Stardew Valley has captivated digital farmers since its 2016 release, with dedicated players fighting monsters, smashing rocks, and romancing villagers until their thumbs go numb. The charm of cultivating relationships and building a pixelated homestead gives the game a highly addictive vibe, as does the wide variety of different farm templates, marriage candidates, and grindable quests that players can pick up and put down at their leisure.
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Despite the game's wholesome aesthetic and cottagecore vibes, some surprisingly dark plotlines are revealed as players make their way through quests and get to know the townspeople. From alien invasion to addiction and paternity drama, here's a look at the grittiest plots that lurk beneath the Valley's sweet surface.
10 Hurting The Homeless
"The People Here Seem Nice, But They Avoid Me."
Linus, Stardew Valley's self-appointed wild man, is one of the easiest NPCs for the player to befriend early in the game. He lives in a tent outside town (something which is later revealed to be his choice, as he rejects an offer to stay on the farm with the player), but the simple life isn't always all it's cracked up to be.
Between having rocks thrown at his tent and being caught scrounging through the Saloon's garbage can for food, Linus has a complex relationship with his life outdoors. He also stays on the periphery of annual events, cementing his status as an outsider as he tells the player he doesn't want to make any of the 'normal people' in town feel uncomfortable with his presence.
9 Kent's War Trauma
Battlefield Blues
Scattered throughout the game's narrative are hints about an ongoing conflict between The Ferngill Republic (where Stardew Valley is located) and the Gotoro Empire. 
Kent returns home from this war during the player's second year in-game, and he brings a serious case of PTSD with him.
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A cut scene shows him freaking out when his wife makes popcorn, due to associating the sound with the war, and the dialogue reveals that he's become emotionally distant from his sons since returning and is struggling to deal with the Valley's peaceful pace of life. The fact he sends the player a bomb in the mail is funny on the surface, but more concerning when his background is revealed.
8 Blended Family Blow-Outs
Step Siblings, Steep Expectations, And Smoking
Despite being one of the most popular player marriage candidates, Sebastian's early interactions with the player are characterized by his strained relationship with his family (and smoking numerous cigarettes just to get away from them). His mother, 
Robin, complains about him staying in his bedroom all day, while his stepfather Demetrius doesn't seem to notice he exists at all.
Demetrius's obvious favoring of stepsister Maru is a bone of contention for Sebastian, and he seems to be in a depressed place about his home situation when the player first meets him. He comes out of his sad shell as the relationship progresses, but this is one NPC who never quite overcomes the tension evident in his family unit.
7 Wizard Woes
Bibbity-Bobbity-Break-Up
The closest Stardew Valley gets to an episode of Jerry Springer is when the player is shoved into the middle of an acrimonious divorce. The 
Wizard cuts a lonesome figure from his forest tower, and it's revealed that he's not over his ex-wife just yet, as he asks the player to break into her lair and retrieve his Magic Ink.
The Witch has been expressing her anger about the split by flying around the countryside and cursing anything she comes across (which can spawn Void Chickens on the player's farm), while her ex rather pathetically asks if it seems like she's living with someone new.
6 Pam's Alcohol Addiction
"How Much Do I Drink Every Day? What Kind Of A Question Is That?"
Since the player can brew alcohol as a valuable cash crop after unlocking casks, it's no surprise that alcohol addiction pops up more than once in Stardew Valley. Former bus driver 
Pam spends her days in the Saloon since she was fired from her post, with skid marks on the road out of the Valley hinting that she may have been imbibing on the job.
Her relationship with Penny is genuinely sad, as her daughter struggles with concern about her mother's drinking while trying to eke out a living from their run-down trailer home. The player can improve their situation as the game progresses, but Pam never dries out despite getting back behind the wheel.
5 A Thousand-Year War
Dark Dwarven Dust-Ups
When players activate the Seal of Promise cut scene later on in the game, it's revealed that the Dwarves and Shadow People (Krobus's crew, who were driven underground when the Dwarves invaded from space) have been at war for over a thousand years.
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The Wizard intervenes in a sewer fight between Krobus and the Dwarf and casts a Seal of Promise over the warring pair. This establishes a pact that ends the conflict for now, but the uneasy truce could spark up again at any new provocation.
4 A Pirate's Wife For Me
Morbid Memento Mori
The Pirate's Wife quest is a labor-intensive addition to the Ginger Island portion of the game, which asks players to trade items between NPCs in order to bring Island-dweller Birdie a memento of her beloved husband.
The slowly revealed details of how the man came to be lost at sea are rather unsettling. The player unlocks scraps of the lost sailor's journal as they explore Ginger Island, which gives them tidbits of information about his wrecked ship and efforts to survive in the sand. While assistance in locating Golden Walnuts is appreciated, the hopelessness of his situation may be too sad for some.
3 Turning Children Into Doves
Bye Bye Birdies
Once they romance and marry their villager of choice, players will be given the opportunity to bring children into the game. Unlike real-world farm kids, these munchkins provide no free labor and never grow bigger than toddlers, which may lead some to regret their decision to procreate.
There's a shockingly creepy way to get rid of the children forever: making a wish at the Witch's Dark Shrine of Selfishness for one prismatic shard. This will transform any existing children into doves that fly away forever, although they haunt the player through a series of unsettling Easter eggs that unlock after their destruction.
2 Leo's Lonely Life
Parrot Parenting
The most tragic child character within the game, Leo lives on Ginger Island with only parrots for company. He sees these feathered friends as his family, and the player has to butter them up in order to gain the mysterious kid's trust.
While only hints of how he came to be on the Island are revealed, dialogue implies that Leo's human parents drowned in a shipwreck and he's been alone ever since. It takes a lot of coaxing to get him to agree to return to human society, although his mainland tree house beside Linus's tent suggests his wild experiences have changed him forever.
1 Shane's Whole Deal
"Do You Ever Feel Like The Whole World Is Scrutinizing You Like Some Disgusting Insect?"
Of all romanceable NPCs, Shane is possibly the most controversial among hardcore Stardew fans. He begins the game with a dead-end job and no purpose in life, which escalates to a rapidly worsening alcohol addiction and implied suicide attempt at his lowest point. However, things begin to look up from there.
Until the player marries him, that is. Shane goes from getting his life together on Marnie's farm to lazing around the player's house, mumbling about how depressed he is, and debating whether he should drink beer or cider on any given day. It's uncomfortably realistic that recovering from mental illness and addiction isn't a straight line of improvement, but some players may find the backslide too upsetting for their escapist farming game.
Stardew Valley
- Released
- February 26, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- ConcernedApe
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Simulation
