Stardew Valley, In Person

A game that I have spent hours in, and have not achieved half the things possible.

A game that would fit in my pocket, on my Steam Deck and on my PC.

A game of seasons.

Stardew Valley. It means a lot to a lot of people. For me, it's a hyperfocus for months at a time. I took it with me on holiday to Canada on my Steam Deck. I spent the whole flight playing through Winter. I got ill a few times on that holiday, one where I was bed-bound for a couple of days, and Stardew was there to keep me entertained. I've played co-ops with my bestie, we have silly and fun memories, like when I chopped down an apple tree before it was fully grown (I think that moment challenged our friendship), me forever having inventory issues, her showing me how to get the Galaxy Sword.

It's such a wholesome, joyful game, with mild to major scary aspects like the mines and going into the sewer lmao.

Harvey is my favourite bachelor. Leah is my favourite bachelorette. Harvey is basically a pixel version of my IRL marriage candidate. Coffee, check; pickles, check; big nerd, check.

The music from the game has been translated into a 35-piece orchestra concert, 'Symphony of Seasons'. It's touring the world, and the London Apollo was graced with its symphony for one day. Valentine's Day even.

My bestie and I snagged tickets to the matinee a year ago. It was so incredible to see how many lives this little game - that we'd played on our own and together - had touched. Obviously, it is a popular game, but usually played in isolation, not with a sold-out Apollo arena. 3421 capacity. Each person had rolled their own avatar, greeted Lewis and Robin, chopped their first tree (not an apple tree), cleared their first patch and planted their first parsnip seeds.

The music is sensational. Emotive. Exciting. Peaceful.

The orchestra sounded awesome. As in, profoundly reverential, inspiring awe.

I bought an embroidered cap and the 'Symphony of Seasons' tour poster, which has each Stardew character playing an instrument suiting their personality.

Here is a selfie with said bestie, wearing said hat.

Spotify Playlist

This is the curated playlist of the Festival of Seasons that was translated into orchestra, so it's not the actual orchestral version, but --