Several years ago my son ran across a game “Let’s Play” on YouTube for Stardew Valley. At the time it was a brand new independently created (by one person) farming simulation game. He was mildly interested in getting it. Eventually. However, when his sister and I saw that video we wanted it immediately. Like, download it now.
And we were right.
It is probably one of the sweetest games out there, in several different ways. It’s a very easy game to play plus it also has a very “sweet” mood. Casual is an understatement when describing Stardew Valley. You can do as little or as much as you want and still progress in the game.
Originally it was only available for the computer but has become so popular that it’s on a lot of different platforms that are linked on the official website. Also linked on the website is an extremely complete and useful wiki that I do use all the time. I think my daughter and I both got the Android versions sometime last year.
I also found out recently that there is an expansion pack for Stardew Valley that is getting rave reviews. I’m just not sure which platforms it’s available on.
One of the best things about Stardew Valley is that it’s completely offline for single player. It does have a multiplayer option now that of course has to be online. But the basic game? Completely internet free.
Which brings me to why I’m even bringing it up right now. With the stay at home orders in effect, everyone is on the internet all the time. Half the time some of the games I like to play on my phone don’t work because they need stable connections. The other half of the time they need to be updated.
So, by default, about a month ago, I started playing Stardew Valley a lot more than I used to. I even started a new game with a completely different farm layout than I originally had on my phone. I’m already in the second year, in a relationship and really making a lot of progress on developing the farm.
All while only playing about a half hour per session. It’s just a very satisfying casual game.
(first posted May 15, 2020)