The review is spot on. And yeah, the game seems to get a lot of popularity in a certain segment. I was asked by a friend recently if i have any recommendations for a game that would suit his girlfriend's tastes (she is a hardcore Sims fan and she spent quite a bit in Sims 3 store). So, i told him to get this. Needless to say, his girlfriend got hooked and i've got blamed. Well, no good deed goes unpunished
I, personally, play it in short 1-2 hours bursts. Mostly because is really relaxing. I had three indies in my sights (Stardew Valley, Renowned Explorers and Thea: The Awakening) and managed to get two of them (Stardew Valley and Renowned Explorers). Hopefully, i will get the third in a sale this year. I am glad that there are still developers around that get the idea that games need to be fun and relaxing, too. I hate how all that esports thing is pushed, as being competitive just isn't in my nature (also poor reflexes, but that doesn't matter in SP, only in MP and, of course, esports). So games like Stardew are, for me, a breath of fresh air. Something that i can enjoy. And for that i am grateful for those few devs that are still doing more casual games (not hardcore, but not dumbed down, either)
So, yeah, i will continue advertising it as much as i can. For one man to manage to develop a game with that much content, that is amazing in our days. To achieve over one million sold copies in a rather short time and at a price that i think that is more than okay (seen worse indies asking for a much higher price), now, that is an acomplishment.
