Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone has openly stated his interest in, one day, potentially making a sequel to Stardew Valley, one of the most popular farming sims of all time. How, exactly, ConcernedApe plans to approach this theoretical Stardew Valley 2 is still up in the air. However, with speculations and what-ifs aplenty among fans eager to wrap their heads around what a Stardew Valley sequel could, and should, entail. Perhaps one of the most important aspects of Stardew Valley that its sequel will need to get right is the NPCs, i.e., the people living in Pelican Town, breathing life, joy, and comfort into this imaginary world.
The residents of Pelican Town are the heart and soul of Stardew Valley, a game defined, for the most part, by its vibes. It’s a cozy, comfy game for when someone wants to leave their troubles behind and sink into the life of a sleepy town where life moves at a glacial pace. Unlike their seemingly simple nature, Stardew Valley‘s NPCs are complex creatures, each with their likes, dislikes, and unique interactions that make them who they are. If Stardew Valley 2 wants to land on its feet and come even close to its predecessor in terms of player count, loveability, and cult-like status, it needs to get this aspect of the game right.
Related
The Cardinal Sins of Stardew Valley Explained
Although it’s been widely declared a “casual” game, Stardew Valley has some unspoken rules that shouldn’t be transgressed for the best results.
Stardew Valley 2 Could Continue the Story of Pelican Town
A Returning Cast for Stardew Valley 2 Would Make the Transition Go Smoothly
The easiest way for Stardew Valley 2 to stay true to the series’ identity is to continue the story of characters fans of the original are intimately familiar with and have more than a passing fondness for. Of course, in order to pull this off successfully, there needs to be a fresh twist to the story of these people, as simply keeping the town in exactly its current state would defeat the purpose of making a sequel in the first place.
Aged-Up Pelican Town Residents Would Work
Stardew Valley 2 could be set a few years after the events of the first game, after a time skip that the players weren’t a part of. This could neatly sidestep the problem of Stardew Valley 2 not having its own identity, giving the people of Pelican Town a chance to grow without the player meddling in it. Given time, they will develop new interests, new likes and dislikes, new relationships with each other, and so on. If done correctly, interacting with these alternate versions of familiar faces would strike a balance between comfort and discovery, pulling new audiences in while giving the original fans more to unearth. Mixed in with the occasional new character, a family who just moved in from the big city, perhaps, would further spice things up.
Stardew Valley 2 Might be Set in a Completely New Location
With New NPCs, New Stories, and New Relationships to Build
Stardew Valley‘s identity is closely tied to Pelican Town and its people. However, there is an argument to be made for Stardew Valley 2 to break away from it and choose its own direction. A brand-new setting would allow for new NPC stories to shine through, giving ConcernedApe a chance to flex his worldbuilding muscles once more. Continuing with the same cast would work, but it runs the risk of being more of the same, rather than something fresh and innovative. Stardew Valley‘s sequel needs to justify its own existence as to why it deserves to be called Stardew Valley 2 instead of Stardew Valley 1.7, and one of the best ways it can do that is by changing the setting.
At its core, however, Stardew Valley 2 still needs to be recognizable as a sequel to Stardew Valley: a cozy farming game with social sim elements. If it strays too far from the core concept of what the name Stardew Valley has come to be associated with, it would subvert fan expectations, and not in a good way. If Stardew Valley 2 does introduce new people, they will need to be personable enough to fill the shoes of those who came before, complex enough to make interacting with them a journey of discovery, and different enough that they don’t feel like the same people but with a different face.
Stardew Valley
- 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