I picked up Stardew Valley a few days ago, and the ACME anvil of obsession has come down upon my head. All I want to do is plant crops, and mine ore in the (so far) bottomless dungeon, and save up for my future orchard. I’ve barely even started befriending the villagers, because listen, I’m a god damn farmer/geologist and I don’t have time to chat with people, or learn why the Fabio-looking guy practically spat in my face when I tried to give him a perfectly innocuous quartz crystal; but mark my words, someday he will love me, and so will everyone else.
When I initially made my character, I barely gave it any thought. She was a slapdash self-insert, modelled after my Animal Crossing mayor (thus “Ratty”), so this post is my attempt to re-form her into an original creature: something I can work with, RP-wise.
Taking what the game has given me so far, I reckon that Ratty was a chemist/soil scientist (sister, hi) who used to do a lot of rewarding field work before she found herself stuck at a desk (as per the game’s intro sequence). She’s all tough and burly, as you can see, but I think she’s somebody who cries really easily. Like, she cries whenever she sees a puppy, or when a leaf falls off a tree, or at any music that’s remotely moving. And I also think she’s got to have a (Cassandra-esque) secret love for cheesy romance books, yes? It just seems right.
marianchurchland.com 
I think I will need to pony-up the 16$ and play this game… and never see my friends again.
Sister, I think you should. I know you like the gathering and resource management in Don’t Starve, so this should please you to no end, and also it won’t kill you brutally (at least I assume it won’t. No wild dog attacks, yet). Also, you can name your animals, which is my favourite feature in any game, and something I can’t be trusted with and need adult supervision for.
I’ve been avoiding getting Stardew Valley for precisely that reason: I know that I’ll get sucked into it. I’m already a sucker for any game where I can pursue a romance, and apparently everyone and their brother has fond memories of playing Harvest Moon, which never came around to my neck of the woods, so I wanna find out what all the fuss is about. I nearly broke during the Steam Winter Sale, but the next time the price drops I may not be able to resist the siren call of fertile fields and untilled hearts…
Your description of Ratty reminded me of Sasaki from “Azumanga Daioh,” if you’ve ever read that manga. Hopefully Ratty has better luck with animals.
There are worse addictions out there, right? So I tell myself.
I’ve never read that manga, but the chickens seem to like her well enough – knock on wood.
I’m a good week and a half into this game and I still have a hard time pulling myself away at a decent hour. I get an incredible satisfaction out of task type games, Tropico 5 was my last obsession, 8 hours would would vanish, there was always something to be managed and the music is pretty fantastic.
Dragon’s Crown tickled the same part of my brain, the real magic wasn’t the game itself, but the cooking mini game that would randomly pop up between the levels for a mere 30 seconds. The love and attention paid to the artwork of the food, being able to stir and add spices to whatever you were cooking to enhance it, the meat of the boss you just fought available in the pile of goodies, the crackling of the fire, and just how pretty the food transformed once it was on your plate all made for a very satisfying experience. It’s been a good year or so now and I still have a good think about it.
Yes, it’s totally that management/reward balance. They got it just right.
I should look into the Tropico games. I remember watching somebody play an earlier one, but I’ve never tried them myself.
I absolutely love this game. Not even kidding!
Such a fun and relaxing game!
Yeah, I’m impressed that it’s still relaxing, even when I’m hurrying to get all of XYZ done before the seasons change.
Year 3 and considering a second playthrough. It’s perfect. It’s a perfect game.
This is definitely one for a second playthrough.
I have sunk many hours into Stardew Valley! I named my animals thusly: Cows after the Heros of Redwall, Goats after the Badgers of Redwall, Sheep after Hedgehogs, and Ducks and Chickens after the villains. Ferahgo the Assassin is a duck, and this pleases me.
I always fret way too long over the layout of my farm before placing anything, and I still ended up starting over around year 3!
Ratty looks like a splendid farmer! Good luck with the Fabio-on-the-Beach-guy, he is something of an enigma to me.
Ohhh! I’m so excited to read your review on it, I’ve been wanting to get it for ages. Hearing you talk about it has cemented my deep need for Stardew fun
I just got Stardew based on your glowing review and I know what you mean about to hand of obsession reaching out and taking hold. It’s so addictive and wonderful!