The 10th anniversary presentation for Stardew Valley showed off unreleased footage of an early build for the game, boasting some big differences from the final product. The farming sim, created by solo developer Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, has easily been one of the most influential indie games ever released, inspiring the boom of the cozy game genre. Stardew Valley ranks among the best-selling video games of all time, with more than 50 million copies of the charming little farming sim sold to date. A big reason for the game's success has been its consistent content updates.
Stardew Valley has seen a multitude of changes throughout the game's 10-year history, adding plenty of new features. The game has introduced everything from new festivals, farm types, and items to entirely new areas like Ginger Island for players to explore. ConcernedApe is also teasing another big update for the game, with the 1.7 update currently in development, though a release date has yet to be confirmed. Now, alongside the celebration of the game's 10th anniversary, the Stardew Valley creator has offered a brand-new look into the game's past, showing off an early build dubbed Sprout Valley.
Stardew Valley Shows Off Early In-Development Gameplay
ConcernedApe began the Stardew Valley anniversary video by showing off some of the earliest gameplay for Stardew Valley. The earliest Sprout Valley footage dates back to 2012, only six months into the game's development, and features both its farming gameplay and some of the titular village. The video already includes some of the game's major mechanics, showing farming, combat within the cave, and interactions with other villagers. ConcernedApe's Sprout Valley showcase even reveals some early designs for villagers who were eventually featured in the game's full release, including simpler designs for Harvey, Caroline, and Gunther.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Alongside the original footage of Sprout Valley, ConcernedApe included more gameplay videos from the years before Stardew Valley's release. 2013's video sees a major evolution of the game's art style, shifting into a style much more reminiscent of the game's full release. The in-development showcases of Stardew Valley depict several pieces of content that were eventually cut from the game, including multiple designs for the player's home and even an underground goblin village players could explore. ConcernedApe likens early builds of Stardew Valley to the SNES version of Harvest Moon, which he has stated served as a major inspiration for the game.
Image via ConcernedApe
Stardew Valley's evolution from its earliest days has proven to have paid dividends for the game. The farming sim captured Best Independent Game at the 2016 Game Awards following its release and has been nominated multiple times for Steam's "Labor of Love" award. Stardew Valley's monumental popularity has been credited as a major factor behind the recent boom in farming sims, with many indie developers looking to follow in the footsteps of ConcernedApe's solo project. The game also continues to evolve with each passing year, with Stardew Valley gearing up for another big update soon.
The main attraction of the Stardew Valley anniversary presentation for many came with the reveal of new content in the 1.7 update. Stardew Valley's Version 1.7 was previously confirmed to be adding two new marriage candidates to the game, with ConcernedApe officially revealing that players will be able to marry both Clint and Sandy following the patch. The developer has also teased that social and character interactions are planned to play a larger role in 1.7, though much of the planned content is still being kept secret. Stardew Valley looks to have lots of exciting content on the way as the game celebrates 10 years of success.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90/100 Critics Rec: 99%
- Released
- February 26, 2016
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
- Developer(s)
- ConcernedApe
- Publisher(s)
- ConcernedApe
You've inherited your grandfather's old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life. Can you learn to live off the land and turn these overgrown fields into a thriving home? It won't be easy. Ever since Joja Corporation came to town, the old ways of life have all but disappeared. The community center, once the town's most vibrant hub of activity, now lies in shambles. But the valley seems full of opportunity. With a little dedication, you might just be the one to restore Stardew Valley to greatness!
Turn your overgrown field into a lively farm! Raise animals, grow crops, start an orchard, craft useful machines, and more! You'll have plenty of space to create the farm of your dreams.
8 Player Farming! Invite 1-7 players to join you in the valley online! Players can work together to build a thriving farm, share resources, and improve the local community. As more hands are better than one, players have the option to scale profit margin on produce sold for a more challenging experience.
Improve your skills over time. As you make your way from a struggling greenhorn to a master farmer, you'll level up in 5 different areas: farming, mining, combat, fishing, and foraging. As you progress, you'll learn new cooking and crafting recipes, unlock new areas to explore, and customize your skills by choosing from a variety of professions.
Become part of the local community. With over 30 unique characters living in Stardew Valley, you won't have a problem finding new friends! Each person has their own daily schedule, birthday, unique mini-cutscenes, and new things to say throughout the week and year. As you make friends with them, they will open up to you, ask you for help with their personal troubles, or tell you their secrets! Take part in seasonal festivals such as the luau, haunted maze, and feast of the winter star.
Explore a vast, mysterious cave. As you travel deeper underground, you'll encounter new and dangerous monsters, powerful weapons, new environments, valuable gemstones, raw materials for crafting and upgrading tools, and mysteries to be uncovered.
Breathe new life into the valley. Since JojaMart opened, the old way of life in Stardew Valley has changed. Much of the town's infrastructure has fallen into disrepair. Help restore Stardew Valley to it's former glory by repairing the old community center, or take the alternate route and join forces with Joja Corporation.
Court and marry a partner to share your life on the farm with. There are 12 available bachelors and bachelorettes to woo, each with unique character progression cutscenes. Once married, your partner will live on the farm with you. Who knows, maybe you'll have kids and start a family?
Spend a relaxing afternoon at one of the local fishing spots. The waters are teeming with seasonal varieties of delicious fish. Craft bait, bobbers, and crab pots to help you in your journey toward catching every fish and becoming a local legend!
Donate artifacts and minerals to the local museum.
Cook delicious meals and craft useful items to help you out. With over 100 cooking and crafting recipes, you'll have a wide variety of items to create. Some dishes you cook will even give you temporary boosts to skills, running speed, or combat prowess. Craft useful objects like scarecrows, oil makers, furnaces, or even the rare and expensive crystalarium.
Customize the appearance of your character and house. With hundreds of decorative items to choose from, you'll have no trouble creating the home of your dreams!
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
- Number of Players
- 1-4 players (console) / 1-8 players (PC)
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Simulation
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC, Android, iOS
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 53 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- No
- File Size Xbox Series
- 1.53 GB
