Stardew Valleyis one of the most popular indie games out there, becoming popular both with gamers and those who don’t choose to use that label. It was created by one person, Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone, who fell in love with the earlyHarvest Moongames but felt that the quality of the series had declined afterHarvest Moon: Back to Nature.
Harvest Moonwas the first series of games to introduce the popular format found in farming simulators, where players are tasked with growing crops, raising livestock, and courting a villager through dialogue and gifts. Hours pass within seconds, and each day is finished in a matter of minutes, forcing players to master task management.Each season features a unique set of cropsthat can only be grown within those 28 days.
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But ironically,Stardew Valleyhas become the most mainstream farming simulator on the market, spawning many inspired games and evenone that fans like to call a “ripoff.“And funnily enough, February, the only month consisting of 28 days is called"Stardew Valleymonth” rather than “Harvest Moonmonth.” But how muchHarvest Mooncontent did Eric Barone borrow when developingStardew Valley?
Stardew Valley’s Inspiration from Harvest Moon
When looking at gameplay from the originalHarvest Moonon theSNES, it’s easy to see whereStardew Valleygets its visual inspiration from. With clearer pixels, better lighting, higher frame rates, and color correction,Stardew Valleyalmost looks like a remastered version ofHarvest Moon. Some models look similar, such as silos and tree stumps, while others it’s obvious where the design originally came from, such as character avatars and tools. This is because Barone used what was originally just aHarvest Moonclone for his own purposes to practice and learn programming firsthand while he struggled to get a job as a developer.
And when it comes to the gameplay mechanics,Stardew Valleycomes from more than justHarvest Moon. In fact, many of the mechanics inHarvest Moonregarding how tools interact with the player’s surroundings are influenced byearlyLegend of Zeldagamesas well, like how Link cuts grass, and Eric Barone adopted these as well. And afterHarvest Moonproved to be successful with a line of games spanning across generations of consoles,Stardew Valleythen borrowed these well-balanced systems, such as how animals must be petted each day to increase friendship, and therefore the quality of animal products, and how the player must balance their daily stamina levels with how much time is in each day.
While some might accuseStardew Valleyof being a copycat for doing this,Stardew Valleyalso innovated the genre in many ways that other inspired games such asCoral Island. Even the newestStory of Seasonsgame, the rebranded version ofHarvest Moon,borrowed systems thatStardew Valleycreated, including enemies in the mines and machines that turn animal products into artisan goods.
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What Stardew Valley Innovated
Part of Eric Barone’s disappointment withHarvest Moongames was that they always ended after a certain number of years, usually two. But Barone simply wanted the game to keep going, as well as to keep playing different iterations of the same game. Years afterStardew Valley’s original release, a multiplayer mode was added intoStardew Valleyalong with profit marginsand other ways of making the gameplay more difficult, breathing new life into a beloved indie game, and adding hours upon hours of replay value. Later on, the Beach Farm was added as well as Ginger Island, giving players an incentive to work well past the initial goals of completing the Community Center and getting married.
Stardew Valleyis available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
