In a new trailer released on the official Concerned Ape YouTube channel, fans of Stardew Valley were treated to the surprise announcement of Stardew Valley: The Board Game. It features several new pieces of artwork and incorporates many aspects of the computer game into fun cooperative gameplay.
The game has apparently been in development since 2018 and has been co-designed by original creator Eric Barone and seasoned board game developer Cole Medeiros. He’s one of the major minds behind such creative story-driven board games as Web of Spies and Gubs, and has worked on games like CityVille and Mafia Wars to create hundreds of quests and items. He and Barone apparently met through a mutual friend and, after playing a few rounds of the cooperative mode in Stardew, started considering how the game could be made into a board game to bring it offline.
The official release of the game, coming after two years of refining and playtesting, takes place over the course of one in-game year. According to the rules, which are free to access from the official Stardew Valley shop, there are two ways to win the game: complete four of Grandpa’s goals or six of the Community Center bundles before you run out of Season cards. It combines the aspects of the videogame - including relationships with townsfolk, mining and fighting monsters, and, of course, farming and resource management – with adorable artwork on the different cards, tokens, and spaces on the game board.
Needless to say, the fans are excited. People are excited to share Stardew with their less technically-minded friends and family and to get to see new art pieces of their favorite characters and items. There’s no shipping outside of the United States at the moment, which is upsetting to international fans, but they’re still supportive of Barone’s passion project becoming bigger than he ever imagined.
Stardew Valley: The Boardgame is being produced by Michigan-based Delano Games. It’s designed for up to four players and is available to purchase right now.
Source: Concerned Ape on YouTube