Summary
- Stardew Valley has had a major impact on the gaming industry, selling over 20 million copies and sparking a resurgence in the farming sim genre.
- The indie gaming scene has become a hub for unique games inspired by Stardew Valley, though some fans are feeling overwhelmed by the frequency of releases in this genre.
- Several upcoming games like Harvest Island, Bloomtown: A Different Story, Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story, Grave Seasons, and Poglings offer new and exciting experiences for fans of cozy farming sims and life sims.
It's fair to say that Stardew Valley has become a cultural phenomenon since its original release in 2016 with the game selling over 20 million copies, sparking a revival of the cozy farming sim genre. Even seven years later, fans are still excitedly awaiting the 1.6 Update for Stardew Valley, which looks to add even more content like new festivals, new endgame quests, and new items. With how popular Stardew Valley is, it's no surprise that the farming and life sim genres have seen such a boom in recent years.
The indie gaming scene has become a haven for fans of the farming and life sim genre with games inspired by Stardew Valley releasing frequently. Although some fans are feeling the fatigue of having so many games in the genre releasing so close together, many of these games are unique enough to stand out from the crowd. There are several games releasing in the near future that should sate fans' hunger for unique new Stardew Valley-like experience.
Harvest Island
For players looking for a cozy farming sim with a horror twist this Halloween season, Harvest Island might be right up their alley, as it aims to blend the two genres for a seamless experience. This game features all the genre elements fans could hope for including growing crops, catching fish, and befriending animals. However, it holds many dark secrets involving the ability to make sacrifices to the gods of the island, and players can check out all Harvest Island has to offer soon as it launches for PC on October 10.
Bloomtown: A Different Story
Although Bloomtown: A Different Story isn't a farming sim like Stardew Valley, it shares a similar art style and cozy atmosphere that might get Stardew Valley fans interested. As a JRPG set in the 1960s, Bloomtown: A Different Story leans into the quirky side of indie games, mixing elements of Stardew Valley, Pokemon, and Stranger Things to create a turn-based monster collector with a supernatural story. The game also has a pedigree worthy of Stardew Valley fans, with developer Lazy Bear Games of Graveyard Keeper having a hand in Bloomtown's development.
Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story
Bloomtown: A Different Story isn't the only Stardew Valley-like game Lazy Bear has in development. It's also working on Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story, which takes characters like Teemo, Tristana, and Yuumi from Riot's massively popular MOBA League of Legends and translates them into a cozy crafting RPG game. Riot Forge has done a great job at letting smaller developers tackle titles in the League of Legends universe, and Bandle Tale looks to continue that trend in 2024.
Grave Seasons
Adding a more sinister tone to the typically cozy farming sim genre seems to be all the rage right now as Grave Seasons looks to blend the farming sim and horror genres as well. The game features farming and dating sim mechanics similar to those of Stardew Valley, but with the twist that the player is also trying to catch a serial killer. If players aren't careful, they could end up romancing the serial killer, so keeping an eye on suspicious behavior is a must when Grave Seasons releases at a future date.
Poglings
Poglings is a game from YouTuber Chadtronic and Right Nice Games that mixes elements of life and farming sim games like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley with the Chao Garden mechanic from the Sonic series. Players will be able to grow their nest of creatures as they breed, evolve, and race the critters in a charming homage to the game's inspirations. While Poglings doesn't have a release date yet, fans of this blend of farming sim and monster-breeding genres should definitely keep their eye out for future updates.
Stardew Valley is available for Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.