Over the past few years, there has been a boom in the gaming industry. They come out like mushrooms popping from the ground. There hasn’t been a time with so many games as we have now. They are everywhere and are more diverse than ever. I’m sure there’s a game for everyone, even for those who don’t play video games. Although there always has to be a problem. Things can’t be nice. Apparently, the world would be too boring.

With the 1.6 update of Stardew Valley this summer and now the release for consoles, the game is back on everyone’s mind. This pixel art-style farming game was a tremendous success and became a genre staple. While this game isn’t an original, it’s the biggest one. Coincidentally, we are living in the farming sim wave of new games. They are coming out left and right. Everywhere you look, there’s a farming sim coming out. And as usual, when there’s too much of the same thing, comparisons are made.

Comparing one thing to another happens everywhere with everything. We even do it with our lives. We are always comparing. Even books are often compared to either promote a new book or review a specific element of the story. So, a comparison doesn’t have to be a bad thing. But, more often than not, it is. It’s about copying or not being original. And we should all take a chill pill. There are far more worrisome problems in the world right now than a contest to who copy who because no one did, and this is stupid. So why am I writing this post? Well, just like everyone on the internet, because I want to, and I have a place to do it.

I want to give my two cents on the topic because I see it brought up once in a while. And usually, I don’t see my perspective through other people’s arguments. Often, the focus is on showing how a certain game differs from Stardew Valley or simply pointing out that Stardew is also based on another game, Harvest Moon. Although, to me, there’s another very important reason why it’s not bad these games are like Stardew.

The dawn of a gamer girl

I’m from a time when there weren’t many games. I sound ancient, speaking like this, I know. As a 90s baby, I started playing video games in the early 2000s. And you might think that wasn’t that long ago. And you are correct. Although gaming is much bigger now than it was back then. Indie games weren’t a thing, for example. And so games were left for big developers only. Ones that still exist today. I started playing on a Sega console, failing miserably at Sonic. I played countless hours of Popeye on a Nintendo system I don’t even remember the name of. I had a PS1 where I discovered Crash Bandicoot and Fifa 99 – a much better game than the complicated mess it is nowadays. And the soundtrack was a bop! – I started playing on a computer and discovered Crazy Taxi, GTA Vice City and then GTA San Andreas, my favourite game of all time. I also found The Sims 2, kicking off my love for The Sims.

I played many more games than the ones I’m mentioning, although GTA SA and The Sims 2, and then 3, were the ones I got the most hours in. But my time wasn’t only spent playing games. I also remember the many hours searching for more games like those I loved. GTA and The Sims are great, but sometimes you want something else. Something a little bit different. Now, we have mods to help with that. To add something that doesn’t exist in the game. Although modding wasn’t common back then. So, past me was stuck with the games as they were. And don’t get me wrong, they were perfect 99% of the time. But some days, I wanted something different. Something new. But that didn’t exist.

I’ve known of the existence of Stardew Valley for a long time. A game that popular is unlikely you’ve never heard of it. However, the pixel art style was never a good selling point for me. I’ve played with farming sims before, like Alice Greenfingers and Ranch Rush, which are only about farming. And I loved them until a certain point. I had to be in the mood. They were fun but had very limited gameplay, focusing only on managing a farm. So, if I wanted more, I would go gardening in The Sims, where I had many things I could do. And even then, it was a very different style of farming/gardening. Essentially, each game was for each mood.

Receiving the letter from Grandpa

I wasn’t interested in playing Stardew Valley. I knew people loved it, but my interest simply wasn’t there. Until one day, I don’t even remember when or where I finally, for the first time ever, saw some gameplay. And that sold me. I bought a copy to play on the Switch, and now I can easily lose 3 hours of my day as if I’m drinking a glass of water. I still stand by my initial idea that the art style isn’t something I’m passionate about, although it has its charm. And there are so many details in the game that, at a surface level, might seem simple but aren’t. And that’s what made me fall in love with the game. There is so much gameplay, quests, and new things to discover I never get bored. The problem is to stop playing. And just like that, I was captured by the magic of Stardew Valley.

When I saw the boom of farming sims, at first, it felt boring. It was the same thing over and over again. Only a little different. A change here and a change there. And I have to confess I rolled my eyes. It was too much. Suddenly, cosy gaming is a tag. Everyone is very into farming sims, and so they are being developed like crazy to take advantage of the momentum. Just like the YA dystopian fiction explosion after the release of Hunger Games or the fixation with vampires after Twilight. It’s marketing. It’s how it works. Catch the wave while you can. And the farming sims is a big one.

Obviously, with a big influx of new games that seem quite familiar, the comparisons and complaints started surfacing, especially with the games that began gaining more traction. Fields of Mistria and Coral Island are two of the ones that I’m very interested in playing and are the closest to Stardew Valley. There’s also Echoes of the Plum Grove that is on the top of my list, but it differs in so many aspects from Stardew that I don’t see them as similar. To me, Echoes is The Sims set in the 1800s, focusing on farming with a Paper Mario art style. That’s the feeling I get from it. Meanwhile, Fields of Mistria and Coral Island are Stardew Valley-like in gameplay and feel. And I’m glad they are.

Like I said above, I don’t like the pixel art style of Stardew Valley. And while Fields of Mistria share the same pixel art, it’s done differently. It’s more cute, more round, more pink, more girly, if you’d like. The 90’s anime vibe is also very nostalgic. Aesthetically is more pleasing, and I know there are Satrdew mods to make the game cuter, although since I play on the Switch, I can’t use them. Meanwhile, Coral Island is the opposite. The game is all in a 3D art style, changing the experience completely. There are also different biomes, which take the exploration in the game to another level.

I can look at these three games and be excited to play them all. Stardew because is the one I fell in love with. Fields of Mistria if I want something cuter. Or Coral Island for a 3D feel to the game. Each of them also has its uniqueness. Maybe I prefer fishing on Coral Island, farming on Mistria, or the story of Stardew. These games being alike isn’t a bad thing. Now, I can jump around depending on what I’m in the mood for. And I’m glad I can do that because there was a time when that wasn’t possible. The Sims is 24 years old. Two decades, and it hasn’t seen a competitor yet. Almost a quarter of a century without the option of playing a different life simulator game. A game familiar and yet different.

So, I’m glad there are more games like Stardew Valley. That’s a positive feature, not a negative. And I understand the tiredness and frustration when so much of the same thing is being developed. While some “like Stardew” games are great, I know there are others that are just riding the wave and probably aren’t worth the time. Although don’t forget there are so many genres and sub-genres in gaming, I’m sure there’s a game for everyone out there. And if you are looking for something completely new, don’t worry, it exists. Just dig a little bit more. With games coming out every single day, our problem nowadays isn’t to find a game to play, it’s to have time to play the ones we want.