In the same way thatAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsmight seem quite boring on the surface level, spending most of the day talking to anthropomorphic villagers, catching bugs and fish, andselling turnips for insane amounts of money,Stardew Valleyalso probably doesn’t seem all that interesting to gamers who are used to high intensity, action-packed titles.
Rather,Stardew Valley’s intensity comes from the drive to complete tasks and feel that sense of fulfillment. It comes from task management while battling with small in-game obstacles, from knowing that completing this small task will help with completing that other bigger goal. Not only is it satisfying to the player each time they successfully do so, but knowing they have even more to get done, it forces this “just another day” feeling in players.
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The Creation of Stardew Valley
Stardew Valleywas originally created by this normal guy who liked the originalHarvest Moongames, Eric Barone. Like most, he felt that the newerHarvest Moongames didn’t scratch the old itch, so he spent years recreating that feeling. It reached not just other farming sim fans, but a broad spectrum of gamers.
And despite being essentially a recreation of obsolete games,Stardew Valleyimplements some of the systems now commonly used across the entire farming sim genre and makes them better. Now, in themost recent installment ofStory of Seasonsthe series is borrowing back some of the improvements on the mechanics Barone made such as a difficult fishing mini-game, allowing players to see how much money they made from each individual product at the end of the day, and adding enemies to the mines.
The grind became addicting, as did the progression and reward system Barone had created. Completing certain main quests would result in conclusions to hilarious storylines, like the relationship between Marnie and the Mayor. Upgrading weapons allows players to traverse new caverns. Completing sections of the Community Center means new parts of the map for players to explore. And marrying a villager means additional help around the farm, as well as being able to raise kids.
Why was it that Barone was able to implement task completion in such as a satisfactory way? Perhaps becauseStardew Valleyitself was a self-motivated project, which meant overcoming task management obstacles like inspiration, scheduling, and the general drive to get the task done. Whatever the case, the successful formula resulted inthe sale of over 10 million copiesand became known for “breathing new life into a genre” by critics, effectively turning Barone into a self-made millionaire.
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Stardew Valley’s Success
Stardew ValleysurpassedHarvest Moon’s popularity so much so that when similarly inspired farming sims pop up from other indie developers, some proclaim them to bejust another “Stardew Valleyclone"without recognizing thatStardew Valleyitself was not an original concept. This is in spite of the fact thatStardewwasn’t created by a team at a development studio backed by a large publisher.
Still, while being developed by a sole person,Stardew Valleyended up being more balanced in its mechanics, offering higher replayability value, and delivering players with highly requested late-game content thatHarvest MoonandStory of Seasonssimply doesn’t have. All for a fraction of the cost that players can pick up the newestStory of Seasonsgame, and made available across more platforms.
Stardew Valley’s Inspiration
Having reached so many players,Stardew Valleythen inspired other single developers to create their own farming sims. If Eric Barone, who had no experience in art design, could make a game as delightful and fulfilling asStardew Valley, why couldn’t the next person? Barone, though he had gone to school for computer science, had no experience animating sprites, writing multiplayer code, or composing dozens of original tracks. Meaning, with years of grueling dedication, otherscould make a game just likeStardew.
But what struck this inspiring cord in other developers? All Barone aimed to do withStardew Valley, originally calledSprite Valleyin early development phases, was recreate the experience he had withthe firstHarvest Moongamesin a way that would please him and his girlfriend. In response, other players-turned-developers are attempting to recreate the same feelings they got fromStardew Valley. By copying and implementing the same strong gameplay mechanics and putting their own twist on it, others have done essentially what Barone did with his very own home-grown farming sim.
Stardew Valleyis available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
