The naming process alone took the two of them more than ten minutes.
Player's name, ranch name, player's birthday, pet dog's name, gender...
It covers every single detail, no matter how trivial.
This was an extremely grueling experience for the two who were used to playing games as soon as they picked up a controller.
If he hadn't already spent the money, Mike would have wanted to just shut down the game and go play Street Fighter right now.
What's going on? Even if you outsourced it to another game company, it wouldn't turn out like this!
They finally entered the game, but before they could even breathe a sigh of relief, another opening animation greeted them.
Well, it looks like it'll be a while before I can actually play it.
Now John finally understood what those reviews in the magazine meant.
It seems a bit bad.
As the opening transitions, the camera pans across a cramped concrete office building, through densely packed cubicles, and finally rests on the protagonist.
The two were immediately stunned. What kind of kind person would create such an opening for a children's game?
The main character in the picture sighed and suddenly opened the drawer of his desk.
A well-wrapped envelope lay quietly inside.
[If you are reading this letter, you must be in a difficult situation and hoping for a turnaround.]
For some reason, these words seemed to touch a soft spot deep within John's heart, causing his nose to suddenly tingle.
John was momentarily lost in thought as he looked at the young man who shared the same name and birthday as him, slumped over his workstation, overwhelmed by the burdens of life.
What's going on? Why is it so immersive?
[A long time ago, I was in the same situation. Back then, I was blind to the most important things in my life...]
That is, the connection between people and the relationship between people and nature.
[So I gave up everything and came to the place that truly belongs to me.]
The long-distance bus slowly pulled up in front of the town's station.
Hello! You must be John?
"My name is Robin, and I'm the carpenter here. The mayor sent me to take you to your new home. He's already there cleaning it for you."
"The farm is over there, come with me."
The orange-haired Robin smiled and explained the situation to the player.
That demeanor was completely different from the suppressed manner of everyone else in the office building.
As the camera panned, John saw the farm his grandfather had left him.
It was desolate and dilapidated, but full of hope and ready to be rebuilt.
One day in spring.
John quickly cleared away the clutter on the farm, sowed the donated seeds one by one, and carefully watered them.
Although he didn't have much energy left, John didn't go straight to bed to end the first day. Instead, he leisurely strolled around town.
Sister Robin can help me build livestock sheds and upgrade my house...
You can buy farming seeds and other supplies at the general store...
John is slowly coming to know the world through his own eyes.
"Wait, Robin is married??"
Mike, who had been sitting to the side watching, suddenly cried out, breaking the rare tranquility and immersion.
He gleaned some details from the conversation.
"Was that purple-haired metal rock kid her stepson?"
Damn it!
Mike wanted nothing more than to send the production team razor blades right then and there.
It's outrageous that the game has a dating and marriage system, yet they made such a beautiful woman a married character!
John shrugged nonchalantly.
"Look at your pathetic self! I think Caroline is much prettier, and I'm definitely going to marry her!"
As they were talking, Caroline suddenly pushed open the door and went up to the bedroom on the second floor of the grocery store.
"This shop... is it owned by that manager...?"
Why are all the good-looking characters married?
Is love really that nourishing?
"Gurgle--"
They didn't know how much time had passed, but when John's stomach rumbled with hunger, the two of them snapped out of their daze.
The once dilapidated farm has become well-organized after most of the spring has been tended to.
All kinds of crops are neatly arranged, and they are a tender green.
John's pockets also grew considerably from a mere few hundred dollars to a substantial amount, and he even managed to hire Sister Robin to build a small chicken coop.
I said...
The two spoke at the same time, as if by prior arrangement.
Mike gestured with his chin, indicating that John should speak first.
"Is it my fault? I feel like... this game is totally my style, it's so much fun."
Who the hell said this is a children's game?
Good grief, I almost fell for those unscrupulous magazines' tricks.
I would really regret it if I missed out on this game just because I read a few reports.
This experience was truly bizarre.
Upon closer reflection, the problems mentioned in the magazine do indeed exist.
But it was completely different from what I had imagined.
What I thought would be a drawback turned out to be the game's most outstanding strengths.
This is a truly existing alternate world on the other side of the screen, a "second life" that belongs to him.
Escape the troubles of reality, ignore the pressures around you, and enjoy that simplest and purest utopian world.
Every day is filled with anticipation, and there are always so many things to do.
If he hadn't been so starving he was practically delirious, he would have wanted to keep playing like this forever.
"Then do you know what I want to say?"
Mike nodded in agreement and asked in return,
"I want to say... screw game review magazines! Those idiots have no idea what a good game is."
If you spend even a few more minutes truly experiencing what the game is trying to convey, you won't be making those ridiculous comments on the rating page.
It's no exaggeration to say that although they had been playing all afternoon, Mike could clearly sense that they hadn't even entered the gate yet.
This is a game you can play for a lifetime.
Its theoretical lifespan far exceeds that of other games.
Lin Lixin's choice of the Stardew Valley theme, rather than the fundamentalist little boy revitalizing the ranch from Story of Seasons, was naturally based on consideration of the tastes and preferences of the North America user base.
Unlike Story of Seasons, a Japan work with a strong Asia flavor.
Eric Baron, the author of Stardew Valley, or as he is better known by, ConcernedApe, is a true Americas classic.
The two works are stylistically very different, but each has its own strengths and weaknesses.
However, even though it abandons the gentle and heartwarming narrative core of " Story of Seasons," it doesn't mean that this work is unpopular among children.
"Click"
With a soft click of the lock, Emma, like a cat caught red-handed, swiftly unplugged the Wolfenstein game from the console and hid it in a spot out of Vincent's reach.
"Mommy, GAMENOVA has released a new game!"