Summary
Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone’s debut title,Stardew Valley, has enjoyed massive commercial and critical success since its release in 2016, becoming the poster boy for indie game success stories in the industry. After an interview where ConcernedApe said, “I might eventuallymake aStardew Valley 2, to be honest,” speculation ran rampant among fans about what, exactly, this potential sequel could entail. AsStardew Valleyis still incredibly popular with an active and engaged player base, any potential sequel will need to offer proper justification forwhythere needs to be a whole new game instead of just another major update. Otherwise,Stardew Valley 2would be a tough sell to most gamers.
In fact, ConcernedApe himself has stated in the same interview that pushing out updates forStardew Valleyis easier than creating a new game entirely, which remains his plan for the near future. Any potential talks of a sequel will need to be backed up by significant effort and time investment, something that simply isn’t on the table at the moment because of the pending release ofHaunted Chocolatier, ConcernedApe’s next major title that has been in development for some time.
Stardew Valley 2 Will Need to Bring Something New to the Table
The biggest hurdle inStardew Valley 2’s way is thatStardew Valleyexists. In order forStardew Valley 2to be a worthwhile endeavor, it will need to offer players somethingStardew Valleydoesn’t, while maintaining its ties to its roots. Its identity needs to be separate from its predecessor in enough of a capacity that it doesn’t feel like a particularlymajorStardew Valleyupdate.
Sequels typically tend to only receive positive reception if they either build upon the legacy of the original or innovate in meaningful ways; cannibalizing their own existing audience is never a good idea. Rehashing the same old farming sim, with ten layouts instead of 8, and 70 NPCs instead of 60, isn’t going to cut it. If ConcernedApe isn’t careful,Stardew Valley 2could go the way ofOverwatch 2, with terrible reception and even worse optics.
Stardew Valley 2 Requires a New Gameplay Loop
It’s tough to gauge which direction aStardew Valley 2could take. One of the possible options isto turnStardew Valleyinto a survival game. Managing hunger, thirst, and fatigue in a new, unfamiliar location while having to farm for sustenance. This way, instead of farming just being a means of earning gold, it could actually serve as real food that the farmer actively relies on to survive. As a result, choosing a crop would not be simply a matter of selecting the one that’s the most profitable, but the ones that grow the fastest and are the most sustainable would gain priority. Of course, new incentives would then need to be introduced to give players a reason to grow slow crops.
Another directionStardew Valley 2could take is to introduce complexity for the sake of slowing down gameplay. If tool crafting was a more involved process, planting crops took extra steps, and fishing actually required patience, the gameplay would be significantly different thanStardew Valley. This is a double-edged sword, however, as tedium for tedium’s sake is never the answer.Games that don’t respect players’ timetend to fail, andStardew Valley 2will need to offer a satisfying reward to make all this hassle worth it if it chooses to go this route.
Combat Needs a Revamp
One of the biggest changes a potentialStardew Valley 2could offer is a better combat system, one that doesn’t simply revolve around spamming the attack button until the enemy dies. ConcernedApe could even take inspiration from his own new game,Haunted Chocolatier, which promises an involved, complex combat system.Stardew Valley 2’s combat could utilize new weapon types, AoE attacks, more ranged options, magic, fluid combat animations, or even skill trees, if an RPG focus is on the table.
Stardew Valley 2 May Also Turn 3D
A more ambitious direction ConcernedApe could take withStardew Valley 2is to reimagine the first game’s 2D art style in an open-world 3D setting. Something in the same vein asMy Time At Portiacould work wonders, provided it’s done correctly. EvenHarvest Moon, which originally inspiredStardew Valley, eventually went this route, so it isn’t like it hasn’t been done before. That said, the reasonHarvest Moonfell off whereStardew Valleythrived isbecausethe latter focused on nostalgia and a fun gameplay loop over being the shiny new thing. This needs to be done with care, if at all.
Stardew Valley 2 Needs to be Careful Not to Lose Its Identity
After all is said and done, one of the most important things forStardew Valley 2to be successful is for it to be true to its roots.Stardew Valleyis acozy, farming simulation gameset in a sleepy town with friendly neighbors. IfStardew Valley 2attempts to drastically change any of the key elements that made the first game what it was, ConcernedApe would be better off making a new game entirely, as is the case withHaunted Chocolatier. An addictive gameplay loop, in-depth NPC interactions, and layers upon layers of complexity wrapped in a seemingly simple package are all big reasons whyStardew Valleyis so successful. If any ingredients of this magic formula are missing inStardew Valley 2, it could spell disaster.
