Deal | Steam sale discounts genre-defining cozy RPG with 98% positive reviews, 120,000 daily players
Cozy games and life simulation games have seen a bit of a renaissance in the '20s, with Stardew Valley leading the charge since its 2016 launch. At one point, the wildly popular cozy game topped 230,000 players on Steam, and the game appeared to be significantly more popular with handheld gamers, meaning the actual player count record is likely much higher. Since then, though, Stardew Valley has managed an impressive player base of close to 120,000 daily players — for more than a year. Now, Stardew Valley is discounted on Steam by 30%, bringing it down to $10.49.
Stardew Valley Steam reviews and gameplay
Stardew Valley more or less set the tone for what modern open-ended cozy RPG should be. It puts players in the small, titular town, gives them a handful of tools, and lets them have at it. Players are expected to pick up the old hand-me-down tools their grandfather left them and work the land, setting up a home base and building a home, but from there, the world is your oyster. Once you've established roots, you're free to do as you choose. The game has five core progression areas: farming, mining, fishing, combat, and foraging, and you can develop each of them as you see fit. You can bring up to seven friends with you in eight-player co-op, and the Steam version even features both LAN and split-screen co-op modes for couch gaming fun.
As you progress, you will learn unlock new paths and find new things to focus on, like new crafting recipes, new areas to explore, and new ways to use the food you grow in your own dishes. No cozy game would be complete without some social sim mechanics, and Stardew Valley gives players as many as 30 NPCs in town that you can socialise with in order to make friends or enemies or even romance the twelve local bachelors and bachelorettes. The nearby caves are also ripe for exploration, brimming with new crafting materials, weapons, unique environments, and more powerful monsters to face off against.
Stardew Valley offers a lot of character customisation and household decorating, and the game's community often praises it as a relaxing escape from the stress of the real world. Its current Steam review score is an "Overwhelmingly Positive" 98%, which is almost unheard-of for a game with such a large player base that launched nearly ten years prior. It also helps that it's easy to run, making it a great game for something like the Lenovo Legion Go S (curr. $649.99 on Amazon).
Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.
