This is more of a blog than a review, but hey, it's Stardew Valley, in 2023. I'm not the one selling you on it. Lemme ramble.
It took me quite a few tries to get into Stardew Valley. When I was first interested, I only had a Mac, and it didn't have a Mac port back then. By the time that changed, in both senses, my attention had moved on.
Later, when I thought about it again, I took at look at how people talked about the game, how it seemed to play in videos, and I was turned off - it seemed stressful and overwhelming, keeping track of all the different things to do, processing the information given, and figuring out the details, so I wasn't interested in trying it for quite a while.
Eventually, I needed a low-energy game to play, and seeing more videos about it had made me more interested, so I gave it a shot - and I was entirely right about the problems I expected, I felt really lost, like I was awkwardly fumbling through, and it wasn't enjoyable. So for players with the wrong kind of brain, it might not be a great fit - at least, vanilla.
However, that need grew and grew and so I gave it another try - but this time, with a few tips and a bunch of mods that helped me track the info, know what to do right, and relieve the pressure to plan ahead quite so much. Others might call it cheating, especially the instant storage access, but it's exactly what I needed to get into the game, and now that I finally could, I've been really enjoying it. The gameplay loop is satisfying, the systems are engaging, and the characters are charming.
Of particular note, I have some Complicated feelings lately on player romance in games, but Stardew does it basically exactly right for my tastes, a slow burn largely at the player's discretion, not assuming I'm into a character before I've demonstrated such - and giving me reasons to be so. For a fairly simple system, it's surprisingly fulfilling, at least as someone otherwise in a rough emotional spot.
I know I already assumed this isn't anyone's first exposure to Stardew, but just in case someone's in the same situation as I was and likes the sound of those mods, lemme list out some of the important ones. Billboard Anywhere lets you check the quests and calendar at any time - particularly, from your farm, so you can check what you might need to do today before committing. Chests Anywhere lets you access your chests at the press of a button - it can also be configured to be less cheaty, but I'm honestly glad to remove inventory management as a factor, I just needed that pressure reduction to personally enjoy the game. Lookup Anything lets you get a mini wiki-page on just about anything you highlight, which in particular really removed the trial and error from gifting villagers. Finally, UI Info Suite 2, amongst other features, keeps track of all sorts of reminders for periodic events, so that you don't have to worry about forgetting them. Combined, these really lift the cognitive load and make the experience as relaxing as other people already find it.
As of writing, I don't really know how to mark my playing status. I'm definitely still going, but I've finished the community centre, so I guess if I want to mark dates, from the start of this save file to now is as good as any?
It took me quite a few tries to get into Stardew Valley. When I was first interested, I only had a Mac, and it didn't have a Mac port back then. By the time that changed, in both senses, my attention had moved on.
Later, when I thought about it again, I took at look at how people talked about the game, how it seemed to play in videos, and I was turned off - it seemed stressful and overwhelming, keeping track of all the different things to do, processing the information given, and figuring out the details, so I wasn't interested in trying it for quite a while.
Eventually, I needed a low-energy game to play, and seeing more videos about it had made me more interested, so I gave it a shot - and I was entirely right about the problems I expected, I felt really lost, like I was awkwardly fumbling through, and it wasn't enjoyable. So for players with the wrong kind of brain, it might not be a great fit - at least, vanilla.
However, that need grew and grew and so I gave it another try - but this time, with a few tips and a bunch of mods that helped me track the info, know what to do right, and relieve the pressure to plan ahead quite so much. Others might call it cheating, especially the instant storage access, but it's exactly what I needed to get into the game, and now that I finally could, I've been really enjoying it. The gameplay loop is satisfying, the systems are engaging, and the characters are charming.
Of particular note, I have some Complicated feelings lately on player romance in games, but Stardew does it basically exactly right for my tastes, a slow burn largely at the player's discretion, not assuming I'm into a character before I've demonstrated such - and giving me reasons to be so. For a fairly simple system, it's surprisingly fulfilling, at least as someone otherwise in a rough emotional spot.
I know I already assumed this isn't anyone's first exposure to Stardew, but just in case someone's in the same situation as I was and likes the sound of those mods, lemme list out some of the important ones. Billboard Anywhere lets you check the quests and calendar at any time - particularly, from your farm, so you can check what you might need to do today before committing. Chests Anywhere lets you access your chests at the press of a button - it can also be configured to be less cheaty, but I'm honestly glad to remove inventory management as a factor, I just needed that pressure reduction to personally enjoy the game. Lookup Anything lets you get a mini wiki-page on just about anything you highlight, which in particular really removed the trial and error from gifting villagers. Finally, UI Info Suite 2, amongst other features, keeps track of all sorts of reminders for periodic events, so that you don't have to worry about forgetting them. Combined, these really lift the cognitive load and make the experience as relaxing as other people already find it.
As of writing, I don't really know how to mark my playing status. I'm definitely still going, but I've finished the community centre, so I guess if I want to mark dates, from the start of this save file to now is as good as any?