Stardew Valley is a highly popular and highly addictive farming simulator made by Eric Barone (better known as “ConcernedApe”). This game took the indie game world by storm when released, building a cult following and being compared favorably to established farming simulator series, Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing. That being said, with success comes similar games or copy cats, that will try to use the formula but add there own spin to it, like Staxel or My Time at Portia. The question is, how do they compare?
Staxel
Plukit’s Staxel is what you’d get if Stardew Valley and Mincraft had a baby. The game has all the farming elements you would expect from a farming simulator — you can build your farm, plant crops, and take care of animals. You’ll also be able to explore, completing quests for the other villagers that inhabit the world.
Some of the things that are different from Stardew Valley are the 3D graphics and first-person view reminiscent of Minecraft, as well as the inclusion of the online multiplayer that Stardew Valley currently lacks.
My Time at Portia
Pathea Games’ My Time at Portia is Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with Stardew Valley‘s feel and mechanics. The game has an art style, stamina system, and exploration component similar to Breath of the Wild‘s. Where the Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon influence comes into play is with the farming and villager relationships aspects of the game.
You start off with a low-level, broken down farm, but if you grind multiple hours, you can eventually upgrade it to a lavish, high-level farm. You can also earn supplies through dungeon crawling. My Time at Portia‘s relationship system is similar to Stardew Valley, as you must talk, give gifts, and play mini-games wit different villagers to gain their friendship, and even date and marry them.
I believe that Staxel and My Time at Portia can stack up to Stardew Valley because of their unique offerings to the genre, but I don’t think these game will gain the same popularity and acclaim that Stardew Valley got (and is still getting today). Stardew Valley is also still getting ported over to other consoles, and it was released on the Nintendo Switch not too long ago. I think that Staxel and My Time at Portia are definitely worth checking out, but I don’t think it will have the lifespan that Stardew Valley has.
