Video Gamers Podcast - Gaming Quick Takes - Stardew Valley

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey guys, welcome to this Quick Take episode. We're so excited to have you here with us. In the past, these Quick Take episodes actually were only available to those who financially supported the show through Apple subscriptions and Patreon. But due to popular demand, we have decided to shake up the perks for our supporters and we'll be releasing these Quick Takes on Saturdays to everyone, giving you all some extra free content that was previously unavailable to the public. And these Quick Takes are a little more laid back, and they're hosted by just one of us. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this Quick Take episode.

Starting point is 00:00:35 Shazam! Boom! Hey guys, it's Paul here, and it is time for another Quick Take. Before we jump into this episode, I did want to extend an extra special thank you to all of you listening who help support the show. We know that you have limited resources, so the fact that you've decided to help support us with the Multiplayer Gaming Podcast, we really do appreciate it and just wanted to let you know. What I did want to talk about here today is a game that you've probably heard of, you maybe have even played it, but the game that I have probably played the most over the last few years is Stardew Valley. And Stardew Valley has a little bit of a reputation as just being a farming simulator, but honestly the game is so much more than that. The way that Wikipedia words

Starting point is 00:01:34 it is that it's a casual simulation RPG, and I think that that's probably a fair description. But if you're not aware of Stardew Valley basically you are playing as a character whose grandfather recently died and your grandfather has left his old broken down farmhouse to you and so in the game you are basically taking over the farm and starting to renovate it while you also get to know people in the nearby town and you actually develop some relationships with them and there's a whole lot to do in this game. It is completely open-ended. They do guide you and give you quests

Starting point is 00:02:10 and you have overall goals to accomplish. But none of that is really running on a clock. You are free to take your time, play this game, whatever way you see fit. The game does have progression in time. So there is a calendar and the seasons change and the different crops that grow all change based on the season. But you can take as much time as you want as you complete everything around the game. Now generally the first thing that you get involved in with

Starting point is 00:02:37 Stardew Valley is growing crops. And basically to do that you find out that there are a couple of stores in town. You can buy some seeds from the local store. And then you have a hoe, which you can use to dig the ground. But as you do each swing, it depletes a little bit of your stamina. And so over the course of the game, you are basically managing how much you can accomplish in one day because you only have so much stamina. And so basically you can dig some holes, you can plant your seeds. It's optional, but you can also use some fertilizer,

Starting point is 00:03:10 which can give you a higher quality of crop. And then you also have to water those seeds in order for them to grow. Now, depending on which seeds you decided to pick, some of them will yield more than one crop. They all take a different amount of days in order to grow and come to fruition. But basically, you can harvest your crops and then sell them in town, which you can then use that money to go buy more seeds and then start making a bigger crop in your farm. There's also raising livestock. You have to feed your animals either with grass or hay and then they can produce eggs milk other products and the quality depends on their eating habits so what kind of quality food are you giving

Starting point is 00:03:53 them and also the mood of the animals so you kind of have to make it one of your daily chores that you're going to walk by and you're going to pet your animals and talk to them and make sure that they're in a good mood and then they will produce better produce. There's also a lot of material to go around and gather in the game. So you can actually forage berries off bushes. You can even check the trash cans of your neighbors and sometimes you'll get an item out of their trash. However, if they see you do this, they'll actually call you out on it and tell you not to go digging around their trash. However, if they see you do this, they'll actually call you out on it and tell you not to go digging around their trash cans. You can go fishing, you can go mining, where you can go get copper, silver, gold, and some other materials as well. But where the game really starts to take

Starting point is 00:04:38 off is with the crafting. So in the beginning, you are manually doing everything on the farm. You can only do so much because your stamina depletes so quickly. But the crafting system gives you access to items that are going to make your job easier around the farm. So for example, you can craft sprinklers, which will automatically water the crops next to it every morning. So now that's saving you time and also stamina from having to water everything. So it gives you more time to go explore other parts of the town,

Starting point is 00:05:11 or even engaging in combat in the dungeon. And that's one thing that I did not know was in Star Valley when I first bought it. But the game actually does have combat. So you are exploring down in the underground mines, and basically you keep working your way lower and lower. And eventually over time you can complete all of the levels and finish the dungeon, but that's no easy task. It takes quite some time to do it. And then you can also start to craft items in your farm that use your produce in order to make other types of food. So for example, you can turn eggs into mayonnaise. You can put fruit or vegetables into a keg, and it makes various drinks like beer, coffee, tea, wine. And then you can even age things like wine and cheese in your own cellar,

Starting point is 00:05:59 and then that'll make it worth more money over time. And so there's also a ton of cosmetic stuff that you can do to make your farm look nice. There's lots of furniture that you can craft on the inside of your home to make it look nice. And there's also a whole part of Stardew Valley built around the relationships that you develop with the people in the town. So as you walk around, you can engage in conversation. The people share some details about their life, and you also learn things that they like and dislike. And as you engage with them and build relationships, you learn more and more about them. And even when you cross a certain tier, they'll allow you to enter their home and even their

Starting point is 00:06:39 rooms, and they'll share more personal details. You can even date people in the game and even end up being married and having children with them. So there's actually a whole lot of storylines with each individual character in the game, which is really interesting. And there's also like seasonal events and quests that pop up in the game. So even though it is very open-ended, they do provide you with some guidance. So you kind of know what you're building toward. There's like a town hall that you need to renovate and they tell you what they need. And so you're slowly crafting and finding the items that you need for

Starting point is 00:07:15 that. And, you know, it's just a really quaint, pleasant game. I would not say that it's like terribly difficult. The combat is very simplistic. This is not like a combat forward game, but it is part of it. One of the things about the game that's truly incredible is that the person who developed it, Concerned Ape, did it entirely by himself. He wrote all the dialogue. He animated every pixel. He even wrote all the music for the game. It's incredible. The game's very much a labor of love that's very clear and evident. As soon as you start playing it, you can just really tell a lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into this game. I initially bought it on the Switch. I feel like this kind of game lends very well to that medium.

Starting point is 00:08:02 It is more so a casual game that I found myself playing while laying in bed, or if I just had a few minutes to kill, I would load up Stardew Valley. But this game does have the mechanic where you constantly want to do just one more day. You know, all right, my stamina is empty, I'm going to go to bed, but then all these crops are going to be, you know, ready to harvest, so I'm just going to do one last day and see how much money I can make. And then next thing you know, it's two in the morning. So the game can be actually quite addicting, and you can easily get hundreds of hours even just on your first playthrough. I really highly recommend checking it out.

Starting point is 00:08:39 I have not yet played the multiplayer. I am sure that there are a lot of updates since the last time I played this game about a year ago. So even just talking about this makes me want to go download it again on my Switch and see what's changed, or maybe even getting it on PC and playing around with it there. But anyway, this is one of my personal favorites. Just thought I'd mention it in case you guys needed a gaming recommendation, and hopefully Stardew Valley is one that will find its way into your library. Thanks so much, guys.

Starting point is 00:09:09 Thanks again for the support, and we'll see you later.

Video Gamers Podcast - Gaming Quick Takes - Stardew Valley

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