Stardew Valley is a return to rural sensibilities, a celebration of hard, hands-on work, and an appreciation of making a living off the land. It's got a 16-bit art style, a loving, tender soundtrack, and a warm heart beating beneath its veiled strategic gameplay.
You "start from nothing." Inheriting your grandfather's old farm plot in Stardew Valley, you're armed with nothing but hand-me-down farm tools, and you're equipped with nothing but a few coins in your pocket. The breadth of interactions is staggering, even in this three-minute trailer.
So, you get to work. Hack away at the undergrowth. Collect materials. Chop down trees. Hoe the earth. Plant the seeds. Water the sprouts. Harvest the fruits (and vegetables) of your labor. Feed the chickens, milk the cow, mine minerals, fish for fish, take the horse to town, fight bats in the dark, collect crab pots, build a well, love your dog, wander town, talk to people, throw a potluck, rent a hot air balloon, play guitar, chat in a bar, watch time pass, arrange furniture, pick apples from an orchard, cook food, grow violently ill, find indecipherable scripts, celebrate Christmas, love your spouse, raise a child, watch the seasons come and go.
Looks wonderful. I'm not one for farm sims. At least not the Facebook variety. But there's something that looks and feels inexplicably wholesome about Stardew Valley that I'd love to explore.
Stardew Valley launched on PC near the beginning of the year. It's coming to PlayStation 4 on December 13, and on Xbox One the day after.
