Stardew Valley 1.6, my love
Long time no see, blog. I get a pass for my tardiness, because I made two videos about the same thing since my last post. A little thing called the Stardew Valley 1.6 Update. The long awaited update was released on March 19th of this year, and while I was excited for nothing else and basically bursting at the seams with anticipation, I was knee-deep in the Nintendogs video at the time. I wasn’t able to dive in until the beginning of April. Trust me, I died more and more each day that I couldn’t rot at my desk obsessively perfecting my little pixel farm.
Like I mentioned in my videos, I stayed far away from any patch notes or spoilers before beginning my own playthrough. As a Stardew Valley enthusiast, I know the game well enough to identify what could have been changed, modified, or added into the game. My initial goal was to put everything into one video. I’ve gotten myself in trouble trying this before, so I am glad it didn’t come to fruition (cough cough, the Moonstone Island video was…. not my best work) because there simply was too much to cover. I also wanted to go in-depth on my playthrough. Not everything discussed is new in 1.6, but I think even the old news is worth talking about.
So, while I remained spoiler-free for my first year in the game, I couldn’t resist checking the patch notes about halfway through year 2. After I experienced the year 2 and beyond exclusive Desert Festival, and was close to completing my Ginger Island walnut collection, I started asking myself if I would need to go all the way to Perfection in this playthrough. Was that going to be necessary? What other content could there possibly be? After I met Fizz, the new Joja Special Services Division employee- the man who sells you perfection, I knew I would want to go all the way. Screw it, let’s do everything we can. I’m not in the business of half-assing much, but most definitely NOT a Stardew Valley video.
The other obstacle: I had places to go, people to see, and podcasts to be on. I was set to leave town at the end of April, and I still hadn’t posted anything on Youtube that month. This is what ultimately led me to splitting the video into two parts: I had deadlines to meet, baby. A good decision, though, I don’t work well under pressure. Even though I’d like to think I do, my biggest blunders could have been avoided if I had just given myself more time. My goal, always, is to be entertaining. I want to give the viewer not only good, substantial playthrough, but I want to make as many moments count as I possibly can. Due to the length of my projects, this can sometimes be a slippery slope. For a Stardew Valley video, however, it comes a little more natural to me.
I’m no game reviewer. Laying out my thoughts in whatever format, video or written, hasn’t ever been my strong suit. But I’ll give it a whirl.
When I was a kid, I played a lot of Harvest Moon. I was mostly fascinated by the dating, let’s be real, that rocked my world. But I grew to be obsessed with the farming sim genre, and began branching out to games like Rune Factory, hell, even Farmville. I was a genuine fan growing up, a pixel-farmer aficionado.
One night, in 2019, I was out having drinks with a few friends and began reminiscing on the Harvest Moon games. My friend Gracie suggested I check out Stardew Valley, which I had never heard of, because it’s got a lot of the same premise, and you can date hotties. Hell yeah girl, you know what’s up. The next day, I came home from running errands and set up shop. A fresh Kroger-brand pimento cheese dip with pita chips: check. My boyfriend’s Nintendo Switch with the eShop booted up: check. Stardew Valley: downloaded. I played the first day in the Valley and thought… this is a total Harvest Moon rip off! I was ranting and raving to my boyfriend how blatant of a Harvest Moon clone this game was, but I pushed on for a few more days. It didn’t take long before I realized that this game was something special.
See, I wasn’t wrong, the game started out as a Harvest Moon ripoff. I believe the story goes that the developer had wanted to practice his… developing skills (whatever it is that they do) and was essentially replicating the mechanics used in Harvest Moon, and had been inspired by some of the story, obviously. But it turned into its own beast, and eventually became what we know as Stardew Valley today. It truly transcends anything that farming games before it ever did. Nearly every aspect of Harvest Moon was improved upon in Stardew Valley and, of course, there’s so much more content in general. It is a very unique standout in the genre. And the 1.6 update cements that for me. How ConcernedApe can keep adding to and improving this game is beyond me. I feel lucky to be able to play and experience this game at all.
I will say that going back to the Harvest Moon after this is damn near impossible. Although those games hold a huge nostalgia factor for me, they will never be that bitch.
Onto the mini life update. I’ve got one word: overexposed. That’s how I’ve felt the last few weeks ever since going on the Nontendo Podcast. After pulling back my online presence commitments last year, I’ve been giving off major shut-in vibes. I don’t leave the safety of my Youtube audience for just anything nowadays. You guys know me. You get me. I don’t have to prove anything to you, because chances are, you’re a lot like me, or we share similar interests. Going on to introduce yourself to other people’s audiences can be terrifying, especially with how scary certain people can be. Certain people…. that don’t really watch my videos, you catch my drift?
I was a fan of Wood’s channel, BeatEmUps, and his podcast for a hot minute. Receiving a DM from him inviting me to come on the podcast was a surreal moment for me, because I didn’t think I was cool enough to be invited to something like that. My nerves started to really take over once I got on the plane to New York- oh my GOD I flew to New York to go on a podcast! How cool is that?! I was nervous of not only how Wood and Kim and I would get along, for how the LIVE EPISODE would turnout, but also for how his audience would perceive me. Stepping out of your bubble is scary.
Well, I’m sure if you care enough to read this post, you’ve probably watched the podcast already, and I thank you. But it went SO extremely well, I was voted ‘favorite guest’ of the Nontendo Podcast (take that, Scott the Woz) and that pretty much goes to show that being nervous is stupid. I was able to show up, be myself, make people laugh, and give you guys a good show. Everything I could have dreamed of, really. Reflecting on it now is almost emotional. People have been so nice and extra supportive towards me since then, and it warms my heart so much.
Life has been so tumultuous. This last year has been horrible to me, but some of my highest moments have happened in that time frame, too. I guess I’m just feeling grateful that I’m still here and doing the damn thing. The support from everyone has been overwhelming. So, thanks everyone.
I had an absolute blast in New York City, as well. The Nintendo Store was quite the experience, the city was dazzling. But I’m glad to be back home with Mimi cat. The experience motivated me greatly to keep going, to continue making cool stuff, and keep upping the ante. Who knows, maybe I’ll become a podcaster or some shit.
