Following its debut in 2016, the Harvest Moon inspired Stardew Valley has surpassed 10 million copies sold. Developed by game designer Eric Barone, who goes by the moniker ConcernedApe, this simulation game has garnered critical praise over the years, in addition to its wildly successful sales. It has appeared on various platforms including PC, Xbox One, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and even PS Vita (#VitaLives).
Development on Stardew Valley began around 2012, during which Barone “taught himself the necessary skills to produce the game’s music, art, programming, and design.” Since then, it’s been translated into various languages including Spanish, Russian, and Japanese, and has gotten a myriad of free updates. While the majority of Stardew Valley was developed entirely as a one-man operation, for some of the game’s more recent updates, Barone finally enlisted the help of a few additional people.
Recently, Stardew Valley received a major multiplayer update for PS4, allowing up to four players to farm with one another online. This is one of the few portions of the game developed externally, with the help of Tom Coxon of Chucklefish, which also serves as the game’s publisher.
In Stardew Valley, you take on the role of a character who is tasked with taking care of your deceased grandfather’s farm. But farming isn’t the only thing you can do. You can head to the city to socialize with other NPCs, craft items, and even develop romantic relationships and have children. In addition to the farming and sim aspects, there are also sections that require basic combat, much like Minecraft or Terraria.
Have you given Stardew Valley a try? It’s available to download on PS4 right now.
[Source: ConcernedApe via DualShockers]
