Valley of the Stars is likely one of the most profitable cozy video games of all time, and the title captured individuals's hearts when it was first launched in 2016 and hasn't let up since. In January 2025, Valley of the Stars bought 41 million copies. It's seen by many because the gold customary of cozy video games, the one sport to which all different cozy video games are inevitably in contrast, typically unfavorably.
In truth, many new farming and life simulators at the moment are accused of being Valley of the Stars clones making an attempt to money in on followers' apparent love for the style. However it wasn't all the time like this; a decade in the past it was Valley of the Stars who was accused of being the shameless clone. The sport has come a good distance since then and has far surpassed its authentic inspiration, nevertheless it stays to at the present time a lesson for different builders who wish to create video games impressed by titles they love.
Why many followers believed Stardew Valley was doomed to fail
Stardew Valley has already been referred to as an imitation and duplicate of Harvest Moon
It's no secret that Valley of the Stars was closely impressed by Harvest Moon. Developer Eric Barone, often known as ConcernedApe, brazenly admits that he was impressed by the title Natsume. In response to a Reddit remark 13 years in the past, Worried monkey he wrote, "My entire cause for making Stardew Valley was to ultimately add all of the issues I needed Harvest Moon to do." But the identical issues they did Valley of the Stars Standing out from the competitors – appeal, farming mechanics, relationships and marriage, seasonal occasions and extra – had been of concern in 2012.
When the sport was nonetheless in improvement, not everybody was satisfied it was doing sufficient to distinguish it from its predecessors. A number of Reddit threads from that point, like this one began by derkriegerreveal that many individuals didn't consider the title would imply something. Feedback on this and different boards had been full of individuals calling Valley of the Stars a flagrant Harvest Moon imitation and a "low cost imitation" with somebody even anticipating authorized motion from Natsume shortly after the indie title's launch. Others believed that, except for the distinction in graphics (pixel vs 3D), the title didn't convey sufficient to the desk.
A few years later, Valley of the Stars is taken into account a pillar of the comfy gaming scene. In 2012, ConcernedApe believed they'd create the sport, make some updates, after which transfer on to creating different video games. Greater than a decade later, Valley of the Stars nonetheless getting new free updates – a lot in order that ConcernedApe needed to halt improvement of its ongoing undertaking, Haunted Chocolatierto work on the 1.6 replace for consoles and cell units.
The sport and its developer have grow to be iconic, one thing for different video games to try to resemblehowever not a lot. As a result of these days, every time a sport has farming, love pursuits, and every other related welcoming components, the gaming group typically has a knee-jerk response to match it to Valley of the Stars. The irony appears to have been misplaced on many Valley of the Stars followers that the sport they love a lot was as soon as thought-about a clone of one other well-liked and beloved sport.
Stardew Valley's success proves that clones are a needed evil
Clones are appeared down upon, however perhaps they shouldn't be
The concept behind all of the accusations appears to be that sport clones are inherently unhealthy. Players count on builders to create solely new video games and the thought of taking one thing that already works and bettering, riffing on it or simply redoing it in your personal type is broadly appeared down upon.. Nonetheless, in keeping with himself, that's precisely what ConcernedApe did with Harvest Moon. In the identical 13-year-old Reddit thread, he wrote that he didn't "I merely intend to clone Harvest Moon." He goes on to elucidate that making a sport impressed by the Natsume title was led by his love for the title, saying:
“I'm a giant fan of Harvest Moon, however I've all the time wished there have been extra video games within the type of the primary ones (Snes, Again to Nature). Stardew Valley is my try to revive that previous type, however on the identical time including one thing and altering any annoying or boring facets of the unique video games."
On the time, ConcernedApe mentioned Harvest Moon followers that he understood his "frustration at seeing a replica of a sport you like." Regardless of this, his opinion on "clone" video games is one thing that continues to be true to at the present time:
"I consider that 'clone' video games are necessary to the online game world as they permit genres to evolve and, hopefully, lead to extra distinctive and various gaming experiences."
The very success of Valley of the Stars reveals that so-called "clones" are an integral a part of progress within the gaming world. To be clear, it's by no means okay to steal concepts or designs, however there's nothing unsuitable with taking a component of a sport and turning it into the sport a developer needs to have the ability to play. Ardour initiatives and love letters to current titles and even new takes on previous ideas aren't simply good; they're important to the expansion and improvement of genres and video games as a complete.
What Stardew Valley can educate future sport clones
Video games of the longer term can be formed by at the moment's risk-taking builders
A lot of the hate clones obtain comes all the way down to the fantastic line between copying one thing and doing one thing new impressed by one other work. Spinoff work is ok and even important to the video games business, however direct copying is just not. It may be tough for builders and gamers to know the place the road is between one thing that turns a system into a novel creation and one thing that's simply making an attempt to make a revenue.
An ideal instance of that is Palworldwhich has been within the information since its launch for being a Pokemon clone. However defenders of Palworld I'll say that the sport did for the Pokemon system what Pokemon the corporate might – or would – not do. When a sport turns into successful, It may be tough to deviate from what works. Followers get connected and begin to count on sufficient variations in a franchise to justify shopping for a brand new sport, however not a lot that it feels too totally different from what they're used to.
This may be seen repeatedly in video games like Harvest Moon, Pokémon, Ultimate Fantasy, Borderlands, and lots of others. Little video games like Valley of the Stars There's not that a lot at stake, so they will strive new issues extra freely and take dangers that the video games that impressed them might by no means afford to play.
Merely copying a sport isn't sufficient, in fact. In a Reddit AMA 11 years in the past, Doomed Monkey revealed its strategy to creating video games, an concept that different builders ought to actually take note of. He says: "I all the time strive to consider 'How can I take this to the following degree'," and add the little touches, that are "what makes a sport particular." Video games like My time at Portia, Wylde Flowers, Coral Island, Fields of Mistria, and lots of, many extra proceed to add and develop within the seeds that Valley of the Stars planted. ConcernedApe was proper to observe his dream over a decade in the past, telling a detractor:
“Stardew Valley won't be the sport for you, however I believe lots of people can be completely satisfied to have a farming RPG on PC that they will mod, play with their pals, and all the time know there's extra content material and updates on the market. the nook."
And at some point, a brand new sport could seem that was initially thought-about a "clone" or Valley of the Starswhich can change the style once more and usher in a brand new period for the comfy gaming style.
Sources: ConcernedApe/Reddit (1, 2), derkrieger/Reddit