It has been one of the great surprises of 2016. A video game that was born on PC as a true ode in honor of the classic Harvest Moon, which it ended up surpassing in many ways. We are talking about Stardew Valley, the excellent farm life simulator developed by Eric Barone that now, a few months later, lands on PS4 and Xbox One to the joy of many. Analysis.
It has something that makes it a unique, special video game, one of those that hopelessly catch you for hours, days, even months! I said it when I analyzed your original PC version. “It is a great little gem capable of falling in love even with those who do not feel a special predilection for the subject.” That’s how good Stardew Valley is , a great farm life simulator that always has something new to offer. New crops to harvest, animals to feed, objects to craft, and even treasures to discover deep under the earth as if it were a role-playing adventure. It is an incredible experience; it gives off such charm that it is hard not to enjoy it with a smile on your face.
It is meritorious. More if possible considering that the video game was born at the hands of a single person, Eric Barone , who, fed up with one of his favorite sagas not ceasing to disappoint him, decided to create his own adventure, opted to give life to his particular Harvest Moon . Looking at the result, I can only applaud your bravery. Its success is that of all those who understand that a game is about more than beautiful graphics and great stories; without soul, there is nothing, and this title is the best example of it. PC fans were able to enjoy it at the beginning of the year, and now it is the turn of the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch players , who have before them one of the big surprises of 2016 .
Stardew Valley: Trailer
Work, yes, but pleasantFar from overwhelming you with countless routine tasks and unpayable bills, which the most experienced in the genre know a lot about, Stardew Valley lets you go on your own, without pressure, so that you can set the pace of the game. So it’s okay if one day instead of planting seeds or breaking stone you go fishing, or simply walk around the village to make friends with the endearing characters that live there. The world does not end for this … and it is a relief that other titles of the style harass you, almost forcing you to repeat the same tasks over and over again in order to make your lands prosper. And that ends up exhausting.
They are not the most important part of the game but the fights are well resolved and they are fun. You have several weapons with which to defend yourself against monsters.
The days go by, the seasonal changes arrive and with it the need to rotate the crops, but in Stardew Valley all this happens in such a harmonious and relaxed way that it is difficult to feel overwhelmed even when there are so many options at your fingertips. That not everything consists of planting vegetables and cutting down trees; You must also take care of several animals, make products such as mayonnaise or honey, make decorative or utility objects for the farm such as scarecrows through a fairly complete craft system, prepare kitchen dishes and even, if you get out there, you can become momentarily in the hero of a role-playing adventure entering the dark mines, where you will face all kinds of monsters which, of course, will provide you with ideal raw materials to create better products.
It’s amazing how Stardew Valley makes you feel like you are inside a constantly evolving living worldIn the village you will also find a lot of characters that will help you in these tasks, such as the carpenter, who will expand the farm facilities to increase your productivity; or the blacksmith, who will help you create better work tools. There are more, many more, and each of these characters has a story worthy of being known. But for this you will have to visit them often, participate in the parties they organize, celebrate their birthdays and, of course, offer them gifts that they will not always accept willingly. As normal people, which is what they are, they have very particular feelings and tastes that should be known in detail.
What would life be without bars. In Stardew Valley there is also one, and in it you can spend time enjoying arcade machines like this one. It is pure vice.
Even more so if your intention is to propose to any of these villagers, you can also get married! Even between people of the same sex, which is a welcome detail. Also the “realism” with which these virtual puppets enjoy their day to day. They get up early to go to work, they walk around town in their spare time, they go to the lake or to the bar for a drink, shopping when it’s time to play, and there are even days of the week when all the women of the town hang out. meet in the gym to get in shape. It’s amazing how Stardew Valley makes you feel like you’re in a living worldin constant evolution, although sometimes this makes it difficult to find certain characters who are supposed to be in their work, and this is not the case. A locator to see your position on the map would have been great.
The important thing however is that this work by Eric Barone invites you to interact with all the characters in the game, giving you yet another excuse to spend hours and hours with the video game. The main basis of the action is the care of the farm, of course, but there you have a lot of other options with which to entertain yourself. How could there not be if during the winter season the farm is practically paralyzed in favor of other recreational activities … and also work, badly thought out, that you can help to collect precious stones for the museum or participate in the construction and improvement work of the village. And this is what makes Stardew Valley great, because even the storythat narrates has greater weight than we are used to in this kind of video game. To give you an idea, there are key moments of the game in which you will have to position yourself in conflicts of great importance for the people, thus marking the course of events.
It is therefore understood that Stardew Valley raises passions wherever it passes. It is a game of enormous quality that captures in a unique and special way, making you lose track of time when you enjoy its endearing playable offer. It may not be a particularly complex title in some respects, especially if we’re talking about combat against monsters – it’s not the main base of the game either – but the truth is that there are few works as personal and fun as this one right now. If it is that even in the audiovisual is a title “with something” that falls in love. The design of the characters and the world in which the action takes place, its colors, the warmth of the melodies that accompany us, the clarity of the user interface … Stardew Valleyhe touches many fronts and he gets good marks on all of them. The bad news, as happened at the time on PC, is that the video game comes with the texts in English .
“Excellent”
Stardew valley
8.2
Readers
(2)
From the moment you arrive at the rickety farm that you inherit from your grandfather until you turn it into a money-making machine, Stardew Valley provides such levels of fun that it’s hard not to praise the virtues of this endearing farm life simulator. It is very complete at the level of options, it lets you do practically everything, but also raises it intelligently, without stress or pressure of any kind. You advance at your own pace, simply enjoying life in the country, which is not little!
- The colorful graphics, its beautiful soundtrack and the story it tells
- You always have something to do. It’s hard to get bored
- The rhythm of the action. Things come calmly, without harassing you or putting pressure
- There are not many options when it comes to interacting with other characters
- A locator is missing to find the villagers more easily
