Tom's Verdict
💜 There are some games where deciding on a verdict takes quite a bit of thought. Stardew Valley really isn't one of them.
I first played Stardew Valley on Xbox around the time it originally released and put plenty of hours into it, although for reasons I've long since forgotten, I never actually reached the end. Coming back all these years later on PC has reminded me very quickly why I enjoyed it so much in the first place.
🌱 Stardew Valley gives me something I value enormously in games: freedom. I can wake up in the morning with a perfectly sensible list of jobs planned for the farm, walk outside and then completely ignore all of them because something else has caught my attention. I might spend the day clearing land, planting crops, fishing, exploring, visiting people in town or simply wandering around seeing what happens.
And that's absolutely fine.
🏡 I particularly love the feeling of gradually creating something that's mine. You begin with an overgrown mess and every tree removed, crop planted and improvement made leaves a little permanent mark on the world. There's always another project I could tackle, but I never feel as though the game is standing behind me with a clipboard demanding that I get on with it.
That's exactly the sort of progression I enjoy.
🍂 The changing seasons, different crops, festivals, characters and enormous number of things to discover also mean Stardew Valley continually gives me reasons to wonder what's coming next. Even having played it before, enough time has passed and so much has been added that this PC playthrough manages to feel both wonderfully familiar and surprisingly new at the same time.
🎣 There are activities I'll naturally enjoy more than others and days where I accomplish considerably less than I'd intended, but that's part of Stardew Valley's charm. It doesn't need every day to be productive. Sometimes I can spend half the day pottering around, get distracted by something completely unnecessary and still feel as though I've had a lovely time.
Perhaps that's why the game has endured for so long. Beneath all the farming, crafting, relationships and progression is a game that's remarkably good at letting the player decide what a successful day looks like.
💜 For me, that makes Stardew Valley almost perfect comfort gaming. It's colourful without being overwhelming, there's always something meaningful I can do, and I can play for an hour or lose an entire evening to it depending entirely on what sort of mood I'm in.
This time I'm also approaching it differently. I'm not interested in racing towards the most profitable farm, following an optimised route or trying to experience everything as quickly as possible. I want to take my time, rediscover Stardew Valley naturally and finally continue this journey much further than I managed all those years ago.
And considering this new adventure has already turned into a proper long-term De Tom Plays series, I suspect I'm going to be living in Pelican Town for quite some time.
🌱 Some games are enjoyable for a weekend. Others stay installed because you know you'll want to return eventually.
Stardew Valley feels more like somewhere you come home to.
💜 For me, Stardew Valley earns a Tom Recommends.
Game Screenshots
Watch My Gameplay
Prefer to see Stardew Valley in action? Watch my gameplay video to see how the game plays before reading my full verdict.
Why I Liked This Game
- ✅ 🌱 Complete freedom to play my way — Stardew Valley never makes me feel as though I'm playing it incorrectly. I can farm, fish, explore, socialise or spend an entire day pottering around doing very little, and all of those choices feel perfectly valid.
- ✅ 🏡 Creating a place that feels like mine — Starting with an overgrown patch of land and gradually transforming it into my own farm provides exactly the kind of long-term progression I love.
- ✅ 🌾 An enormous amount to do — Farming may sit at the heart of the game, but fishing, mining, crafting, exploration, relationships, festivals and countless distractions mean there's always something else waiting for me.
- ✅ 🍂 A world that keeps changing — Different seasons, crops, events and activities continually refresh the experience and give me something new to look forward to.
- ✅ 👥 Pelican Town feels alive — The characters have their own personalities, routines and stories, making getting to know the people around town feel like an important part of actually living there.
- ✅ 🎣 Relaxing without becoming boring — Stardew Valley manages that wonderful balance where I can completely relax while still having goals, progression and plenty to keep my brain occupied.
- ✅ 💜 Wonderful comfort gaming — I can happily play for an hour when I want something gentle, while equally knowing this is the sort of game capable of making an entire evening mysteriously disappear.
- ✅ 🕰️ Built for the long haul — This isn't something I expect to play for a few sessions and move on from. There are potentially hundreds of hours waiting here, and I'm genuinely looking forward to seeing where this new journey takes me.
What I Didn't Like In This Game
- ❌ ⏰ There aren't enough hours in the day — My biggest problem with Stardew Valley is that games like this make me wish I could spend considerably more of my day playing them. Unfortunately, somebody apparently decided humans require food, sleep and other responsibilities.
