Platforms: Nintendo Switch (reviewed), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux
Developer: Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone
Publisher: Chucklefish
MSRP: $14.99
Introduction
As I sit here trying to think of an eloquent way to describe Stardew Valley’s arrival on the Nintendo Switch, I’m reminded of the Heinz 57 Ketchup marketing campaign of the 1980’s, “The best things come to those who wait.” When it comes to Stardew Valley, that statement couldn’t be any truer.
Over the last few days, I’ve poured way more of myself into this game then I thought possible, almost as if there were more hours added to my day. Sure, I still played some Destiny 2 with my friends, but when it was cool down time, I’d power up my Nintendo Switch and start-up Stardew Valley and dive into my farm, which I named “Osteria.”
Over the past few nights, I’ve debated on whether or not I should do a full review or just cover what’s new and how the game plays on the Switch. I decided to do something in between, since we [GameZone] don’t have a full review of the game on our site, from its original launch, this review will fill in some of the gaps, without covering the game’s story and mechanics in full detail.
The Premise
Your character, who you customize and name, is working for a mega-conglomerate known as Jojo Corporation (think Google, merged with Amazon, and you get Jojo Corporation). The game begins with your character, stuck in a dead end job, much like Tom Hanks in Joe Versus the Volcano. You’re tired of the oppressive nature of a corporation, but are stuck with no way out. Until you receive a letter that states that your grandfather has passed away and left you his farm (which you name, prior to the game starting) in Pelican Town. There are various farm plots to choose from, all of which alter gameplay to a slight degree. So, you pick a plot depending on how you want to play the game.
When you arrive in Pelican Town and view your farm for the first time, it’s rather underwhelming, intentionally. The farmhouse is small, run down and has a hole in the porch. The land itself is overrun with trees, plants, weeds, rocks, and logs. The basic, underlying gist of the game is to clean up the farm, create the most thriving farm possible, sell things for profit and continuously upgrade your farm and life.
Throughout this process, players will have the opportunity to do a bunch of different activities in addition to farming, like fish, mine, and hunt through caves to battle creatures, like jelly monsters and skeletons. But there’s a light side to the game as well, like raising livestock, going into town for special seasonal events or “Festivals,” like the Egg Festival, Luau, Feast of the Winter Star and, of course, meeting and possibly dating the some of the townsfolk. Each person in town has their own unique personality, likes and dislikes and will require the player to “earn” their attention and in certain situations, their affection. When you finally find that perfect someone, players can get married and thanks to an update, they can even get divorced. Hey, not all stories have a happy ending.
The game, because of the cute, 16-bit appearance should be labeled as deceptive. Not in a bad way, but people who haven’t given the game a chance don’t realize how good the game is nor do they understand that it’s more just a farming simulator. Stardew Valley's RPG elements are strong and like any good RPG, players will get lost in the game. Not literally, but mentally. It’s the sort of game that starts off slow and builds like a snowball down a mountain. As you continue to plant, fish and explore, you’ll discover that there’s so much more to the game then growing a set of sweet peas.
Performance
Stardew Valley is essentially a modern day, 16-bit game. It’s 2D with simple graphics, so it doesn’t require a lot of horsepower to make it run smoothly. I’m not implying the Switch can’t handle more graphically demanding games, we’ve seen evidence to the contrary, for example, Zelda, Splatoon, and even Skyrim. Stardew Valley feels like a game that should have been on the SNES but has the polish of a game made today and that combo just seems so fitting for the Switch. It’s the perfect game to escape life and stress and can even be used to settle down after playing hectic, fast-paced shooters. You can start your adventure on your TV and when it’s time to wind down for bed, you just pick it up out of the dock and go to handheld mode and play uninterrupted, that's the best part, it’s just as flawless on the go. The Switch handles this port perfectly. In fact, I’ve yet to see a single bug in the many hours that I’ve played the game. I will say, that when compared to my short time playing the PC game, the Switch has been much simpler and even faster for me. The ability to change tools with just a single tap of a trigger expedites the process of clearing out the overgrown areas much faster than having to direct the mouse all over the place. Is that a trivial thing, sure, but does it really make difference? To me, absolutely. I was able to quickly change my tools from the pickaxe, ax, sickle, and watering can while wondering my farmland clearing out patches of overgrown weeds, rocks and more.
I also prefer to use a joystick to move my character, the WASD keys, while they work (reasonably well), I’ve just always felt more comfortable with either a joystick or even a D-pad, for games like Stardew Valley, that feature similar movement systems. However, others may disagree and that’s fine, it really is a personal preference.
Performance wise, I can’t honestly find anything wrong with the Switch version. The game doesn’t seem to skip or stutter and the framerate has been very solid. It’s highly detailed and crisp, regardless of the mode in which you’re playing, handheld or docked. Again, that could be due to the simple nature of the game’s design, but it’s also a compliment to the team at Sickhead games, who handled the port to the Switch.
If I had to find one complaint and this really isn’t a complaint as much as it’s a wish, I would love to see some support for 4K graphics. That being said, this isn’t the game’s fault, as the Switch itself, doesn’t support 4K. I’ve played Breath of the Wild on my 60” 4K TV and it was perfectly acceptable. Maybe it’s the pixel graphics that make me wish it was just slightly clearer, but that being said, it’s not a dealbreaker.
Sound
There’s nothing really to report on this front, positive or negative, other than the fact that the game still sounds great. Stardew Valley has a very fun and positive feeling soundtrack. You can’t help but feel upbeat and relaxed at the same time. The game’s soundtrack just fits the inviting and laid back aesthetic so well. Even now, it still blows me away to know that every aspect of the original game (prior to Chucklefish paying others to make ports) was made by just one person, Eric Barone who goes by the handle, ConcernedApe. Programming, art, story, and sound, were all done by Barone, it’s downright incredible.
Aside from the stellar soundtrack, other sounds like rain, frogs, footstep, animals, plants being pulled from the ground, and all the other atmospheric sound effects sound perfect and help bring Pelican Town to life. TV and/or surround sound speakers are fine while in docked mode, but I highly suggest using quality headphones when in handheld mode (i.e. not cheap earbuds). I say this, not because the Switch’s speakers sound bad, I feel quite the opposite. The Switch’s stereo speakers sound great with Stardew, but with a good set of headphones, the sound just seems to come alive and really drew me into the experience.
Value
Stardew Valley on the Nintendo Switch is the exact same game as the original PC release. It’s the same game as those found on the PS4 and Xbox One and that’s great. That’s where the real value, strength and driving force behind the success of the Nintendo Switch. With Nintendo’s console, you can take a full-fledged PC/console game, that many believed to be a game of the year contender last year, on the go with absolutely no compromises.
It’s really that simple. Even big, open world games like World of Warcraft and even Destiny 2 try my patience by assigning me boring and mundane tasks (quests) that more often than not, drive me away. In Stardew Valley, the simplest of tasks, when completed, leave me excited to see what’s next. It’s hard to explain to someone who hasn’t played it, but someway, somehow, you begin to care for those little-pixelated townsfolk and that where the game’s heart lies. You’ll want to keep going back for more.
Conclusion
Stardew Valley for the Nintendo Switch, much like the PC original which released almost 2 years ago, is just as timeless. The port couldn’t be any better and fans of the game on other devices will be just as happy with it on the Switch, with the added bonus of taking it on the go. Battery life seems to be pretty decent too and should easily make any 3-4 hour flight or car ride.
If you have never played Stardew Valley, despite all of the amazing praise the game continues to receive and you own a Switch, you owe it to yourself to try this game. At just $14.99, it’s not a costly investment. For less than $15 you’ll receive countless hours of relaxing, fun and stress-free gaming.
