Did You Know?!

After a nice winter break we come back to me accusing you all of holding out on me. So, did you know? If you did, shame on you. If you didn't, do not fret, you're about to!

What in the world am I asking you? It's simple really, I am asking: did you know that this game not only is addicting but was also the perfect match to my obsessive personality? Because I did not even know it existed. If you did know, shame on you for holding out on me! But also, good call, because it is really eating up my free time. For those of you that have no idea what I am talking about, let me be the first to introduce to you: Stardew Valley. To briefly paint a [bad] picture, it is as if you crammed Minecraft, Farmville, and an adventure game into a machine, turned said machine on, and out popped this mutant beauty. And trust me, I say that in the best way possible.

Do not mistake me, I know the description I just gave may not be the most appealing, but I truly do love this game. In fact, a lot of people do. While doing some research on the game to write about it today, I found that it scores pretty high on most video game review websites. And though I usually don't put a lot of weight into other kinds of reviews, personally, I have found most gamers to be picky about their games. Rightfully so- this is not an attack just an observation. One which I can relate to regarding my own interests, but I digress. These results surprised me. Not because it isn't a good game but because real gamers actually agreed with me that it is a good game. I point this out because I feel I have to be honest, I love video games, but any of my friends will quickly out me that I am a horrible gamer. Though I genuinely enjoy games and gaming, I think if I tried to declare myself as a gamer otaku, I would at the very least get severely laughed at.

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Nerdom Vocab Lesson: Otaku

o·ta·ku

noun Definition 1- (in Japan) a young person who is obsessed with computers or particular aspects of popular culture to the detriment of their social skills.

Definition 2-

Otaku is a Japanese term for people with obsessive interests.

Note: Otaku culture was meant to be a bad thing in Japan. Naturally, American's took it and turned it into a quirky, nerdy term. Knowing what it is currently and in this setting, it is also important to note that there are many different types of otaku.

Popular ones include [but are not limited to]: Anime/Manga Otaku, Gaming Otaku, Figure Otaku, Idol Otaku, and Cosplay Otaku.

End of Lesson

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I am not a gaming otaku. I struggle to finish games and I go long spans of time without playing. I feel like I have to admit this since this is a Nerdom post and I don't want you to get the impression that I am an all knowing gamer. BUT, I know enough to talk about this gem. Even I can see how impressive it is that this game was entirely created by one person. Everyone, please give a round of applause to our Stardew Valley daddy, Eric Barone. Over the course of four years he single-handedly made a game that would turn a non-gaming otaku over to the obsession. Dissatisfied with where another game franchise was going, and unable to find another game to replace it, he began his quest to creating Stardew Valley. I never thought I would say this, but the Wikipedia article on the development of the game was actually very interesting, if you want to learn more about this.

I think it is important to know that Stardew Valley has done really well in sales and across platforms. To brag on it just a little bit more before I go into talking about the game play, Stardew Valley was actually nominated for 11 different awards, which is amazing to me in itself, and it did end up winning 2 of them. The Breakthrough Award at the Golden Joystick Awards and the Game, Simulation category at the NAVGTR Awards.

All of this! And I had never even heard of it. I am so late to the game, literally. I can almost feel all the gamers reading this, shaking their heads because did I mention it came out four years ago next month. Yup, you heard me right. But here's the thing, I got it as a gift this holiday season for my Nintendo Switch. SO, it's basically new again! Which brings us all right here, right now, me writing, you reading, about an addicting video game. Enough technical stuff lets get into the game itself!

#1) The Graphics-

The art for the game, err, the graphics and the animation, are so cute. Simple yet precious. I am unsure about when the game originally came out but my copy on the Switch is very pleasing to the eyes. It is dainty and again just so button cute. It is also really nice to watch the seasons change. I wish I had more to say on this part of the review but really the only words that keep coming to mind are, "So cute!" But there is one part of the graphics I guess you could say that surprised me. We will need to make it its own category though, the surprise is: customization.

#2) Customization-

There are a lot more customization options than I wasn't anticipating. For example I thought the character would be pre-selected or at most would have a small amount of options, like 4. But there is actually a pretty decent range of customization's available. You can pick the gender of your character, name them, give them a "favorite thing", and can customize their skin and clothing. There are 24 skin shades, 56 hair styles, 112 shirt options, 4 pant options, and 20 accessories. You can also customize your hair color, eye color and pants color, which I thought was funny. One of my favorite things about the customization process though is that you can pick your animal preference. After you play the game for a little while the animal you chose will come to your farm and live with you. Bless. Another unique customization is the fact that you can pick what type of farm you want. Do you want it in the forest? The hills? By the sea? Don't worry, you get to pick, from six different farmtastic options. Each option still gives you the main story line to play through, the setting is just a little different. The fact is I don't think any of this was necessary but it was a really nice, fun, sweet touch to the game.

#3) Sound-

The music is so soothing. I can get lost playing for hours and just feel so calm while playing. The sound effects are satisfying too. I had a friend over the other day while I was playing and she just sat next to me listening to me play for a while because she said it was good ASMR. I have to say I agree with her. And in case you didn't see on the score above, daddy Eric made the music too. Bless him, he is too good to us. All the snap, crackle, and pops are in the perfect place and tone.

#4) Story

It's funny because I feel like I relate more to this game more than any other just because of the story. Story is about you getting fed up with the business of life and deciding to start a new life away from it all. Man, there are not many people I know who wouldn't jump on that chance! This opportunity is given to you from your recently passed grandfather. He leaves you his farm in a little town down in Stardew Valley. Now, I don't want to spoil anything but I will say that there are cute little mythical creatures that await you. Note: I have not finished the game yet so I cannot comment on how the story is throughout, nor on the consistency to the end. But, so far, it is cute and quirky. It is also important to stress that this game is both an RPG and open concept. I will get more into that on the next point however, which is gameplay.

#5) Gameplay

We have already established that I am a terrible gamer. With that being said, I actually feel I am doing pretty great. I am meeting all my objectives, I am leveling up in my different skill sets, and am progressing through the story well. This shows that the game is user friendly, because if I can do it, anyone can do it. As I said above, this is RPG and open as well. You can progress through the story at your pace and basically do whatever you want. One part of the game play I find both frustrating but very interesting is how you interact with the towns people. You have to grow a relationship with them in order to unlock different features of the game such as marriage and family. Yes, that's right, we can get married in this podunk town. The only ways to build relationships is by giving gifts [that they actually like] and remembering their birthdays. If there are more ways, I have yet to find them. I find this frustrating because it takes a lot of time but interesting because I haven't seen this done before and it gives me an additional challenge to work on. There is one hiccup I can't seem to shake in this game though, and that is the fishing mechanic. It looks simple enough but it is quite hard and I just can't seem to get a handle on it. Hopefully that will be worked out with more practice.

All in all, Stardew Valley, has been a great game. It was such an amazing gift because it has multiple/online player function that allows my distant friends and I to co-op. I highly recommend this for anyone but especially long distance friends to have something to bond over and build together.

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I hope if you get this game you enjoy it as much as we have. Thank you so much for tuning back in after a long holiday break here on My Mess to talk about some nerdy things. I always have so much fun writing these reviews and I hope you have just as much fun reading them. I will be back on Sunday with another installment of The Mess and I hope to see you there! Stay nerdy, stay messy, and happy gaming my friends.