Unpopular opinion: this game isn’t that great. It’s basically doing chores and if you don’t do them on time, it can set you way back, the gifting mechanism is annoying and punishing for giving the “wrong” gift even though the hints are limited, there’s nothing to really like about most of the characters as they’re selfish and demanding, I found the gameplay annoying without mods, and it’s repetitive to the point of pure boredom.
So I really enjoyed it, but I think there’s a giant prerequisite that you have to like this kind of game to start with.
If it feels like a chore then the core gameplay loop is not your thing and that’s ok.
If you like this farming style game, then Stardew Valley offers a lot of depth. Ultimately I can definitely see why some people wouldn’t enjoy it, though.
I’ve heard some of these critiques of the game before. It surprises me how many people are bothered by the clock ticking down when there’s no consequences to going at your own pace. That’s what I find relaxing. I can just sit down, and explore, play, figure things out, etc. The fact that things aren’t obvious and not spoon fed to you is enjoyable to me. There’s not other people running around frantically. Didn’t catch an NPC today? I’ll catch them tomorrow. It’s relaxing in its simplicity.
I think people don’t find the game relaxing when they put their own restrictions and goals in place (Got to get this person to X number of hearts by such and such a date, etc).
There are a few areas where the clock mechanic is really, really bad:
If you go into the desert and try the dungeon there, you will run into the issue time running out. The bus is starting quite late and it takes time to go down the dungeon
That also applies the first times you go to the island
The community center also has this problem: You need to catch certain fish that might only be available in some seasons in some areas in certain times and you are really lost without the wiki there. And if you miss the time slot where those fish are available (or where you can grow certain crops) you need to wait another year before being able to progress.
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Unpopular opinion: this game isn’t that great. It’s basically doing chores and if you don’t do them on time, it can set you way back, the gifting mechanism is annoying and punishing for giving the “wrong” gift even though the hints are limited, there’s nothing to really like about most of the characters as they’re selfish and demanding, I found the gameplay annoying without mods, and it’s repetitive to the point of pure boredom.
I’ve never understood the attraction.
So I really enjoyed it, but I think there’s a giant prerequisite that you have to like this kind of game to start with.
If it feels like a chore then the core gameplay loop is not your thing and that’s ok.
If you like this farming style game, then Stardew Valley offers a lot of depth. Ultimately I can definitely see why some people wouldn’t enjoy it, though.
I agree
People say it’s relaxing
Excuse me what’s so relaxing about the clock running down on you every day, your character moving at the speed of an ant
People not being accessible at certain hours
Nothing is obvious without using the wiki
I could go on and on
Stardew captured a niche but it certainly is overrated
I’ve heard some of these critiques of the game before. It surprises me how many people are bothered by the clock ticking down when there’s no consequences to going at your own pace. That’s what I find relaxing. I can just sit down, and explore, play, figure things out, etc. The fact that things aren’t obvious and not spoon fed to you is enjoyable to me. There’s not other people running around frantically. Didn’t catch an NPC today? I’ll catch them tomorrow. It’s relaxing in its simplicity.
I think people don’t find the game relaxing when they put their own restrictions and goals in place (Got to get this person to X number of hearts by such and such a date, etc).
There are a few areas where the clock mechanic is really, really bad:
Yes, all of this!