It’s somewhat difficult for me to summarize this game into a single post. I can say with no hesitation that Stardew Valley is my favorite video game of all time.

I began playing Stardew in the midst of the pandemic and there wasn’t a better time for me to discover this form of escapism.

Since then I’ve accumulated more than 350 hours, hyper-fixated on this beautiful town. All that time played, and I still learn more every time I pick up the game.

Now, what the game is about…

Stardew Valley is a casual farming simulation game where you play as the grandchild of a farmer who passes down his farm to you after you become tired of your corporate city job.

This Role Playing Simulation game takes place in a small town known as Pelican Town, a cozy town with colorful characters with intriguing stories.

Once you customize your character, and travel to your farm, you’re able to grow crops, care for animals, create fish ponds, and decorate to your heart’s content.

Beyond the farm, you learn to fish, mine, forage and fight mobs.

There are hundreds of quests to complete, beautiful landscapes, and layers of backstory, its hard to believe this game was created by one person.

The art style of the game is another appealing factor. The art style is a 2D Pixelated style that is reminiscent of numerous games that came before it, such as Terraria and Undertale.

The game itself is easy to get the hang of, though I feel is easier on certain consoles than others.

The Nintendo Switch controls are the easiest for me, as I’ve been playing with them for three years. The PC is also incredibly easy to adapt to.

The controls for the Android and iOS versions are slightly more difficult to get used to. It’s difficult to switch to different items and target areas to break items.

For those who play video games seriously, I wouldn’t waste the money on the mobile version.

The game’s soundtrack is simple and charming, and doesn’t get old easily.

The game-play loop is the most difficult to get used to. The days are limited, wake up at 6am and go to bed at 2am at the very latest. Each day is about 20 real life minutes.

The save-points occur after you go to sleep for the night, meaning you must finish the day or risk redoing all your hard work.

It’s a bit difficult to get used to at first, but it becomes something of a challenge later on.

I would consider this an essential cozy game primarily due to

Stardew is a game created for those with patience, and a desire to explore.

Overall I would rate Stardew Valley 4 of 5 stars.