Summary
- The creator of Stardew Valley reveals he would change the difficulty curve for the fishing minigame if he could go back and do it again.
- The introduction of a training rod in Stardew Valley aimed to make fishing easier for new players.
- The fishing minigame in Stardew Valley was inspired by Retro Studio's Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze.
Stardew Valley Creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone has revealed what he would change about the iconic fishing minigame. While ConcernedApe likes the fishing mechanics overall, he has admitted that the difficulty curve could have used some tweaks in Stardew Valley.
One of the many reasons players have continued to return to Stardew Valley over the years is the variety of things to do in the game world. In addition to farming on their homestead, players can find all sorts of activities to do in Pelican Town and the surrounding area. For example, Stardew Valley features a fishing minigame, letting players try to catch various types of fish to use in things like recipes or sell for profit. While using more expensive poles, along with bait and tackle, can make the minigame easier, it has gained mixed responses from fans since the game's release. While some love fishing in Stardew Valley, others find it tedious and frustrating in the early game.
Stardew Valley: How To Catch A Lava Eel
Fishing can be an incredibly lucrative activity in Stardew Valley, and catching the rare and difficult Lava Eel can earn players a hefty sum.
In a recent interview with PC Gamer, ConcernedApe talked about the fishing game and acknowledged how it was somewhat controversial in the Stardew Valley community. "A lot of people hate it, but I think it's fun," he said. While Barone enjoys the minigame, there are some things he wishes he could go back and change. Specifically, the Stardew Valley creator pointed to the difficulty curve as something that could be improved. According to Barone, the minigame is too hard at the start of the game. Ideally, he wished the difficulty would scale better as players progressed to catching more challenging fish in Stardew Valley. He referenced the fishing bar, saying it should have started slightly bigger at the beginning of the game.
ConcernedApe Tried to Make Stardew Valley's Early-Game Fishing Easier
It is worth pointing out that ConcernedApe has tried to fix this issue in the early game by giving new players an alternative to the 
Bamboo Pole. He added a training rod that could be purchased from Willy’s Shop in Stardew Valley. This very cheap pole reduces the difficulty of fishing at the expense of only letting players catch fish of certain tiers and quality, making it a good option for those trying to get the hang of the fishing mechanics. Unfortunately, he said not many people know about the item.
Besides revealing what he wished he could change about the fishing game, he brought up its inspiration. According to Barone, the idea for the minigame came from Retro Studio's Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze. Specifically, he pointed to the barrel-riding segments, revealing how pressing and releasing a single button to go up and down inspired the bar mechanic in the fishing game.
Despite acknowledging some issues, Barone seems content with the design and says, “the fishing game is good overall.” While some players are not fans of the minigame, many others have enjoyed the change of pace it provides. It will be interesting to see what types of potential minigames Haunted Chocolatier could have when it eventually launches in the years ahead.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
- Released
- February 26, 2016
- ESRB
- E for Everyone (Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco)
- Developer(s)
- ConcernedApe
- Publisher(s)
- ConcernedApe
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- Stardew Valley does not currently support crossplay between different consoles and PC
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Simulation
