With the latest update to Stardew Valley there’s more reason than ever to get back into the game! Especially if you own it on console.
SPLIT SCREEN CO-OP!!!!!
This was a long time coming but even so I still am taken back by how much extra enjoyment is added to the game by playing it split screen with my partner. There are also numerous updates since the last time I played that are enjoyable but the real fun part is working together to get through everything so much faster! Forgot to get something from the store? Have your partner take a run to the store and grab it while you finish up your tasks on the farm. No more losing a half day to silly running around.
Aside from being able to split up your running around you can now choose to specialize separately. The fact that there is more than one person dealing with the daily tasks like watering means that you’ll have more time to spend doing other things like hitting the mine. If that’s not something you’re into then maybe you’ll be the person who deals with harvesting wood and gathering wild supplies. Is fishing your thing? You’ll have way more time to do that too. Whatever it is that you choose to do you’ll now be able to focus way more time into it and upgrade that skill way faster. Personally we’re only into the first fall and we’ve already managed to both get the best backpack as well as unlock the secret forest area. On top of that we’ve also already reached level 60 on the mine. We’ve also got the upgraded barn and chicken coop. There is no way that I would have been able to accomplish this if I was playing by myself.
There are a few things that I would say lose their appeal when you’re playing with multiple players. One thing is that money, also still a concern, is significantly less of a factor. Of course this is something that they’ve thought of and added the option to decrease the value of your crops at the start of the game. If You’ve played Stardew Valley before I would highly recommend doing just that as half the fun of the game is the challenge (at least to me). Even with diminishing your profit margin you can still get a good start on the game with the money making guide. It’ll give you a good boost in the spring to help you through the first year without completely taking the challenge of finances out of the equation.
So if you’re looking for something to sink hours (probably hundreds) into I would say go and sink your teeth into Stardew Valley on co-op. It’s one of the best couch co-ops that I have had the pleasure of playing for a while.
