s a bunch to do in the game, and I’ve put over 250 hours into Stardew and still feel like I’m not done with it. It’s helped me with my issues and helped me learn more about myself. And for that reason, it’s one of my favorite games of all time. There are a lot of things to do in the game, and it is a story that I feel is very worth playing for yourself and experiencing firsthand. I highly recommend you check it out if you haven’t. It’s very deserving to earn its spot as my favorite game, and I hope to see it grow even more and see new things come from it.