It’s almost time for my top three games of 2016. For #4 this year, we have a game that transformed from a passion project to one of the most memorable games released.
#4 — Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley came out of the developer’s wish to see a Harvest Moon-styled game for the PC. It took about four years before his dream game was ready. What we got was an elevated take on the genre and one of the most relaxing games to play.
Players were free to decide just what to focus on during their time in the valley. You could become a master fisherman, a local favorite, build a farming empire and more. The depth given to the characters of the village made the game more personable.
Stardew Valley is probably the easiest game on my top 10 list, but that doesn’t distract from the joy and “one more turn” feel there is of playing it. The game has been supported over the year; with more relationships and content added.
Similar to Undertale, Stardew Valley has become a fan favorite for people who love to explore the relationship side of things and the people. The fact that the game can appeal to so many different groups of people is testament to what makes it great.
For me, I’ve been hoping for more games like Harvest Moon on the PC (next I want Monster Hunter), and Stardew Valley fits that bill.
There are only a few things that stop it from being higher on my list. For people like me who want to really dig (no pun intended) into the farming side, the game is somewhat basic on that front. There’s a part of me who would love something like a mix between Factorio and Stardew Valley, but that may be too crazy of a sell. The controls were somewhat cumbersome due to its one size fits all UI.
Even with that said, Stardew Valley is just a joy to play, and very few games can elicit that in players.
We’re entering the top 3, and tomorrow’s pick is a new take on a new design’s take on old design.
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