[ SECRET POST #3475 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3475 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 52 secrets from Secret Submission Post #497.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 1 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

03. http://i.imgur.com/YsWSjtb.png

[(Anonymous)]

I am not familiar with these games. That said:

It's OK to be inspired by something and also want to improve on it. That's a big part of how art works--which some people seem determined not to understand.

It's also OK to not like the old thing, and think the imitator improved on the concept, and fixed some of the problems. That's the point! That's why the new thing exists!

[kamino_neko]

Just because it's inspired by Harvest Moon doesn't mean it didn't do it better.

I haven't played Stardew Valley, primarily because I've always been underwhelmed by the Harvest Moon games I've played. I've always liked the concept, but have found the execution to be lacking. If Stardew Valley happened to click better, then, yes, I would praise it while criticizing Harvest Moon.

[(Anonymous)]

Stardew Valley is, IMO, a bit like the old HM games (Friends of Mineral Town, Back to Nature) but built upon and improved; if you found those games at least a bit charming, you might like Stardew.

[type_wild]

If there's someone interested enough to explain what Stardew Valley does differently than Harvest Moon in order to be better, I'd love to hear it. I play HM sometimes, but I wouldn't tag myself as a hardcore fan of any sort.

[(Anonymous)]

Hmm. Honestly, I'd just say that Stardew builds upon the stuff that old HM games did right.

It has the nostalgic pixel art aesthetic that I personally found very charming about the older games, but made slightly modern - the usage of lighting is very atmospheric especially.

It's not as sugary as the newer HM games; while it keeps a lot of the rose-tinted glasses of the country fantasy, it doesn't stray from darker or more adult themes. Think HM64?

The characters are likable and have varied personalities; there's a lot to be learned about them if you take the time to befriend them. Every character has a few scenes for the differing heart levels, and they go from funny, to sad, to adorable.

There are a LOT of species - animals go much further than your standard cows, chickens and sheep, same for crops and forage-able items.

The mining mechanic is VERY reminiscent of FoMT and DS:Cute - you hit rocks, you can get ores and other stuff from them. What's improved is, stairs can appear when you destroy a rock so there's no need to waste energy on tilling the entire map to find the exit to the next floor. Another thing is, every fifth floor you have an elevator which you can use to go back to top and then return to the floor you finished on. That way, you can explore the mines incrementally instead of having to attempt it all at once, like in HM. There's, however, a harder mine unlocked later on that doesn't have the elevator, if you enjoy the challenge. Also, there are monsters in the mines! You can fight them to gain items and experience.

Speaking of experience! Each skill you have - Farming, Foraging, Fishing, Mining and Combat - has levels. As you do your daily tasks, those levels can increase, netting you new crafting recipes (stuff like the classic mayo and cheese makers but also some more original stuff like lightning rods, kegs, preserve jars). Once you get high enough, you can choose an extra skill to have - for example, in farming, you can either have your crops or your animal produce to sell for higher prices. Later on you can further specialise that skill. That allows you to customize the way you're rewarded and focus on the parts you especially like.

The fishing is done REALLY well; like in HM, you have a big variety of fish that you can fish up and a bunch of extra rare and difficult ones to collect, but the mechanic itself is much more fun. There's a little minigame that starts out a bit hard, but turns easier and more fun as you get better and upgrade your equipment. There's also crab pots, which you can place on the shore and check for fish the next day.

There's a lot of customization - from the way your character looks and is dressed, through the way your house is furnished, to the way your entire farm looks like. There's a lot of fun in planning your farm to look as nice as possible and the creativity of the players has no limit! The game is also very easy to mod, so you can customize it further - be it more marriageable characters, new portraits or different maps.

That's all I was able to name off the top of my head! I hope I didn't ramble too much, haha.

[type_wild]

Thank you! I read some raving review of SV somewhere, but from the sound of that, it didn't seem to offer up anything that SM didn't already. I dooo believe I'll stick with HM if the call to nature strikes again anytime soon (I prefer handheld gaming), but it's still interesting to see the comparison :)

[(Anonymous)]

its also worth noting that unlike HM, Stardew has gay marriage! this was a big deal for me personally because its something I'd wanted from the HM series for almost as long as I'd been playing it, and it was really nice to finally have that option.

[(Anonymous)]

I just wish Stardew fans would stop talking garbage about Bokumono.

[(Anonymous)]

Same. It'd also be nice if they stopped tagging Stardew stuff as HM.

[diet_poison]

Do they just critique it (as the comments here imply) or just straight-up dis it?

[caerbannog]

Who disses Harvest Moon?!

Unless we're talking about Harvest Moon: The lost valley

[(Anonymous)]

I've seen most Stardew players and reviewers actually praise Harvest Moon, man. I must be frequenting the wrong circles or something.

That being said--I like to think it built on what HM did right. (And added an option I've wanted for so long...)