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Anna Grimm | Posted on March 13, 2019
Sometimes you need to get away from everyday life, and become a simple farmer.
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With Stardew Valley being released this week on Android, I thought I’d take a look at the calming game that is loved and played by many. Stardew Valley is a farming simulation roleplaying game, developed by ConcernedApe. It came out in February 2016 for PC, and was later released on console. In the game, the player takes control of a character, who wants to get away from busy life in the city, and gets their deceased grandfathers farm in Stardew Valley. The game has been compared to Harvest Moon, an older game with a very similar premise.
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How you feel when you need those seeds, but the store is closed.
The game starts with you at your desk job, doing the same thing over and over. Eventually, you are bored of this life, and you go and visit your dying grandfather, who leaves you his dilapidated farm. You arrive to the farm with a cheery tune in the back, and see that the farm needs a lot of work. That’s where the player comes in! You have the option to do what you want with the farm to make it yours. You can choose many different types of farms in the beginning, but the standard one is the best for beginners. Clearing the wood and rocks that have grown over the farm is always a good start. Eventually, you’ll want to head into town and buy some seeds to truly start the life as a simple farmer. (The tools you’ll need are luckily already provided for you.) After acquiring the seeds, you start to lay down a plot of land where you will start your crops. You can start exploring at anytime around town. While exploring, you’ll meet many friendly faces of the townsfolk, who will also sometimes give you hints. As you level, and acquire more money, you can build your farm up even more with chicken coops, barns, stables, and even increase your house size. Your job as a simple farmer is endless!
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insecticidesoap on TumblrFanart of a farmer and Linus
Not only do you build a relationship with your farm, you can also build a relationship with the townsfolk as well! When you reach heart milestones with them, different events with them happen. You can give them gifts, and talk to them everyday to increase the hearts. (Linus, the homeless man who lives in a tent, is my BFF in the game). If you’re smitten with one of them, and have a high enough heart level, you can even give them a special shell necklace that enables you to be in a relationship with them. Eventually, you can marry them, and they’ll move into your farm, and sometimes help out. (I married Elliot. He lived by the sea, has long hair, and writes poetry. He’s my fave). If you really wanna increase a relationship with someone, but don’t have any of their special gifts, check out the travelling cart lady who appears near the forest on Fridays and Sundays! At some point, you can also have the option to have kids, but only when your house is certain size. Most importantly however, you get the option later in the game to either get a dog or a cat, based on the answer you selected when creating your character. Once you get enough money to build other farm buildings, you can also create a good relationship with those farm animals as well. Creating a good relationship (by feeding them everyday), enables them to drop more eggs, or give you milk more frequently. Milk and eggs are used to turn into cheese or mayonnaise, which can be sold. The higher the star level on those products, the more money you get. Other animals, such as ducks, will drop feathers that are favorite gifts of some of the townsfolk, or can also be sold for money. The animals also are a big part of finishing the bundles in the community center.
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At first, Stardew Valley gives you a lot to do. You farm constantly, throughout the three seasons (you can farm in winter once you get the greenhouse), to get the most money possible in order to survive the winter. Once you get enough money to where you feel comfortable, you can start spending it on other farm buildings. This gives you more work to do as well. Eventually, though once you have most of the farm things accomplished, you’ll feel like you’ve run out of things to do. This happens around the end of year 2, depending on your pace in the game. This is a good time to further focus on the repairs of the community center, and try to finish the bundles in them. Seasons and weather are a big part of this game, and can help your farm out, especially when it rains. You can also check the message board in front of the general store, for special requests from villagers. The community center bundles also makes you go into the mines, which can be a task sometimes, but you eventually get the hang of it. You can also fish, which i do not understand the mechanics of, and you can always buy the fish too. There are also special events that happen each season, where the community gets together, and you can participate in and win special prizes! No matter what you decide to do, or how you decide to play the game, you are accompanied by an amazing soundtrack, and a peaceful game, where nothing bad happens. It’s refreshing, and a game you can spend hours and hours in.
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the annual flower dance
So, if you want a break from the fast paced, action RPGs out there, check out Stardew Valley. It’s calming, and will make you wish you were a simple farmer in a simple town.
Rating: 9.5/10
This game is almost perfect, except for fishing. I don’t understand it and am not good at it.
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If y’all are interested, follow me on the following social media sites: Twitter: @ohthatgirlanna Instagram: @theepenguinqueen
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