Stardew Valley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stardew Valley |
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|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | ConcernedApe |
| Publisher(s) | ConcernedApe |
| Designer(s) | ConcernedApe |
| Engine | MonoGame |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release date(s) |
February 26, 2016
Windows
February 26, 2016 Linux, macOS July 29, 2016 PlayStation 4 December 13, 2016 Xbox One December 14, 2016 Nintendo Switch October 5, 2017 PlayStation Vita May 22, 2018 iOS October 24, 2018 Android March 14, 2019 |
| Genre(s) | Farm life sim |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Stardew Valley is a popular farm life simulation game released in 2016. It was created by a single developer named Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone. In the game, you play as a character who inherits their grandpa's old, run-down farm in a place called "Stardew Valley".
This game is open-ended, meaning you can play at your own pace. Your main tasks are to manage your farm by clearing land, planting seasonal crops, and raising animals. You can also improve your skills in farming, foraging, fishing, mining, and even combat. The game lets you build friendships with the townspeople, and you can even get married and have children. Later, a multiplayer update was added, so you can play online with friends.
Eric Barone worked on Stardew Valley by himself for over four and a half years. He was greatly inspired by the Story of Seasons game series. He wanted to make a similar game but also fix some things he thought could be better. A British company called Chucklefish offered to help publish the game, which allowed Barone to focus on finishing it. The game first came out for Windows computers in February 2016. After that, it was made available on many other gaming systems.
Stardew Valley received very good reviews from game critics. Many people consider it one of the best video games ever made. Even Yasuhiro Wada, the creator of Story of Seasons, praised it. He liked that it kept the freedom that his own series had lost. Stardew Valley also became one of the best-selling video games, selling 41 million copies by December 2024.
Contents
How to Play Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is a farm life simulation game played from a top-down view. It's an open-ended game, so you can choose what to do. The game is mainly inspired by the Story of Seasons series, which used to be called Harvest Moon. You start the game by leaving your boring office job. Then, you move to a farm just outside Pelican Town, in the beautiful Stardew Valley.
Your main goal is to fix up your grandpa's old farm. You also help the town by completing special tasks to restore the Community Center. As the game goes through its four 28-day seasons, finishing these tasks unlocks new areas and activities, like exploring a new island. You can pick from different farm types, each with its own look and special features. On your farm, you'll cut down trees, break rocks, and clear weeds to make space for planting.
You can plant seeds that grow into seasonal crops. These need to be watered every day and usually harvested before the next season. You can also build barns and coops to raise animals like chickens and cows. These animals give you products like eggs and milk.
Developing Your Skills
You will take on many roles in the game. You can improve skills in farming, foraging (finding wild items), fishing, mining, and combat. Giving gifts to townspeople helps you build friendships over time. You can even marry one of 12 characters, no matter your character's gender. Your spouse can then help with daily farm chores, like cooking or watering crops. After getting married, you and your spouse can choose to have a child.
Time in the game passes in daily segments. Each morning, you start with full energy. This energy goes down as you do tasks. You can get more energy by eating food. There's a cave system nearby where you can mine for ores. You can then use a furnace to melt these ores. The caves also have monsters, making mining feel like an action role-playing game. You'll need to switch between your pickaxe and a sword to explore deeper levels. More valuable treasures can be found the further you go. A multiplayer mode was added later, letting you play online with other people.
Creating Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley was first called Sprout Valley. It was created by American game designer Eric Barone, also known as ConcernedApe. Eric finished his computer science degree in 2011. But he couldn't find a job in the computer industry. Instead, he worked as an usher at a theater in Seattle. He wanted to get better at computer skills to find a job. So, he decided to make a game that also used his artistic side. Eric grew up in the Pacific Northwest and put many parts of that region into the game's art and gameplay.
Stardew Valley started as a modern fan-made version of the Story of Seasons series. Eric felt that series had gotten "worse" after Harvest Moon: Back to Nature. He couldn't find a game he liked as much. So, he decided to make a game similar to it. He wanted to "address the problems" he had with Story of Seasons. He felt that "no title in the series ever brought it all together in a perfect way." Eric was also inspired by other games like Animal Crossing, Rune Factory, Minecraft, and Terraria. He added features from these games, such as crafting, quests, and combat.
Eric was the only person who developed the game. He created all of its pixel art, music, sound effects, story, and dialogue. He used a program called Reason Studios for the music and sounds. For the pixel art, he used Paint.NET.
Game Release
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In April 2015, Eric Barone said he would only release the game when it felt complete. He didn't want to release it early or take payments before it was ready. The game officially launched for Windows computers on February 26, 2016. After its release, Eric kept working on it. He listened to feedback from players and fixed bugs. He also planned to add more features.
Eric wanted to add more content for players who had finished the main game. He also planned to bring the game to other platforms. He had originally planned a four-player cooperative mode to be ready at launch. In this mode, players would share one farm. Each player could do different tasks, like one mining while others farmed. The multiplayer feature works for both local networks and online play. Eric planned a test version of multiplayer for Windows in late 2017. It officially launched for all PC platforms on August 1, 2018. In December 2018, the multiplayer update came out for the Nintendo Switch.
Mobile versions for iOS and Android were made with help from The Secret Police. The iOS version came out on October 24, 2018, and the Android version on March 14, 2019. Both versions let players transfer their game progress from computer versions to their mobile devices. In 2018, Eric Barone said he wanted to build a team to help continue developing the game. By 2019, Eric himself published all versions of the game except for mobile. In 2020, he worked with Fangamer to release physical copies of the game for the Nintendo Switch and PC.
In November 2024, Eric Barone released a big update. It added many new features to the game. This update came out on all platforms, including PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox.
Stardew Valley Mods
Stardew Valley has a very active modding community. Players create and add many new features to the game. One of the most popular mods is Stardew Valley Expanded. It has been downloaded over 3 million times. Other mods offer more ways to customize the game's look. This includes changing the overall appearance or adding new animal designs. Most mods can only be played on the PC version of the game. Later updates to the game have also added tools for mod developers.
Other Stardew Valley Creations
In September 2016, the Stardew Valley: Original Soundtrack was released. It contains all the official music from the game. In November 2016, the Stardew Valley Guidebook came out. Eric Barone and Ryan Novak wrote it, and Kari Fry drew the pictures. This book has been updated many times to match new game versions. Critics praised the book's illustrations and how it made the game more relaxing.
In December 2019, Stardew Valley was added to the Tesla Arcade. This is a video game service found in most Tesla electric cars. In August 2020, an orchestral album called Symphonic Tale: The Place I Truly Belong (Music from Stardew Valley) was released. The Budapest Symphony Orchestra performed it.
A cooperative board game version, Stardew Valley: The Board Game, was released in February 2021. Eric Barone also worked with Norihiko Hibino on an album series called Prescription for Sleep. This series remixes video game music with piano and saxophone. The Prescription for Sleep: Stardew Valley album came out in May 2021. It has 10 songs from the game's soundtrack and one new song.
The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook was announced in August 2023. It features over 50 recipes from the game and was released in May 2024. Eric Barone also promoted the first Stardew Valley concert tour, Stardew Valley: Festival of Seasons, in October 2023. A 2-year project to build the Stardew Valley town out of Lego won an award at BrickCon 2024. In October 2024, singer-songwriter Soccer Mommy released a song called Abigail, named after a Stardew Valley character. Eric Barone announced a second concert tour, Stardew Valley: Symphony of Seasons, in November 2024.
Stardew Valley's Impact
According to Inverse, Stardew Valley has been very important. It helped bring farming and cozy games to many more players over the years. In 2022, Destructoid said that Stardew Valley was a big reason for the recent rise in popularity of farming simulators. They called the game a "full-on cultural phenomenon" and one of the most successful indie games.
In 2024, Game Rant stated that Stardew Valley is still seen as one of the best games in the farming simulation genre. They also noted that it brought the genre back to life in the indie game world. This led to many new similar games for players to enjoy.
NME ranked Stardew Valley as the best video game for helping to reduce stress.
Images for kids
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Developer Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone talks about making Stardew Valley in 2019.
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The Stardew Valley booth at PAX West 2016.
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A Stardew Valley display at BrickCon 2024.
