Stardew Valley has been out for almost five years now, and year after year, it keeps pulling players in. Not only that, but the game creator keeps updating the game every now and then, adding new items, activities, and even new heart events.
While many argue that this game feels a lot like big franchises, like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon, by now, Stardew Valley is its own thing with a strong fanbase that supports the game and its creator. However, Reddit is full of unpopular opinions that show Stardew Valley has some room for improvement.
10 Shane Is Better As A Friend
Shane is part of the six eligible male bachelors that you can pick to marry. While his story with depression and alcoholism is certainly unsettling, the more you get to know and develop your relationship through his heart events, the better he gets.
And while helping Shane is a good thing, once the player marries him, all of this progress goes to waste, and he goes back to his old ways, as a certain redditor points out. This Reddit user believes that married life softens up Shane so much that he backslides into drinking.
9 Fishing Is The Game’s Worst Part
As a Cottagecore game, Stardew Valley offers players a simpler and more natural lifestyle. As such, the game lets you tend your farm, befriend villagers, explore around, sell whatever you harvested, and, among other things, fish.
While fishing, you’ll have to pay attention to things like fish types, bar size, casting distance, fishing zones, fish qualities, bubbles, etc. As you can see, leveling up this skill requires you to consider several things. Many players find this mini-game challenging, but not this Reddit user, as he thinks fishing is the worst part of Stardew Valley. To this Redditor, the activity is annoying and tedious.
8 Stardew Valley Needs More Diversity
Developing a relationship with Stardew Valley’s characters is a mechanic that makes this game truly shine. NPCs’ personalities, likes, dislikes, and backstories are so crucial because they help the player connect with these virtual characters.
However, there is one aspect where Stardew Valley has some room for improvement, character diversity. As Reddit user u/l-l-a-m-a points out, aside from Maru or Demetrius, there aren’t many BIPOC characters in the game. However, the developer keeps updating its game, so there’s hope for future updates to fix this issue. Although, if you just can’t wait, the Stardew Valley modding community is super active, and there is a mod to add diversity to the villagers of Pelican Town.
7 Joja Membership Is Worth Buying
As the game progresses, you’ll eventually get the option to acquire a Joja Membership for 5,000g. Doing so destroys the Community Center to replace it with a Joja Warehouse. After that, players can purchase community development projects via the Joja Community Development Form instead of completing bundles in the Community Center.
Refusing the membership saves the community center and helps small businesses like Pierre’s; that’s why it is the preferred option among fans. Unless, of course, you are this Redditor who believes the Joja Membership is a good idea. According to them, by choosing Joja, you get many benefits like securing a job for Shane.
6 The Game Doesn’t Need Any More End-Game Content
There should always be something for players to do, with a game like this, to keep them busy. The dev knows this and is always adding new stuff to Stardew Valley, like the last 1.5 update. For long-time players, these updates are pure bliss as they add more content for them to play. However, a certain Reddit user doesn’t feel this way.
For them, the game doesn’t need this type of update as the first few years of content already gives players a chance to see what Stardew Valley offers to decide what they like the most and focus on doing that, letting players set their own goals. More like a sandbox than a story-driven one.
5 The Villagers Are Unfriendly
What would a game like Stardew Valley be without its characters? Probably not the same, seeing as these people add flavor to the story, the game makes you care about them, so you want to help them or the town. Every day is an opportunity to bond with these people, either by giving them gifts or completing their heart events.
However, for this Redditor, Pelican Town folk are just plain rude. According to them, personalities like Haley’s or Shane’s make no sense. Players shouldn’t give them things, so they start being more amicable towards them. The user also says that other characters, like Maru or Alex, do have reasons to be bitter, and yet, none of them are.
4 The Title Song Is Not That Great
Fans adore Stardew Valley’s songs so much that they are available to stream on Spotify! The game creator, ConcernedApe, not only single-handedly made the game but also created the soundtrack.
While some tunes are more popular than others, fans can’t deny that once you listen to them, you’ll be humming along all day long unless you are this Redditor who doesn’t enjoy the title song. According to them, it is not that the music is terrible, but it should be an end credits song rather than an opening one.
3 Sprinklers Aren’t That Necessary
Technology should make things easier for humans, and this game knows that. One of the craftable items Stardew Valley has is the Sprinkler. This item waters up to 4 tiles but can’t be used for Garden Pots or pet’s water bowl.
While many players would agree it is an essential item to have once your farm is big enough, this Redditor disagrees, saying that they rather water the plants themselves. Not only because they find the activity enjoyable, but by doing so, you are giving the watering can a use.
2 Paved Farms Make No Sense
When it comes to customization Stardew Valley has its fair share of tools to build the Farm Layouts that work better. Want to create a farm that focuses on making the most amount of money? Maybe you want a place centered around caring for flowers. Heck, now you can even build a farm on a beach!
When it comes to farm layouts, you’re limited only by your imagination. However, this Reddit user points out that using pavement in the farms makes no sense. For them, many players focus on building a place that resembles more a city than a farm.
1 The Game Plays Better On Mobile Than On Consoles
In 2016 Stardew Valley was released on PC, and as time went by, the game received ports for other operatives systems, consoles, and even mobile. Not bad for a game that was developed by only one guy.
After years of people arguing over consoles versus PCs, gamers can all agree that where you choose to game depends more on personal preference than anything else. For this Reddit user, the choice is clear, Stardew Valley plays better on mobile than on the Nintendo Switch. They support this claim by explaining that controls on their phone are way quicker and that doing the most basic actions are a struggle on the Switch.
NEXT: 10 Mistakes New Players Make In Stardew Valley
