If you’ve been living a stressful, high-octane life in the city, living a quiet life in a sleepy, rural town in the country is an idyllic situation. However, not everyone can just drop everything to become a farmer in some obscure town. Fortunately for you, this is exactly the premise of the hit indie role-playing game Stardew Valley. 

In Stardew Valley, you play as a burnt-out office employee who strives to escape the shackles of corporate slavery by reviving their grandfather’s neglected farm in Pelican Town. Along the way, you can make friends, earn money, and even find love. 

Retro-style farming simulator

For fans of old-school farming simulator games like Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley will be a reminder of the good old days. Farming sims nowadays have become so gritty and complicated that the novelty and charm of the genre have completely disappeared. It brings all of that lost charm back by staying true to the aesthetics and design of old farming sims. It’s rendered in a pixel-graphics style that’s reminiscent of the old Harvest Moon games. 

However, despite the retro graphics, it’s highly detailed and colorful. It doesn’t look unpolished or confusing either. The commands are also simple and easy to get used to. In contrast to modern games that have a lot of commands and functions that you need to master, it only has a handful of commands, perfect for casual players.

Establish your own goals

Although Stardew Valley's gameplay is repetitive, there is no hard objective that you need to accomplish to finish it. However, it does give you a goal to reach by the end of your third in-game year, but it’s more of a pass-or-fail review of your progress rather than an actual endgame objective. Hence, you can pretty much set your own goal, such as: 

• Challenging yourself to create the most beautiful farm ever.
• Playing the charmer and seeking to marry a character of the same or different gender.
• Going full monster hunter and exploring the deep caves.

Future expansions on the horizon

Excitement is reaching a fever pitch following the surprise announcement of the 1.7 update for Stardew Valley on its 10th anniversary. Developer ConcernedApe has teased significant additions, including a brand-new farm type and expanded social mechanics that deepen villager relationships. A major highlight of this patch is the long-awaited promotion of Clint and Sandy to full marriage candidates, each receiving their own unique heart events and specialized dialogue.

A nostalgia bomb

There’s no denying that the main appeal of Stardew Valley is nostalgia, especially for fans of the old Harvest Moon games. It also has so much new content to offer, such as a combat mechanic, the ability to marry characters, magic, and more. Whether you’re a long-time fan of farming simulators or a new player who’s just getting into the genre, Stardew Valley is a great game to try out.