Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is a farm life simulation video game set in top-down perspective. The open-ended game starts with the player character leaving their corporate job to manage a farm just outside of Pelican Town, located in the eponymous Stardew Valley. The farm inherited from their deceased grandfather must be restored, and players must assist in the town's revival.

Players may choose from several different farm types, each with a unique theme and different benefits and drawbacks. Each theme helps players focus on upgrading different types of skills faster. On the farm, players need to cut down trees, break rocks, and use a scythe to clear weeds to make space for tilling and planting. The farming system allows players to plant seasonal seeds that require daily watering and generally must be harvested before the next season.

Stardew Valley was created by American indie game designer Eric Barone, known professionally as ConcernedApe. Barone graduated from the University of Washington Tacoma in 2011 with a computer science degree but was unable to get a job in the industry, instead working as an usher at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. Looking to improve his computer skills for better job prospects, he had the idea to craft a game that would also pull in his artistic side. Barone grew up in the Pacific Northwest and incorporated many elements of the region into the gameplay and art.

Stardew Valley originally began as a modern, fan-made alternative to later Harvest Moon titles, as Barone felt the series had gotten "progressively worse" after Harvest Moon: Back to Nature. Unable to find a satisfactory replacement, he created a game similar to the series, explaining that he aimed to fix the issues he had with Harvest Moon and felt that no title in the series ever brought everything together perfectly. Originally titled Sprout Valley, Barone spent five years developing the game before its official release. He was the sole developer of the game, including all of its pixel art, music and sound effects.

Stardew Valley received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received "mighty" approval, being recommended by 99% of critics. Yasuhiro Wada, creator of Harvest Moon, said he was "very happy" with Barone's game as it has led to Harvest Moon not being forgotten. He added that Stardew Valley captured the sense of freedom he had envisioned for the series, while bringing more focus to animation and graphics.

Farm life simulation and the overall gameplay experience were widely praised by critics. Jonathan Leack of GameRevolution wrote that the game effectively integrates its progression systems, activities, and rewards in a way that makes each in-game day feel distinct and cohesive. Writing for Game Informer, Javy Gwaltney commended the farming mechanics for creating a relaxing and rewarding gameplay loop. Daniella Lucas of PC Gamer highlighted crafting and farm customization as enjoyable features that enhance the player's ability to design and improve their farm.

Stardew Valley popularized farming and cozy games and helped define the modern farming simulator genre. According to Jess Reyes of Inverse, the game has played a key role in bringing farming and cozy games to broader audiences over the years. Noelle Warner of Destructoid credited it with much of the recent resurgence in farming simulators, calling it a "full-on cultural phenomenon" and one of the most successful indie games. Tomas Franzese of Digital Trends noted that while the original Harvest Moon established the farming sim genre, Stardew Valley's gameplay and world set the modern standard.

Franzese further observed that the game has inspired numerous indie titles and led more major companies to explore the genre. Wes Fenlon and Kara Phillips of PC Gamer described Stardew Valley as the backbone of modern farming simulators, noting that new entries in the genre are routinely compared to it. They further wrote that its success sparked a wave of similar "Stardew-esque" games, with many developers drawing inspiration from its formula.