Stardew Valley is an RPG-style farming game. It's up to you to choose your path… Will you devote your time to raising crops and caring for animals? Will you spend time in the local village, befriending the local townspeople? Do you get a kick out of slaying dreadful monsters in the mysterious mountain caverns? Or will you try to accomplish everything and claim the coveted title of Stardew Hero?
DRM-FREE. No activation or online connection required to play.
Metascore 88
Steam: Overwhelmingly Positive 47583 ratings (97% positive)
This game offers so many improvements over the Harvest Moon style that it's a wonder we haven't seen a game like this sooner. Yes, you plant crops, raise animals, ship produce and animal products and use the money to improve your house and buy gifts to impress the single women (or men) of the small town you live in. But the mechanics go so much deeper then that. There are dozens of plant types you grow, from vegetables to flowers, and even more things you can ship and sell, from minerals to fish to maple syrup to mayonnaise to even building materials, like cut wood or mined stone! There's a crafting system in the game that allows you to produce scarecrows, furnaces, syrup taps, fertilizer, and a host of decorative items. You can build multiple types of fences, paved pathways to map out your land, wells to provide locations to refill your water can, and even automatic sprinkler systems.
The townsfolk are lively and every one of them have their own schedule and story lines, even birthdays. They aren't badly translated Japanese characters either (like Popuri or Wizard) They are realistic people with realistic goals and desires that make sense based on their home lives. The quiet bookworm lives in a trailer with her single, poor mom. The handsome, aloof man lives on the beach and surfs all day. The shopkeeper has trouble competing with the mega chain store just down the street, etc. The town, though small, has a ton of charm you'll fall in love with
Combine this with a cooking system, movable furniture, an adventure mode in the mines, and even a collectibles minigame and you have one of the best farm games ever made. Don't call it a ripoff, baby. This game is an improvement over the HM series in every way!
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