The fall semester is coming to an end. The leaves are falling at a rapid pace and the rain is becoming more intense. Indeed, hot cocoa and fuzzy blanket season is upon us and, I don’t know about you, but it feels like the coziest time of year.
For some people who enjoy videogames, they spontaneously experience what is now called a two-week Minecraft phase. In my case, whenever I would start seeing the Halloween decorations, the pumpkins, and the signature brown and yellow colors of warmth, I know that it’s time for my yearly two-week Stardew Valley phase. Since I began playing Stardew Valley back in 2020, I’ve created so many game saves it’s not even funny.
Basically, Stardew Valley is a 2D farm simulating game where you inherit your deceased grandpa’s farm. So, you leave your corporate job to pursue a peaceful, country life. A little town called Stardew Valley becomes your new home as you become a farmer who plants crops, gathers farm animal materials, mines, fishes, participates in seasonal events, forms part of a small community, and defeats capitalism (you read this last one right). This last part is completely optional since you can choose to succumb to the big Joja Corporation.
This may sound like Minecraft, but it’s a completely different playstyle. Similarly to Minecraft, there is no endgame and you can play with friends in a shared world. However, there is a storyline that can take two different paths, but there’s technically no “Game Over.” Plus, the graphics are super cute!
Here’s a more in-depth overview of why you should give Stardew Valley a try this autumn:
ROMANCE
In Stardew Valley, there are 12 romanceable options: six bachelors and six bachelorettes. These eligible singles are all there to be your friends or your spouse down the line — the best part is that you decide who you date, regardless of your character’s gender. Personally, I always choose Elliot, Harvey, or Leah; they’re my absolute favorites. Nonetheless, from an emo, motorcycle guy to a mean girl with a soft spot for photography, and even a fashion girl who makes her own clothes… there is a character for everyone.
By showering them with two gifts per week (especially ones they like on their birthday) and talking to them everyday, your character’s relationship will be determined by hearts. If you consistently give one of these characters a gift they don’t like, the hearts will go down, which will consequently lead to a bad relationship. However, if you give them gifts they really like, and every character loves different things, their hearts will rise significantly.
Once the hearts reach a certain level, you will unlock exclusive character scenes which show you the character’s story advancement and development. At one point, if you reach a high enough level of hearts, that character will go from a friendship status to romanceable.
Although you can date multiple characters at once, you can only marry one character at a time, so remember to choose wisely. Funnily enough, I will just say that if you do regret your choices, divorce is an option.
COLLECT FISH AS YOU WOULD A LABUBU
There’s this fun game mechanic for those of us who have never been able to actually fish in real life and enjoy a little gambling from time to time. Stardew Valley has an index of sorts that allows you to keep track of all the collectables — one of those is the fishes.
It sounds hilarious when you think about it. “Who wants to collect fish?” Don’t knock it ‘til you try it! Perhaps it’s my affinity for gacha games or opening Pokémon card packs, but the gambling that comes with fishing in this game not only has low risk and high reward in terms of money, but it’s also super fun when you find a fish you didn’t have before or a bigger fish to save for your records.
FROM STRAWBERRIES TO WHEAT AND COWS TO CHICKENS
Listen to me: strawberries and blueberries, everything ending in berry, are cracked in this game. Now that we have established this, you can plant any crop you want in this game, depending on the season. In spring, you can plant potatoes and participate in the Flower Dance Festival. In the summer, you can join the potluck and sabotage it, if you want, with wheat or a low quality common fish. In the fall (best season ever!) you can plant pumpkins and make sure you stock up on wheat in your silos for your animals in the winter.
You can also buy cute little goats, cows, pigs, chickens, or even uncover dinosaurs, to name a few, and unlock more recipes to cook with.
FIGHT AGAINST CAPITALISM BY BECOMING A LOCAL FARMER
There’s something even for the marxist girlies! By becoming a local farmer, you and the small town convenience store are in direct competition with the capitalistic company Joja Mart who wants to take over Stardew Valley by turning its citizens into consumers (no, we will not allow that).
Players have a tough decision to make: either to keep their peaceful life as farmers by fighting a capitalistic system or saying, “if you can’t beat em’, join em’.” The choice is yours!
There are other elements in the game like monsters in the caves who are annoying as hell sometimes, cool unlockable areas like The Calico Desert or Ginger Island, and the restoration of the Community Center. From cute events like the Easter Egg hunt or the chance to create your own farm with your friends and compete for who can make the most amount of money, the possibilities are endless! You can even modify or “mod” the game to include new things like more romanceable options or a map revamp, be warned that this feature is only available on PC.
The fun part of this game is, once again, there is no end goal. So, you can unlock certain game mechanics or get married, if you desire, whenever you want. The world of Stardew Valley is your oyster and it’s yours for the taking, so enjoy every second of it!
Stardew Valley is available to play on PC, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and Playstation.