Stardew Valley 1.5.4 [Game Review]
TL;DR
Certified that this is game is pure indie gold, and this game is a must play.
This version is the author's first play of stardew valley, so there will be no comparisons of 1.5 and the initial build and/or older versions.
[Played on a Nintendo Switch Lite]
For years, I would read in magazines about Stardew Valley. Solo developer ConcernedApe is truly an inspiration to any game developer or anyone that is set out to make something, go through with it, and actually finish it. There is a lot love put into this title.
I have experience with the former Harvest Moon (now Story of Seasons) titles (such as the N64 title, Friends of Mineral Town and A Wonderful Life), played Rune Factory 4 (complete) & 5, and other farming sim games. This game not only is inspired and takes from these games, but it amplifies the formula to new levels. I like how the day clock is a lot faster than other farming games, challenging me to really coordinate what I need to do for the day. I really enjoy the new school retro 16-bit that this title evokes. When I first started playing, I was more interested in the characters and town life, and got into fishing and mining more so than farming. I took my time with everything, and tried just about everything. As I was incarcerated while playing this game, I did not have wiki access, so I had to figure out a lot of the game myself.
I like the use of the hotbar for equips/items usage, the creative and challenging fishing game to catch fish, the minigames at the Stardrop Saloon, and just the overall culture of Pelican Town and Stardew Valley. This game is a farming sim at its core, so if you are not interested in that style of game or you've tried Harvest Moon and do not like it, then perhaps it might not be for you. However, as said above this game sets the bar pretty high for those titles, so maybe it would be worth giving a shot even if you don't like the farming sim genre. There is a lot of mysterious imbued in the story still, and the world that the Valley is in is definitely one that I am interested in exploring. ConcernedApe has more games left in him, and I personally think that these games will expand on this world that he desires to create. (See Haunted Chocolatier.)
Having put well over 250 hours into this title, I got a lot out of this game. There is definitely still more I could do to have fun customizing my farm and my island house. I spent a lot of time making Starfruit wine and utilizing the whole cellar floor to age what I can and then just sell the rest. It was fun to try new things in this game, mess around with crafting, see what comes out a preserve jar, and just the overall experience of trying to 100% this game was fun and it really makes you want it. This title is easily driving and will definitely pull you in if you give it a chance. There is going to be more playthroughs of Stardew for me, as it is updated overtime as well as a very vibrant and active modding community. And yet it seems that even though there are a lot of great mods, this game is just perfect even without them, however anything to change it up is appreciated so that's where mods do come in. My love for it will probably drive me into the modding direction for some time before I decide to do another vanilla playthrough again. Although from the looks of it, the new additions to Stardew could keep me busy for another 250+ hours.
Stardew Valley is not a game full of redundancies in its design. It has a lot of different approaches for success, yet has no disappointments when it comes to the challenge that games need to present. Everything goes together and is intricately connected. This is how games are meant to be. In an era where games are not trying to be games, this one stands on its feet and decides it wants to be a game. That is the real beauty of The Valley.
My Journey in The Valley is long from over.
Support ConcernedApe and buy this game.