Summary
Stardew Valleyis one of the shining examples of the farming sim genre with its breadth of activities, singles to potentially romance, and cozy vibes that not many games aspire to have. This means that despite coming out about seven years ago, it has remained a popular game, aided by community mods and official patches that add loads of new content.
Despite being an incredible game, many gems are within the farming sim genre that might share some of the core mechanics withStardew Valleybut offer something that gives them their own identity separate from that title. This means there are some pretty great alternatives for anyone looking to branch out and sow their seeds elsewhere.
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Story of Seasons is a Legacy Franchise Still Worth Visiting
One of the easier recommendations for anyone wishing to explore farming sims outside ofStardew Valleywould beany title from theStory of Seasonsfranchise, formally referred to asHarvest Moonbefore the developer started creating new titles separate from publisher Natsume. The series also inspiredStardew Valleydeveloper ConcernedApe to develop the title due to being disappointed with the series' more recent releases.
Story of Seasonsis still going relatively strong to this day, with most of the latest releases being remakes of classic titles likeFriends of Mineral TownandA Wonderful Lifewhich add some new features likeromancing any eligible person regardless of gender, as well as some quality of life changes. That said, a fair warning to give anyone who wishes to check the games out is that they are not as feature-rich as the game that would eventually inspire it, like multiple towns or dungeon-crawling.
Even without those,Story of Seasonsoffers an incredibly comfy atmosphere with likable characters throughout the installments, andA Wonderful Lifeis unique in the genre since its story deals with living out a whole life as that title begins with players as young adults and ends with them being in their twilight years. For those wishing to experience the latest mainline title outside of remakes,Pioneers of Olive Townoffers a modernized experiencewhile keeping the series' identity.
Rune Factory Offers a Great Dungeon-Crawling Experience With Some Farming Elements
For players who want some of those features absent fromStory of Seasonsalong with a main quest to focus on,Rune Factoryis a great series to try outwith the fourth entry being a big highlight. There is even some DNA from the olderHarvest Moontitles as it had begun life as a spin-off before becoming independent of its roots.
What makesRune Factoryespecially stand out is that not only is the protagonist an active character with a set personality, the game puts less focus on the actual farming part in favor of dungeon-crawling and character builds. While harvesting crops might still be the primary way to gain more money, players will be aided by the stream of new equipment that can be used and eventually sold at high prices.
Unlike other farming titles that make romancing characters a streamlined process,it can be complicated inRune Factory 4, meaning players have to be sure of who they are pursuing by triggering certain date events only available at specified times. One unfortunate thing is that same-sex romance is only available inRune Factory 5, a title that added some new features that are interesting to mess around with but is overall still seen as lacking compared to its predecessor.
Regardless of which installment is picked, the focus on improving one’s magic and weapon skills with varying types to choose from is a fun way of getting value out of the simple combat system on top of there being a consistent sense of challenge ramping up as players complete more of the main quest. Whether one becomes a bruiser focused on heavy weapons or keeps a distance by utilizing a variety of spells, there is a lot ofroom to experiment with in anyRune Factoryeven if the latest games still come with some caveats. Since new gear is a player’s primary means of upgrading their character and can only be obtained by crafting, players must know what they want while having room for backup options if a new recipe for the main build is not found for a while.
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Sun Haven Mixes Farm Sim With a Traditional RPG Structure
The title that is arguably the most distanced fromStardew Valleybut still a great farming sim to recommend isSun Haven, which ramps up the RPG elementsand skill-building found inRune Factory,allowing players to create vastly distinct builds while also having a story that is more at home with JRPGs. Italso feels the most like a straightforward RPG due to the plot’s stakes and a decently big world to explore. On top of the dungeon-crawling, there are multiple towns to visit with their own farms to cultivate unique crops. Something interesting that it does with each town is that they each offer a unique currency that players build up to purchase items exclusive to that area.
Sun Havenarguably also has the most robust romance systemas players experience multiple stages of a relationship before marrying the person or people of their choice. It is also distinct for not only including same-sex relationships but also allowing polyamory for those who wish to date multiple people at once.
It can be frustrating to play sometimes, though. Not helping this is that the sheer number of systems at play and a lack of polish in some areas can makeSun Havenan overwhelming game to playif fans don’t take it easy, but these flaws don’t take away from what is a wonderful indie game.
Regardless of how someone branches off fromStardew Valleyinto another genre, farming sims have about as much variety in them as any other genre. Some focus purely on the farming and social sim elements inherent to many titles, but others can often feel more like action-RPGs. All of these have merit even with their flaws, and it can be nice to play something with an overall slower pace.
Stardew Valleyis available now for Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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