Stardew Valley is the ultimate cozy game that is beloved everywhere. Players can experience a farm simulation-style game full of possibilities, including a customizable avatar and farm layout to best optimize your personal experience. 

This game was created in 2016 by Eric Barone, or ‘ConcernedApe’ as he is known in-game. Barone spent nearly four-and-a-half years completing the first version of the game released in 2016. 

Heavily inspired by the popular game series Story of Seasons, another popular farm simulation game created in 1996, the game was created with special attention to some shortcomings experienced previously by the game.

The game begins with the main player receiving a letter from their recently deceased grandfather, explaining that he has willed his farm located in the charming Pelican Town to you. 

The player then chooses to move to the Valley to begin cleaning up the farm and begin a new life after feeling overwhelmed from a life in the city. 

After meeting with Mayor Lewis and the local carpenter, Robin, you can begin cleaning up your farm and even plant your first crop. The first task of the game is to meet the local villagers, NPC characters that you can speak to, so exploring the town and getting familiar with the locals is the perfect next step for a newbie. 

From that point onwards, the game is entirely customizable and fully based on exploration at your own pace. Explore the Cindersap Forest, full of foraging opportunities from summer ferns to hardwood, or upgrade your ax to find out what’s hidden in the Secret Woods. 

Wander down to the Beach and try your hand at some fishing (with a fishing pole that’s a special gift from Willy, the town fisherman), or up to the Mountains to meet Linus, the town mountain man (not a joke), and brave the mines. 

Begin foraging on and around your farm as well as grow crops to sell and earn gold, which allows you to upgrade your farm and purchase livestock as well as other supplies. After your first home upgrade, you’re able to use fresh produce from your farm to cook a variety of meals to help keep your energy up while working all day. 

As the seasons change and your farm begins to grow, you can attend and experience a series of festivals and tournaments around the valley. Attend the Stardew Valley Fair in the fall and submit entries in the display contest to win 1000 prize tickets.

The Night Market, which happens every winter, hosts an array of booths including a submarine tour and a mermaid show. 

A key part of the game is the Community Center, which unlocks completely new areas of the game to explore and a greenhouse located on your farm which allows you to grow seasonal crops year round. You can choose to support JojaMart, a corporate company that has recently opened a shop in the Valley, or Pierre, the owner of the local General Store. 

While JojaMart’s prices for seeds and other goods are lower than Pierre’s, real Stardew Valley players know that the best way to play is to support the local community. 

The game recently underwent a highly talked about update, the new 1.6 update available on PC and MAC released earlier this year that fixed some bugs that were present, but also added several new and fun additions to the game. 

Players can now choose a new farm layout, the Meadowlands layout, that’s specially created for the players who love farming more than anything else. The new layout also features chewy blue grass, a new crop that is especially yummy to your farm animals. 

There are new challenges and secrets to unlock, including the new Mastery Cave. A new system allows players who achieve Level 10 in the 5 skills present in the game to access a secret cave in Cindersap forest. 

Fishing, farming, foraging, combat and mining can all be completed by consistently using these different skills in your everyday gameplay. Once achieving mastery, you’re able to unlock the secret door to the cave.

There are also new festivals to attend in nearly all of the seasons. The Trout Derby, which happens in summer, allows you to compete with rival fishermen and win prizes based on the amount of trout you catch. 

The Desert Festival, which happens in spring, is located in the Calico Desert (reachable after purchasing the hefty $42,000 bundle to repair the city bus in the Community Center) and offers a wide array of activities and shops to win prizes and buy limited items. 

Ultimately, this game is perfect for a variety of players and play styles. Whether you’re looking for something cozy to lose yourself in during exam season, or you’re a first-time gamer who’s not interested in the idea of a game with too many rules, it’s absolutely perfect. 

For players who already love this game and for newcomers who wish to play, there seems to be more good things coming. 

The new 1.6 update, which is as of now only available for PC and Mac Players, is scheduled for release on the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices by Nov. 4. Barone doesn’t seem to be slowing any improvements or additions to this game anytime soon, so there is always something new and exciting to look forward to in the future. 

Kennedy can be reached at [email protected].