BothAnimal Crossing: New HorizonsandStardew Valleyare considered staples of the cozy gaming genre, but the former has a lot to learn from the latter when it comes to keeping players happy long-term. Delivering players a gaming experience that lasts hundreds of hours,Stardew Valleyhas truly stood the test of time. Setting the precedent for the cozy gaming genre,Stardew Valleyhas set an example for all slower-paced gems to follow in the footsteps of.
Animal Crossinghas been a big hit in itself for the life-simulator genre too, particularly reaching new heights of success whenAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsreleased in 2020. Drawing fans in with its escape from the real world, players quickly adored theeasy-going nature of play offered. But there’s one thing thatAnimal Crossing: New Horizonshas failed to deliver, something thatStardew Valleycontinues to bring to this day:game updates.
Stardew Valley Creator ConcernedApe Has Kept Content Coming
Big Updates Always Keep Stardew Valley Feeling Fresh
Despite being primarily worked on by the solo developer ConcernedApe, one of the leading factors forStardew Valley’s continued success isthe frequent free updates the game receives. Whether it be details like new items such as mystery boxes, newevents added as seen in update 1.6, or the massive Ginger Island content addition that gave players a new focus after completion, the game has far from run its course. With no paid DLC or incentive other than a true passion for the potential of the game, it’s clear thatStardew Valleythrives for being truly adored by its creator.
Stardew Valley 1.6 Update Is Now Live: All Updates & Patch Notes Revealed
Stardew Valley’s 1.6 update has finally arrived on PC, and it brings a surprising amount of brand-new content to the modern classic life sim.
While it is over eight years since the game’s first launch, frequent and large updates are still regularly releasing forStardew Valleywithout fail. New systems like mastery and skills have opened up the game’s potential tenfold, and they’re far from the only new features in every update either. With so much devotion and care,Stardew Valleyhas been thriving without fail and clearly has so much more to give.
Animal Crossing Has A Lot To Learn From ConcernedApe
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Grows Stale Without Updates
WhileACNHsaw huge success at launch, the game has been few and far between in updates ever since. With its final free and paid DLC content updates in 2021, the game has been in many ways neglected ever since. As fans struggle to keep the game alive,there’s little that can be said or done to keep players coming back for more, especially since you can only have one island per Nintendo Switch, which severely limits replayability.
Stardew Valley From The Villagers' Point Of View Is A Hilarious Take
One Stardew Valley fan imagines what the game’s farmer looks like from the point of view of the villagers, and the result is hilarious.
DespiteNew Horizonsnot quite deliveringon the mass amount of content previous games offered from launch, such as mini-games, players were optimistic that Nintendo would continue to support the title post-release. While the developer never committed to this, it was widely expected, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of long-term players now in 2024 when it didn’t happen. The game’s 2.0 update did introduce some much-needed features, like The Roost cafe and cooking,but there’s no more planned support for the game.
There’s plenty of things that could renewACNH’s lease of life, not just the aforementioned minigames,but crossover content, new amiibo cards and characters, improved multiplayer, new items, new areas, deeper friendship mechanics, better building, and anything else one can think of. While something like combat, featured in the caves and mines ofStardew, might be stretch forACNH’s premise,Stardew’s many features - along with its semi-regular updates and fixes - makeACNHfeel shallow in comparison. WithAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsbeing abandoned without future content to be seen, it’s clear that Nintendo needs to learn from what ConcernedApe has proven will keep players returning.
