You ever see that meme where someone is holding a sign that says "Your music saved me!" and then the next panel it is something like "Never Going To Give You Up" or "Cotton Eye Joe"?
Stardew Valley, number 3 on the list, has that same vibe save that it is sincere with no hints of irony.
Stardew is a farming simulator where you build up an abandoned farm from nothing but packs of turnip seeds and rusty gardening tools.
Stardrew is a slice of life simulator where you live in a small port town and meet, and possibly romance, close to 20 distinct non playable characters (NPCs).
Stardew is retro pixelated top down combat simulator where trying to get to the bottom of Skull Cavern is as hard as any better known dungeon crawler.
Stardew has a fishing mini game (a tricky one but once mastered you never want to stop) which is a lock for making me love any game*
Stardew also have a classic video game vilian, a time limit, with each 24 hour day (about 15 minutes of in game time) being your chance to water crops, feed animals, buy seeds/supplies, harvest your artisanal products (You can make wine, beer, cheese, etc.), chat with your NPCs, fish, chop wood, mine, and then go sell your items. And there is a wizard and cat that sells hat. Oh, and doing all this helps you save a run down community center beating out a global conglomerate (Joja Mart) and their threat to small town life!**
And, while I didn't need saving,*** this game is loaded with a vibing and wholesome community of people who say how it cured their depression. How it made them good cry.**** How it winds them down after a long day. It cures their anxiety. It makes them feel accomplished. They bonded with their spouse over a shared game.
The game was also made primarily by a single guy, Concerned Ape, who is sort of tech bro we THOUGHT we were going to get when unboxing our first PCs.
You hear all this and the game is not overwhelming. You can play at your own pace and if you don't want to mine (and fight goofy cartoon monsters) then you don't. You don't want to fish? No problem. Sure, you don't get to see every cut scene and check every box but that is ok. And, if you are completionist, then this is the game for you. And a diverse set of things to track down, make and find. Not just more of the same in a huge map. When I found the enigmatic Prismatic Shard I screamed "OMG A Prismatic Shard, yes!" and my wife laughed from the neighboring room. "What a nerd!" This game can be many things and it can also provide satisfaction to us elder millennials who dream of maybe owning a home in a walkable community and saving the world with our sustainable agriculture. Get friendly enough with Shane, the surly town drunk NPC, and you save him for suicide in probably the darkest scenes in the game. SDV firmly makes you the hero of your own story.
With so many options you can sink hundreds of hours into the game and then start a new save and have a distinct experience, particularly with the dating/marrying option. I don't have the heart to start a new save so it is just me and the local sculptor, Leah, and our kids on Ironhoe Farm.
*Does your video game have a fishing mini game? Then you automatic get 8 out of 10. Does it have women holding swords? 9 out of 10. Women have neon pink/blue, etc hair? Fuck! 10 out of 10. Must buy!
**UNLESS you got the Joja route and buy a membership and instead just repair the community center with money. Doing this nets same in game effects save the forest spirits (Yeah they help fix the community center when you offer them crops) have to exile themselves. This is the bad choice and controversial among fandom.
***At least, not that I know of. If any game will save me it will have a fishing mini game in it.
****In the early part of the game you are given a choice to adopt a dog or cat and name it. It is common for people to name them after childhood pets often long deceased. And eventually, if you pet and feed the animal every day, the game will prompt you with a text that says your pet loves you. And its sweet and cut like a knife.
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