For a game introduced to me by friends as simply "farming simulator," I didn't think I'd be nearly as into it as I am. I actually waited quite a while on picking it up because it sounded really bland and not really my thing, but one night a couple others wouldn't stop talking about it so I finally picked it up for $15 and just went for it.

Stardew Valley, I found, was a lot more than the simple description of "farming sim" that I was given. There's a whole town full of people to meet and get to know, there's so much to do (fishing, mining, crafting), and there's a loose story there that is enough to give the game some depth without being too forward and taking over the whole game.

It reminds me a lot of Animal Crossing actually, except instead of the game using real time every hour in game is one real minute, and you save the game every time you sleep, brining you to the next day. This is nice because it allows the game to use its in game time for a lot of different things without making you feel like you have to check up on it constantly. You can stop playing for weeks and pick it up right where you were before with no penalty at all.

I could say a lot about Stardew Valley, but I'll just say it's one of the most surprisingly fun games I've ever played. I really did not expect to have as much fun with it as I have. If you're on the fence about picking it up I highly suggest you look into the game and what it is, because it's a lot more than what it looks to be on the surface.

EDIT as of Nov. 27th, 2019: Game still rules. 1.4 just released, game has had multiplayer for years. The developer aims to give a great experience to the players and always delivers. I wrote this review when I had 88 hours, I now have some over 200. This is a classic game for me that I can always return to.

For a game introduced to me by friends as simply "farming simulator," I didn't think I'd be nearly as into it as I am. I actually waited quite a while on picking it up because it sounded really bland and not really my thing, but one night a couple others wouldn't stop talking about it so I finally picked it up for $15 and just went for it. Stardew Valley, I found, was a lot more than the simple description of "farming sim" that I was given. There's a whole town full of people to meet and get to know, there's so much to do (fishing, mining, crafting), and there's a loose story there that is enough to give the game some depth without being too forward and taking over the whole game. It reminds me a lot of Animal Crossing actually, except instead of the game using real time every hour in game is one real minute, and you save the game every time you sleep, brining you to the next day. This is nice because it allows the game to use its in game time for a lot of different things without making you feel like you have to check up on it constantly. You can stop playing for weeks and pick it up right where you were before with no penalty at all. I could say a lot about Stardew Valley, but I'll just say it's one of the most surprisingly fun games I've ever played. I really did not expect to have as much fun with it as I have. If you're on the fence about picking it up I highly suggest you look into the game and what it is, because it's a lot more than what it looks to be on the surface. EDIT as of Nov. 27th, 2019: Game still rules. 1.4 just released, game has had multiplayer for years. The developer aims to give a great experience to the players and always delivers. I wrote this review when I had 88 hours, I now have some over 200. This is a classic game for me that I can always return to.