Stardew Valley: PC Farming Game Similar To Harvest Moon With Multiplayer Mode

By Rachel Yohannan on 02 Jun 2020

Senior Digital Editor

80’s and 90’s kids would be familiar with the role-playing video game Harvest Moon, where you build and care for a farm. Yup, it was the popular farming game before Animal Crossing became a thing.

Those who don’t have a gaming console but wish to nurture their own virtual farm can now do so in Stardew Valley, a worthy “dupe” of Harvest Moon that can be played on PC. Having tried it myself, I can vouch that it does match up to the original - possibly even surpasses it.

Read on to find out more about Stardew Valley!

Photo from Nintendo

Stardew Valley is not affiliated with Harvest Moon, and the two are made by completely different companies. However, the premise of both games are exactly the same: Build up a farm, grow crops and rear animals through various seasons, and even get married.

Mining, fishing, and collecting raw materials to expand your farm are part of the job too.

Photo from Carl's Guides

You’ll also get a pet to call your own. When you first create your profile, the dog or cat you select as your preferred animal will be the one that becomes your farm companion.

There are various farm layouts and terrains to choose from. The Four Corners farm is best for multiplayer mode. If you’re up for a challenge, pick the Hilltop Farm or Wilderness Farm - but be careful of the wild creatures!

Photo from ShinyEnabi via Reddit

One thing I prefer about Stardew Valley over Harvest Moon is that it comes with a lot more depth - at least compared to the Back To Nature edition I played eons ago. Along the way you’ll have to fulfill a number of side quests, and they’re more complicated than they seem!

Don’t forget to socialise with your fellow town residents. They will give you special items and side missions along the way, and who knows, if you play your cards right, one of them may just become your future spouse *wink*.

Photo from Fandom

Your in-game husband or wife will eventually be your handy helper on the farm, so choose wisely!

Tip: If you’ve got your sights set on a particular game character, make sure you take note of their birthday so you can give them a gift. Little actions like these will help your “love” meter rise and win their affections.

Photo from Stardew Valley

While Harvest Moon is a console game where you’ll have to invest in an expensive device, Stardew Valley only requires a computer or laptop - which most of us already have. There's a smartphone app version, but only the PC version lets you go on multiplayer mode, or as they call it, co-op.

Co-op mode requires one person to be the farm host, while others in your squad join and chip in to help.

Photo from ConcernedApe

However, the host must be online first in order for his or her friends to be able to access the farm. So if your farm host friend is busy cramming for exams, you will not be able to enter and help them harvest their crops. Only the host can enter their own farm without the rest around.

It’s a good idea to chat via desktop voice calls when playing in co-op, as the game does not have its own internal chat system. This will make it easier for everyone to coordinate their activities. Teamwork makes the dream work!

Photo from Parsnip United

If you’re a Gen Z gamer, you're probably thinking that Stardew Valley’s graphics are...questionable. But for older players, this simply brings a wave of nostalgia, as the old Harvest Moon games looked just like this. We’re not sure if it was done on purpose in the case of Stardew Valley, but it works for us.

You can get Stardew Valley on Steam for an affordable S$15 or so, which sure beats splurging hundreds on a video game console!