I could spend all day planting seeds and cutting down trees, but what would I be without the relationship I build with Pierre, the man who runs the local produce shop? In return, how does this impact my feelings toward Joja Corporation, my former employer, whose megamart on the outskirts of town competes with Pierre's business? While the game is centered around transitioning your farm from abandoned land into a profitable part of the local economy, Stardew Valley seems just as interested in the player’s personal feelings about those elements. Once I navigated around these issues, important details began to emerge. Is slaving away in a cubicle worth it when you can build something that becomes part of the very ecosystem that drives your world? As someone who has worked desk jobs since I was 14, there’s something here that feels uncomfortably accurate, and it pushes you to build something. The premises are similar: Your character works to turn a run-down farm into a functioning institution, learning to raise crops and livestock while connecting with others that live in the community.īut Stardew Valley is more in touch with its message and more grounded in a relatable reality than its inspiration it subverts cliches that tend to drag down similar games. I've heard people call Stardew Valley "that game like Harvest Moon," and that seems like developer ConcernedApe's intent. Stardew Valley is engrossing in a way that many games of its ilk aren’t the most mundane tasks and errands filled me with a sense of accomplishment. When I completed tasks, I was pleased with my sense of purpose as I crossed them off. I needed to remember to go find some clay to build a hay silo the next day, or that it was someone’s birthday. I often found myself filling out manual lists in my notebook. Sometimes you can’t go to the store or sometimes you have to visit someone for their birthday and give them a gift, but every day is a to-do list. Within a couple of in-game days, you’ve built up a routine: Wake up, check the weather, plan your day, water your crops, tend to your animals, say hello to your neighbors, go fishing, hit some rocks, go to bed. Stardew Valley constantly asks: What do you need to get done today?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |