Stardew Valley Game Review

Title: Stardew Valley
Developer: ConcernedApe
Genre: RPG, Indie
Released: 2023
Rating: 9/10

In Stardew Valley, create your character, choose your pet, and pick your farm style to begin one of the most enjoyable, relaxing games for Nintendo Switch. Develop your farm, explore mines, build friendships, and discover new areas as you play through the seasons. What will your daily routine be? Who will be your first best friend? What will you name your farm animals? Jump into Stardew Valley to find out!

(Also, take a moment to research how this game was created to learn about the amazing talent of the one and only, ConcernedApe.)

Pros:
Stardew Valley Wiki
First, I want to take a moment to give a huge shout out to the person(s) who made the Stardew Valley Wiki. For me, it is absolutely essential. There is so much that you need to know and remember and there is no way I would have been able to do it without the Wiki help. 

Villagers
I absolutely love the villagers – especially Abigail, Wizard, and Linus. Their dialogues have a nice variety and as you develop your friendships with them, you get special character scenes that let you learn a bit more about them. Characters can even help you learn new things like recipes or give you access to new features like the fishing TV channel. Don’t neglect your friendship with any of the villagers because you never know what they can do for you! If you want, you can even marry one of the single villagers. 

Daily variety 
Each day, you can choose to do a variety of tasks such as work on your farm, explore the mines, visit villagers, go fishing, and travel to another area like Ginger Island… There are also seasonal events that you can attend with the villagers. My personal favorites are the Festival of Ice and the Night Market. 

Upgrades to work towards
As you progress in the game, you will get access to upgrades for a variety of things including your home, farm, tools, and equipment. A couple of my favorites include the stable that allows you to ride a horse and the travel warp totems. Recipes also prove to be extremely helpful because they can boost your stats to make you a better fisher, fighter, or simply improve your luck that day. 

Cons:
Seasonal events don’t change year to year
After the first couple of years, you may lose interest in the seasonal events because they don’t change year to year. The character dialogues… items you can purchase… competitions… don’t have any differences that make it worthwhile to continue to go to that event. 

A lot to know and remember… 
If you attempt to play this game without using the Wiki… you are choosing a tough path. For example, if you are trying to catch every fish and you’re missing some of the legendary fish, it may be because that fish is only available in a certain season, in a specific area, and for a few hours a day. Or if you’re desperate to find golden walnuts to trade in for Ginger Island upgrades, you’ll have to discover the hiding spots on your own. 

Why can’t I be friends with Marlon??
There are random villagers that you can’t develop a friendship with. For most of them, I’m fine with that. But Marlon?? We all know he is Link who has simply retired from Legend of Zelda for a simpler life in Pelican Town. 

Overall…
I never thought I’d love this game. But boy was I wrong. After playing Animal Crossing, it took a little while to get used to the Stardew Valley graphics. But once I adjusted, I became absolutely obsessed with this game. The farming, mines, fishing, friendships… It was such an enjoyable, relaxing game.