Despite stating that he is focusing on his upcoming game Haunted Chocolatier, Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone has announced that Stardew Valley is getting a 1.7 update in the future. This update was announced during one of the Stardew Valley orchestral concerts, where Barone appeared in-person and on-stage to deliver the news. The solo developer used a simple pixel art message to announce the update on social media after the concert. Apart from the announcement itself, nothing else is known about what version 1.7 will entail.
The announcement of the 1.7 update has been undercut by an interesting detail in another indie game that released on September 4, just days later. Players who made their way through Hollow Knight: Silksong found Eric Barone himself listed in the game's credits. His involvement in Silksong means a lot to many indie game fans because both Hollow Knight and Stardew Valley are indie darlings in their own right, beloved by many gamers. Now, knowing version 1.7 is in development, there's a strong chance that Stardew Valley could make this collaboration full circle.
Eric Barone is credited for providing additional character voices, but it's not entirely clear who he voiced.
Stardew Valley 1.7 Is in the Perfect Position to Pay Tribute to Hollow Knight: Silksong
Stardew Valley 1.7 is a big deal to many players because these updates typically include entirely new features while less prominent patches are where improvements and bug fixes are made. Fans understand that when a new Stardew Valley update is on the way, that means new content and things to spice up their current or future playthroughs. Even if the update is rather small compared to 1.6, it's a guarantee there will be at least a handful of new things to discover.
Stardew Valley Might Reference Silksong in a Small Way
One way that Stardew Valley could pay homage to Hollow Knight: Silksong is through its items. A few surprise furniture items being added in Stardew Valley 1.7 could include a small statue, or a rosary that players could put in their house that's reminiscent of the game. Or maybe a new silk material that could be used for more cloth-related items could serve as an unspoken nod while expanding current gameplay options.
There's a lot of potential behind a Stardew Valley and Hollow Knight: Silksong crossover now. One wrench in the gears when it comes to thinking about how Hornet's adventure could be featured on players' farms is that Barone's role in Silksong was as a voice actor. Stardew Valley typically uses sound effects that lean into its pixel art aesthetic, so it isn't as if ConcernedApe can include anything like Hornet's iconic "shaw" and have it fit in his game.
An item or some vague allusion through furniture makes the most sense when it comes to hiding a Hollow Knight: Silksong reference in Stardew Valley, but it doesn't change the fact that it won't perfectly suit Barone's contribution to Team Cherry's game. Still, there's a strong chance that Hollow Knight: Silksong might get a nod of some kind that ties into the game itself, similar to Stardew Valley's Easter eggs from Terraria.
If the Terraria items are the basis for Silksong items, then there may be a little adventure attached to ConcernedApe's nod to Team Cherry. Obtaining Terraria's Meowmere requires that players go through certain steps that are homages to specific events in the action-adventure game. There's a chance that Hollow Knight: Silksong might have a similar chain of events to get its own unique item, be it furniture or perhaps another weapon. There's a lot of potential behind the idea, and Stardew Valley update 1.7 is the perfect window to make it happen. It's likely that fans will have to wait until the update launches to find any potential Silksong references, and because of that, the first thing they need to wait for is update 1.7's release date.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
- 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
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Simulation
