Stardew Valley gives you the chance to escape the 9-5 grind. The game, created by ConcernedApe, where players inherit a rundown, albeit charming, farm from their grandfather, prompting the decision to leave their corporate life behind and move to the countryside. On the surface, Stardew Valley looks like a typical farming sim, as farming activities are how you primarily earn money to fund your adventures, but you quickly learn that things in Pelican Town aren’t as ‘wholesome’ as they may seem.

The game progresses through passing seasons, with each offering different crops to grow and different festivals to participate in. The outcome of the season depends on how far you’ve progressed your relationships with the people of Pelican Town. As you get to know them better, you start to uncover dark secrets, witness some delicious drama, and sabotage a corporate superstore threatening to put the local grocer out of business… Or help them do it. Did we mention that you can use dark magic to reverse some regrettable life choices?

The development of Stardew Valley was an individual effort, as ConcernedApe is not a company, but a person. Eric Barone developed the game entirely, including programming it, designing the art, composing and recording the iconic soundtrack, and writing the dialogue. Five years of hard work paid off, earning remarkable popularity since its release in 2016 and receiving critical acclaim from players and critics alike. Just a few months after its release, it reached over one mn copies sold. Continuous updates and unpaid DLCs keep players engaged and adds to the game’s captivating storyline, nostalgic charm, and the sense of escapism it offers its players.

⌛ Hours of gameplay: 52.5 for main objectives, 158 for 100% completion

💵 Price: USD 14.99

👾 Platforms: Steam, Nintendo Switch, the App Store for iPhone and MacOS, Playstation, Xbox, Windows, Google Play Store, and even as a board game.

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