Top 5 Games Like Stardew Valley
Juniors may cry, but there are plenty of games like Stardew Valley to enjoy after you've harvested all you can plant.
Author:Elisa MuellerReviewer:Frazer PughNov 17, 20215.1K Shares214.1K Views
Juniors may cry, but there are plenty of games like Stardew Valley to enjoy after you've harvested all you can plant. There are a lot of choices when it comes to discovering additional games like Stardew Valley. Stardew Valley was a fantastic, one-of-a-kind game that combined the finest concepts from decades of agricultural role-playing games.
Players all around the globe are falling in love with Stardew Valley's charming visuals, relaxed gameplay, and heartfelt simplicity. Its degree of popularity clearly encourages imitation, since a slew of copycat games have followed in its footsteps.
10 best games like Stardew Valley
Cuphead
Cuphead's gameplay consists of a series of boss battles interspersed with run-and-gun stages. Each of these monster battles and run-and-gun stages is located on one of four planets, with the ultimate battle against the Devil himself taking place in the fourth world.
Each boss battle has three difficulty levels: easy, normal, and expert (with the exception of the final two bosses, which lack a simple mode). To finish the game on regular mode, you must defeat all of the bosses, while the expert mode is unlocked after you've completed the game.
While the majority of boss fights take place on the ground, a few bosses are fought in aircraft in stages that play like side-scrolling shooters. There are additional role-playing components and a branching level sequence in the game.
Player characters have an unlimited number of lives and can keep all of their belongings between deaths. Pork rinds Emporium, an in-game store, sells equipable weapons and unique abilities known as Charms for coins earned in levels and the overworld.
Player characters may perform a slapping "parry" assault on pink-colored items to get different benefits, the most significant of which is the ability to build up a "super meter" that allows them to unleash more powerful strikes.
The super meter is represented by a row of five playing cards, each of which must be full to perform one of the player's three greatest attacks ("Super Arts"). At the expense of one card, a less powerful attack may be performed, the shape of which is dictated by the weapon presently equipped.
Entering three mausoleums, one in each of the first three worlds, and parrying a bunch of invading ghosts to keep them from reaching an urn in the middle of the screen will win you the Super Arts.
After finishing a level, the player is given a grade based on variables such as the amount of time it took to complete the level, the amount of damage averted, and the number of parried strikes. The levels may be accessed through a top-down viewpoint overworld containing hidden sections.
A two-player local cooperative option is also included in the game, in which either player character may return to the game after being slain if the other parries his soul before it rises off the screen.
Hades
Supergiant Games developed and released Hades, a roguelike action dungeon crawler computer game. It was published on September 17, 2020, for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Nintendo Switch, after an early access release in December 2018. On August 13, 2021, the game was published on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Players take control of Zagreus, Hades' son, as he tries to leave the Underworld and reach Mount Olympus, sometimes with the help of gifts bestowed on him by the Olympians. Each run takes the player through a different set of chambers, each with its own set of opponents and prizes.
The game employs a hack-and-slash combat system, in which the player utilizes a mix of their primary weapon assault, dash power, and magic ability to kill enemies while avoiding harm in order to go as far as possible. While Zagreus will often perish, the player may improve specific characteristics or acquire new weapons and skills to increase their chances of escape in future rounds.
Hades was created after Supergiant's Pyre, a game in which they intended to investigate generative narrative storytelling but discovered that, because of the nature of the primary gameplay, people did not return to Pyre to do so. Because of Hades' roguelike nature, they were able to convey these branching tales to the player across many plays.
Hades was a financial and critical success, with over one million copies sold. It earned unanimous praise for its gameplay, visual design, soundtrack, story, and characters. Several award ceremonies and media outlets named it the game of the year for 2020.
Dead Cells
Dead Cells is a "roguevania," a game that combines randomly generated roguelikes with action-exploration-based Metroidvania titles. At the start of each game, the player controls a swarm of cells that inhabit and govern the corpse of a dead prisoner. They acquire weapons, skins, abilities, power-ups, and money as they explore a succession of dungeons and battle the monsters inside.
When destroyed, enemies may sometimes drop cells, which can be utilized to acquire permanent power-ups such as extra healing potions or goods that can be purchased or discovered in subsequent runs. If a player dies before the conclusion of a dungeon segment, they lose all gathered cells. Each level is created procedurally by combining predesigned parts in a random order, as well as placing monsters and objects at random.
The combat in the game is likened to that of the Souls series, with tough opponents that may learn specific habits from the player and frequent player-character death. The player must fight boss monsters known as "Keepers" at certain points during the game.
The Concierge, Conjunctivius, Mama Tick, The Scarecrow, The Time Keeper, The Giant, The Hand of the King, and The Collector are the eight Keepers in the game. Twitch integration is included in the game, enabling spectators to affect the game through the stream's conversation, such as voting on which upgrade routes the player should pursue.
Among Us
Innersloth's 2018 online multiplayer social deduction game Among Us was created and released in the United States. It was launched in June 2018 for iOS and Android devices, and in November 2018 on Windows, with cross-platform play across both platforms. In December 2020, the game was transferred to the Nintendo Switch, and in 2021, it will be released on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
The party game Mafia and the science fiction horror film The Thing were both inspirations for the game. MIRA HQ, Polus, and The Airship have all been added to the game since its initial map, The Skeld was released.
The design of the airship is inspired by Infiltrating the Airship, a video game from Innersloth LLC's Henry Stickmin series. The game takes place in a space-themed environment, with each player taking on one of two roles: Crewmates or Impostors.
The Crewmates' objective is to find the Impostors, remove them, and perform tasks all across the map; the Impostor's purpose is to sabotage and kill the Crewmates before they do all of their duties.
Players suspected of being impostors may be removed by a majority vote, which can be initiated by any player by calling an emergency meeting (unless during a crisis) or reporting a body.
Impostors win if there are an equal number of Impostors and Crewmates, or if major sabotage remains unsolved, while Crewmates win if all Impostors are expelled or all missions are accomplished.
While the game got little public notice when it was first launched in 2018, it exploded in popularity in 2020 as a result of several well-known Twitch broadcasters and YouTubers playing it.
The game's rise has also been attributed to the COVID-19 epidemic. The game got generally good reviews from reviewers, who complimented it for its gameplay and setting while criticizing it for its technical problems.
Among Us, 2 was announced in August 2020 in reaction to the first game's success. However, the planned sequel was shelved a month later, and the company switched its attention to improving the first game. Among Us has also spawned a slew of memes on the internet.
Celeste
Maddy Thorson created, directed, and wrote Celeste, a 2018 platform game that she and Noel Berry coded. It's a completely fleshed-out version of the same-named PICO-8 game from 2016, which Thorson and Berry created in four days during a game jam. Set on a fictitious Mount Celeste, the story follows Madeline, a young woman who tries to climb the mountain and must confront her inner demons in order to reach the top.
Celeste was published independently for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, macOS, and Linux on January 25, 2018, with a Stadia release on July 28, 2020. It has eight chapters, as well as a free DLC chapter called Farewell, which was published on September 9, 2019.
Farewell adds 100 additional screens to the main narrative and serves as an epilogue. Celeste was well praised on its first release, and was widely regarded as one of the finest games of 2018.
It was praised for its gameplay, level design, music, themes, and emotional narrative, as well as Madeline's personality. It was also praised for being challenging but entertaining for both casual and speedrunner players. It was nominated for Game of the Year and won many prizes, including Best Independent Game and Games for Impact at The Game Awards 2018.
Celeste was also a commercial success, selling over a million copies by the end of 2019 and well surpassing the expectations of its developers, as well as gaining immediate popularity in the speedrunning world.
Elisa Mueller
Author
Elisa Mueller, a Kansas City native, grew up surrounded by the wonders of books and movies, inspired by her parents' passion for education and film.
She earned bachelor's degrees in English and Journalism from the University of Kansas before moving to New York City, where she spent a decade at Entertainment Weekly, visiting film sets worldwide.
With over 8 years in the entertainment industry, Elisa is a seasoned journalist and media analyst, holding a degree in Journalism from NYU. Her insightful critiques have been featured in prestigious publications, cementing her reputation for accuracy and depth.
Outside of work, she enjoys attending film festivals, painting, writing fiction, and studying numerology.
Frazer Pugh
Reviewer
Frazer Pugh is a distinguished expert in finance and business, boasting over 6 years of experience. Holding an MBA in Finance from Stanford University, Frazer's credentials underscore his authority and expertise in the field.
With a successful track record in executive roles and as a published author of influential articles on financial strategy, his insights are both deep and practical.
Beyond his professional life, Frazer is an avid traveler and culinary enthusiast, drawing inspiration from diverse cultures and cuisines.
His commitment in delivering trustworthy analysis and actionable advice reflects his dedication to shaping the world of finance and business, making a significant impact through his work.
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