Stardew Valley is a fantastic game overall, but there is one area where the game could still use a bit of a revamp. Overall, most of Stardew Valley's attributes have held up very well in the years since its release. The game still plays as well as it did the day it was released. Even better, when one takes its many updates into account. However, there is still one part of Stardew Valley that lags behind, particularly compared to the polish of the package as a whole. It could be something that a future patch could help with though.
Those playing Stardew Valley in 2025 are either enjoying their latest farm, or just discovering one of the biggest indie successes in the industry. The game starts with the player inheriting a farm from their grandfather, and tasks them with revitalizing it after going unused for years. In addition to growing their farm through producing various goods, players can also befriend almost everyone in Pelican Town, potentially gain a romantic interest, and discover plenty of secrets in and around the town. Stardew Valley has been providing one of gaming's most relaxing experiences since 2016, and Haunted Chocolatier is likely to pick up where it left off.
Stardew Valley's 'Honorable' Dialogue Explained
Stardew Valley's enigmatic Mr. Qi offers the most hardworking and honorable players a line of alternate dialogue when completing Skull Cavern.
Stardew Valley's Combat Could Use an Upgrade
Stardew Valley's Combat is its Least Notable Feature
Admittedly, the combat in Stardew Valley is probably its weakest quality. There are very few areas in the game where the player actually has to fight. Outside of the mines, Skull Cavern, and the wilderness farm at night, the player's weapons will rarely see any real use. As for combat itself, for the most part it amounts to clicking one button to swing the weapon, and another for each weapon type's special ability. In terms of actual combat, there is little strategy other than moving and swinging a weapon, so compared to everything else about Stardew Valley, its combat is quite bare-bones.
A Few Small Shake-ups Could Do Wonders For Stardew Valley's Combat
Simplicity is a part of what helped make Stardew Valley's combat work, but that doesn't mean that there isn't room to do a little more. One good possibility would be adding a few weapons that have different special moves from the norm. For instance, a hammer that replaces the ground smash with a 360-degree swing, or a katana that swaps the sword's block with a quick dashing slash. It may be a small change, but it would do something to shake up the formula. Even so, there is a way that Stardew Valley could see an even bigger change to the combat status quo.
Compared to everything else about Stardew Valley, its combat is quite bare-bones.
Haunted Chocolatier's Take on Combat Could Help Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley could receive some benefits from Haunted Chocolatier's take on combat. Haunted Chocolatier is planned to be significantly more combat-focused that Stardew Valley, and that will likely lead to new mechanics and functions. After Haunted Chocolatier is released, perhaps a patch could bring some of its combat improvements to Stardew Valley. Some of them may not be possible to incorporate, since they may involve mechanics that simply do not exist in Stardew Valley, but at least some of the new combat features in Haunted Chocolatier should be applicable, and they could certainly prove to be good additions to Stardew Valley.
Since future updates to Stardew Valley are on the table according to ConcernedApe, it's not unreasonable to think that the combat will be tackled at some point. Stardew Valley has already grown so much, with new NPCs, festivals, and entire new areas added since released. Adding a few extra features to the game's combat would be another natural move. Combat in Stardew Valley may not be its strong suit, but the future could change that somewhere down the line.
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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
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- Stardew Valley does not currently support crossplay between different consoles and PC
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Simulation
