Lets show a lot of love for this game!

[WitherinRoseYT]

I made this post with the intention of having many players post their stories about how they were told about Stardew Valley and why they bought the game!

Let’s keep the positive vibes rolling and show the world just how incredible Stardew Valley is!
Thank you for being such an awesome part of this journey. Happy farming!

SHOW LOTS OF LOVE GUYS! CONCERNEDAPE DESERVES IT!

 

[WitherinRoseYT]

My own story of how I found out about Stardew Valley is that I was scrolling through the Nintendo EShop and just found it!

I just downloaded it and have already played for 20+ Hours

 

[HappyPenguin]

I found the game through Animal Crossing and Youtube. Took a few years before I bought it but im so glad I did!

 

[VampireCake]

I think I heard about this game just before release, it sounded fun and some people who'd been following development were pretty excited for it. Turns out not only did I find it fun, it's pretty much the perfect game for me. I can indulge my collector/completionist/organizer heart without overstretching my depressed ADHD brain. And honestly, this game is so cosy, there's so much to enjoy and fun little things to find, and it's beautiful to look at (I love the waterfalls so much).

I just wish I could be as tidy and organized in real life as I can on my farm. Unfortunately, real life requires dusting.

 

[Slatey8]

My cousin asked me to play it with him and talked about it, and we played like nonstop for 3 days, and then I bought it on the eshop and a few days ago on pc when I got home. Initially played it like a year ago tho

 

[Ima Nut]

I made this post with the intention of having many players post their stories about how they were told about Stardew Valley and why they bought the game!

Let’s keep the positive vibes rolling and show the world just how incredible Stardew Valley is!
Thank you for being such an awesome part of this journey. Happy farming!

View attachment 24239

SHOW LOTS OF LOVE GUYS! CONCERNEDAPE DESERVES IT!

I'd just started playing video games during Covid to keep in touch with my granddaughter. My daughter recommend Stardew. My first couple tries, I was overwhelmed by trying to figure out the controllers. Then I must have picked monsters come out at night accidently and had no clue what was happening!
I picked it up again about a month ago and haven't played anything since. It is filled with a richness of detail. I feel myself pulled in as the villagers stories develop.
To be honest, another reason it took me a long time to actually play it is, I wasn't a big fan of pixel video games.
That is no longer true
What made me try playing it again was a Youtube video starring ConcernedApe and the SDV story.
I want to thank the creator of this post for giving me a chance to say Thank You ConcernedApe for sharing your multi-talents!
I'm currently in the middle of fall in year two and hoping to get a rabbit’s foot at the cart
I see this game keeping me company for the rest of 2024, at the very least! I don't rush a good story.

 

[Lew Zealand]

Stardew kept popping up in suggested videos to watch on YouTube from a YTer I watched occasionally.

So of course I ignored it.

Years later after getting the Minecraft ho-hums yet again and leaving Ark for the nth time I decided to try something different and chill. I remembered those YT video thumbnails and the game art looked pretty good so I judged a book by its cover.

Yeah don't do that. ...'cept maaaybe just this once, ok?

Of course it was leagues better than I could have hoped. I play pixel games and many are good and interesting but none to the level of Stardew. Also the community's pretty chill, who'd a thunk, eh? Which is a fun contrast to the obsessive way many people play that first time through, myself deffies included. In any case, 6 or so years later I'm still playing so must not be all bad, right?

 

[HaleyRocks]

I was an old, SNES, Harvest Moon player, who enjoyed very much that theme, idea, execution, back in the day. Haven't played anything other in the series, though...

Over the last many years, i stopped buying new, mainstream, triple A or console port games and instead, reshifted my focus on the newfound "Fangames" category. Nintendo mercilessly tries to murder any they can, though... The type of fangames that were described as "love letters to x game", "unofficial reboot of y game", or even "free game being harder and more complex than z game which came out from big well-paid team and had still been lackluster".

I also got drawn into the Indie category, which is lately booming, including but not limited to the "Boomer Shooters", as they are now known as. Games like Shovel Knight, Hollow Knight, Dusk, Prodeus and others, immediately caught my eye, captivating me.

So naturally, when i noticed Stardew Valley on the Steam and GoG store, i thought; "Hey, that artstyle is familiar"! I proceeded to reading the reviews and the moment i noticed "Harvest Moon today", "Like Harvest Moon but better" (how accurate!) and other catchy headlines, i immediately decided to bite. Instabuy at full price! Still, i made the mistake to purchase on GoG, which changed a lot over the years and severely dissapointed its old fans and most avid supporters... I might buy it on Steam again, in the near future.

 

[mr. Booblik]

Once on Youtube I was looking at recommendations, which, by the way, were musical. And suddenly I come across a video of the game. It's strange, because I've never been interested in games on Youtube. I launched a video in which the author of the video played a game with a rather interesting musical accompaniment, which I was delighted with. I read the description and it turned out that the game is called Stardew Valley.

What was I interested in? Music. This is the first thing. I really liked the graphic design and it was exactly the case when pixel graphics attracted rather than repelled.

About the mechanics and the process of the game. I've never liked farms. But there was more to this game, namely choice. I really love fishing and the first year of the game I just fished, listened to music and enjoyed a pleasant picture. I didn't have to run to do tasks and errands, I didn't have to rush. I began to relax in this game.

Then I found out about the mine and began to develop this area. It was very interesting!

I spent more and more time in the game and when I looked at the clock counter, it was already 200+. There was no limit to my surprise! 200 hours, and I haven't even mastered all aspects of the game! At the moment, it's been a few years since I started playing. The game has been transformed and every evening after work, before going to bed, I play the game, trying to catch some special fish or I am on the move in search of treasure. The game helps me relax and unwind, but now I give it at best one hour and go to bed with my game character when another day ends.

None of the games I've interacted with have left such a mark on my heart as Stardew Valley. I never returned to any of the games every day until I found this pleasant, warm and cozy place in the Stardew Valley.

 

[WitherinRoseYT]

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for all the support and encouragement you’ve shown. Your kind words and thoughtful advice have truly made a difference, and I can't thank you enough for taking the time to post. It's amazing to be part of such a supportive and uplifting community.

Thank you all for being here and for your unwavering support. It means more than you know!

Warmest regards,
WitherinRoseYT

 

[smellincoffee]

Stardew Valley is the first game I've played since 2018 that just TOOK OVER and became one of my absolute-go-tos, along with The Sims 4 and Red Dead Redemption 2. They fight for dominance now. I saw it being played on CallMeKevin's channel and decided to give it a shot last year. Have been an addict since. It's so charming and relaxing and I love the music and the whole idea of it. I've tried other cozy games since and none of them hit that sweet spot.

 

[REtroGeekery]

A long time ago, I discovered that certain games that have long sidequests or require grinding really help me when my insomnia is acting up. I started saving those parts of the games for it. A doctor once thought I'd been meditating (I'd been wearing those little electrode things for a few days) when I'd been dungeon crawling in an rpg. So there are some games I get just to play then (and some I play more often then).

Several years ago, I decided to give Steam a shot. I ended up disliking it very much, but that's not important. What is important, is that a lot of the games I checked out while using Steam were pixelated indy games. This, I can only assume, is what caused Steam to constantly reccomend Stardew Valley to me, even though it does not look like a game I'd enjoy. Then I started seeing it mentioned (and highly reccomended) all over the place.

I never play sims. I have no interest in the Harvest Moon or Animal Crossing games. I did not get why I kept having Stardew Valley reccomended to me. Finally, a friend directed me to Dangerously Funny's Stardew videos, stating I'd enjoy his humor even if the gameplay ended up doing nothing for me. I enjoyed his videoes but I also noticed that the game plays more like an old rpg, just without the main quest and with much less combat. The simplicity of the combat looked like it could be an issue, but Side Quest: The Game sounded like something that would be really good for bad insomnia nights.

I bought it cheap on sale through Steam to check it out and ended up really liking it. I bought a physical copy for PS4 when I decided to drop Steam altogether. After I finished building my new PC last year, I picked it up on sale at GOG for Linux as well.

It's my go to game when I can't sleep now. It's low pressure but engaging. There are enough different task to perform at any given time that if I get bored of something, I can just moved onto another task. There are no quick responses needed, unlike a lot of games I play, so it doesn't matter if I haven't slept worth anything in days or if I'm sick or something. It's not going to effect my progress or overall enjoyment of the game. The different farm maps combined with the options to build or move whatever you want allow for a lot of creativity, and I really enjoy the design process of each farm.

 

[Lew Zealand]

Side Quest: The Game

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ooooOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo now that is an excellent description. I'd never have thought to put it that way but I believe you've nailed it squarely.

The Oops! All Side Quests of video games. All the goodness of the fun bits and none of the prescribed narrative forced on you by the game studio or dev. IMO you've added something to the meta of Stardew Valley with this description and sorry but I'm a-gonna be using this from now on, with appropriate citing of original references of course.

 

[REtroGeekery]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ooooOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo now that is an excellent description. I'd never have thought to put it that way but I believe you've nailed it squarely.

The Oops! All Side Quests of video games. All the goodness of the fun bits and none of the prescribed narrative forced on you by the game studio or dev. IMO you've added something to the meta of Stardew Valley with this description and sorry but I'm a-gonna be using this from now on, with appropriate citing of original references of course.

I'm glad you liked that. Use away.

It really is a game made of old rpg side quest and you kind of have to wonder why no thought to try it like this before? Good on Concerned Ape for committing to the idea!

 

[Rhiannon]

I had never played a game like SDV before. I started with RPGs and it was always about the graphics. Better graphics. New computer needed. Better graphics. New computer needed. Rinse and repeat. Then my son who is always looking out for games I might like suggested I give this one a try. I soon realized that graphics are not the end-all when it comes to gaming fun. I fell so in love with SDV. I have thanked my son dozens of times for suggesting it.

 

[FilthyGorilla]

Honestly the game has helped a lot for me, I use it to relax, as a hobby to burn my emotions off, as a means to self achievement, and for making friends online, which it has for so many people.

At some points during lows in my life, goals in game were literally my only substantial goals, besides grinding away irl for what felt like nothing. The community is so awesome, and amazingly supporting, I've spent over 1000 hours in the SDV online community alone, here, on discord, and occasionally on the reddit.

I'm just super glad to have started playing so long ago when I did, and picking it up again right before covid which was probably the best time I could've. Best game I've played and probably ever will, not just for the gameplay but for the people and deeper personal meaning as well.