I cannot believe this game is coming to Xbox One. Only last week did I purchase a copy on sale on Steam for PC. This is one of those games that is so laid back and repetitive that, for all accounts, should not be fun. I have been a massive Harvest Moon fan and its always annoyed me those sort of games were exclusive to Nintendo handhelds.
And then ConcernedApe (Eric Barone ) and publisher Chucklefish bring out Stardew Valley, and how I marvelled at Barone’s work. As a designer I was infinitely jealous of him making his own Harvest Moon/Rune Factory game. And it smashed the steam reviews and after owning and sinking an unhealthy amount of hours into the game I can see why.
There are multiple challenges such as farming, fishing, mining, monster hunting and foraging. There’s even a level based crafting system, relationships to maintain, calendar events and your own farm to build. Get bored? there are multiple customisation options for a new characters as well as different farm to start with. The amount of content and replay value is well worth the asking price. I imagine it will cost around £20 on Xbox One, and it will be a refreshingly relaxed title to play on console. It’s probably a great game to play with the family too as there are a lot of family friendly themes as well as a satisfying feedback cycle of balancing your stamina and reaping your rewards.
I could go into a whole load of detail of how much I enjoy the game and how living a virtual life as a farmer/miner/jack of all trades could be a reflection on modern society and a psychological breakdown of what we all need to do or want. But that’s for another time, and another website. I just want you to play it. I want you to try it and after your initial “this is pretty lame” to then realise 7 hours later you are caring for your first chicken like your first child.
See you in Stardew Valley!
Follow me on twitter @MJSaiger
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