For five years now,Stardew Valleyhas been captivating the affection of players thanks to its relaxing gameplay, charming graphics, and its interesting cast of villagers. However, given how extensive the game is, it is easy to forget thatStardew Valleywas created by a single developer named Eric Barone, aka ConcernedApe, who has remained committed to the game since its release.
Of course, it is no secret thatStardew Valleyis heavily inspired by theHarvest Moon/Story of Seasonsfranchise, whose first game dates back to the late ’90s. AlthoughHarvest Moonenjoyed its success for many years, its popularity dwindled, opening up the opportunity for other developers such as Barone to revitalize the once-tired genre into something refreshing and new, even to veteran players. Five years afterStardew Valleyfirst welcomed players to Pelican Town, here’s an overview of how the game continues to remain relevant today and how it influenced other games in the farming simulator genre.
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Why Stardew Valley Remains Popular After Five Years
One of the best qualities found inStardew Valleyis its charming graphics that is heavily inspired by games from the SNES era. Although most video games today aspire to be as realistic as possible in terms of graphics,Stardew Valley’snod to older games' art style and aestheticsevoked nostalgia among players. This charming art style combined with an excellent soundtrack allowed players to escape reality and be transported in the relaxing environment of Pelican Town.
Another elementStardew Valleyhas that allowed the game to stay relevant for so many years is its open-ended gameplay. WhileStardew Valleytechnically ends after three in-game years, players are allowed to continue their journey in Pelican Town, tending to their crops and animals andpursuing relationships with the game’s bachelors and bachelorettes. But, of course, while the open-ended gameplay helped the longevity ofStardew Valley, it wouldn’t work without the many activities players can do in the game. Apart from farming, players can also mine for resources, craft tools, embark on quests given by villagers, and many more.
While the vanilla version ofStardew Valleyhas satisfied most of its fans, it is no secret that the game’s openness to user-created modsalso contributes to its ongoing success. Although mods were limited whenStardew Valleyfirst came out, things have grown exponentially since then. Players can install mods that can do all sorts of things, from changing the game’s graphics, adding additional characters and storylines and many more.
Lastly, ConcernedApe’s commitment toStardew Valleyalso allowed the game to evolve despite releasing half a decade ago. Among the many post-release contents ConcernedApe has released so far,the multiplayer mode is probably the most popular, given that it allowed multiple players to work on a single farm together.
How Stardew Valley Influences Other Indie/Farming Simulator Games
Ever sinceStardew Valleycame out in 2016, the game has received widespread acclaim from players and critics, resulting in numerous awards, which is rare for an indie game. Given its huge success,Stardew Valleyset the blueprintthat other indie and farming simulator games continue to emulate today. One such game isCoral Island, which is an upcoming farming simulator game from developer Stairway Games.
For the uninitiated,Coral Islandstarted making headlines when it was reported to have amassed over $1.6 million in Kickstarter in just 30 days. Starting at a funding goal of $70,000, backers saw the impressive graphics and familiar gameplay, which resulted in tens of thousands of other players to also give support to the project. LikeStardew Valley,Coral Islandimplements the basic mechanics of most farming sims: growing a farm and tending to animals while romancing villagers by giving them gifts. However, what setsCoral Islandapart fromStardew Valleyis its graphics, which are more similar to modernStory of Seasonsgames.
Apart fromCoral Island,many other upcoming and released farming simulators have surfaced on various platforms, some of which were even criticized for blatantly copyingStardew Valleyall together. In the end, the future ofStardew Valleylooks bright, especially since ConcernedApe remains committed to releasing more updates toStardew Valley.However, for players wondering whether another ConernedApe game that is notStardew Valleyis in the works,the developer recently hinted on Twitter that he is working on a new title. Unfortunately, details about this new project and what it would entail remains a mystery.
Stardew Valleyis available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
