Stardew Valley for iPhone

New but nostalgic farming simulator

If you’ve been living a stressful, high-octane life in the city, living a quiet life in a sleepy, rural town in the country is an idyllic situation. However, not everyone can just drop everything to become a farmer in some obscure town. Fortunately for you, this is exactly the premise of the hit indie role-playing game Stardew Valley. 

In Stardew Valley, you play as a burnt-out office employee as they strive to escape the shackles of corporate slavery by reviving their grandfather’s neglected farm in Pelican Town. Along the way, you can make friends, earn money, and even find love. 

Retro-style farming simulator

For fans of old-school farming simulator games like Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley will be a reminder of the good old days. Farming sims nowadays have become more gritty and complicated that the novelty and charm of the genre have completely disappeared. It brings all of that lost charm back by staying true to the aesthetics and design of old farming sims. It’s rendered in a pixel-graphics style that’s reminiscent of the old Harvest Moon games. 

However, despite the retro graphics, it’s highly detailed and colorful. It doesn’t look unpolished or confusing either. The commands are also simple and easy to get used to. In contrast to modern games that have a lot of commands and functions that you need to master, it only has a handful of commands—perfect for casual players. If you’re a modder, you’re in for some good news as ConcernedApe has announced that its upcoming version 1.6 update will center on implementing powerful capabilities to ensure a more streamlined modding experience.

Establish your own goals

Although Stardew Valley's gameplay is repetitive, there is no hard objective that you need to accomplish to finish it. However, it does give you a goal to reach by the end of your third in-game year, but it’s more of a pass-or-fail review of your progress rather than an actual endgame objective. Hence, you can pretty much set your own goal, such as: 

• Challenging yourself to create the most beautiful farm ever.
• Playing the charmer and seeking to marry a character of the same or different gender.
• Going full monster hunter and exploring the deep caves.

Enhanced modding experience in Version 1.6 

Stardew Valley creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone recently shared some insights on what to expect in the upcoming version 1.6 update. While the previous major update, version 1.5, introduced new features like a beach farm and local split-screen co-op play, version 1.6 will focus on making Stardew Valley mods more accessible and powerful. This enhancement will be a delight for both modders and average players alike, as they can expect more streamlined modding experiences and capabilities.

What else to look forward to in Version 1.6

Aside from enhanced modding, Stardew Valley fans can also expect new content in the beloved farming sim game’s upcoming patch. Although no specifics have been revealed by ConcernedApe prior to the official launch, the teasers are enough to stir anticipation. Version 1.6 is set to introduce a new festival, additional items, fun dialogue with the NPCs, and some secrets to keep fans on the edge of their seats. The patch won’t be as major as Version 1.5, though, but it’s also expected to address bugs and other game issues besides featuring new content.

A nostalgia bomb

There’s no denying that the main appeal of Stardew Valley is nostalgia, especially for fans of the old Harvest Moon games. It also has so much new content to offer such as a combat mechanic, the ability to marry characters, magic, and more. Whether you’re a long-time fan of farming simulators or a new player who’s just getting into the genre, Stardew Valley is a great game to try out.