Stardew Valley
The strange and wonderful world of fantasy farming
$14.99 Developer Concerned Ape, stardewvalley.net Requirements OS X 10.9 or later, 2GHz processor, 2GB RAM, 256MB video memory, 500MB HDD
The idea of a fantasy farming sim has been around for years, dominated by the Harvest Moon series on most platforms, though the Mac has missed out. Stardew Valley begins like so many other such sims before it: as a newbie farmer in a tight-knit community, you’ll need to learn the ropes in order to make the decrepit old farm profitable again.
Right away, though, the faster pace rewards veterans who want to get right into the action. There are no tedious tutorials, and while tools can be upgraded, those upgrades are available right away – if you can find the parts and cash.
Even after a few seasons in the valley, the Quest system presents ongoing goals to keep Stardew Valley from losing its draw. There are nooks and crannies to explore, mines to plunder, suitors to romance, rare fish to catch, and exotic areas to unlock, to name just a few of the activities that will take you away from the day-to-day grind. Of course, your farm is what funds these adventures, so maintaining a steady growth of seasonal crops and raising farm animals is important, but just how much of the game is chore-based is entirely up to you, depending on how aggressively you play.
There’s a soothing draw to simulation games that keeps players coming back for dozens of hours, and Stardew Valley has that charm in spades. It has a few repeated glitches, such as not being able to water plants from a certain direction, but these are minor annoyances.
the bottom line. With a calming, engrossing central aim, and an intriguing quest system, Stardew Valley is the joy of farming without the hard work.