| Price | $4.99 |
| Version | 1.4.5.151 |
| Category | Role Playing |
| Developer | ConcernedApe |
| Source | iOS, Android |
| Rating | (4.6) |
Stardew Valley is nicknamed on the Internet with the nickname “Lifehacker Simulator 2016”. I prefer to call it “The Harvest Moon for PC I never thought I’d see in my lifetime”. I think that tells you everything.
In Stardew Valley, you inherit your grandfather’s old farm. You will start a new life with a rickety farm, few tools and a few coins. Will you be able to learn the farmer’s trade and recover the lost splendor of the place? If you are an expert gamer, you will have already realized that Stardew Valley follows in the wake of Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing, Rune Factory and company. You’ll alternate your life as a farmer with a social life and even combat; apparently contradictory elements that here come into harmony to represent the complexity of life. The elements related to the farm are fantastic. You can design the farm however you want, plan what you’ll buy or what you’ll harvest each season of the year… You’ll get excited about planting, an action you once thought was boring. Considering that this part is the core of the game, I’m happy to say it’s enjoyable and fun. A lot of games allow you to fish, even games that weren’t meant for it like World of Warcraft or Runescape. Stardew Valley surpasses all these games and turns a pastime like fishing into an addiction.
The action part is condensed in the mines. As you go deeper and deeper into them to find minerals, you will encounter enemies of all kinds. The combat itself is very simple. The complex part is the preparation: you must plan how long you will be in those mines to calculate the amount of food or ammunition you can afford to take with you. Like any good “farm simulator”, Stardew Valley has an extremely important social component. Not only will you be able to make friends with everyone in the village, but you also have multiple partners available. Each one has its own background and story, which encourages you to restart the game to discover them all. Stardew Valley has a main campaign that acts as a long and covert tutorial. The story is interesting but more importantly, it knows when to end to let you continue your adventures in your own way. Don’t be fooled: there’s still a lot of content to see after finishing the game.
If you combine all these elements you have a game that will make you forget that you have to eat or sleep to survive. The hours fly by not only because of its addictive elements but also because of the amount of content for a more than appetizing price. Don’t think about it much longer: Stardew Valley is the Harvest Moon for PC you’ve been waiting for.
