Title is a reference to a recent Semi-Ramblomatic video by Yahtzee.
this post was submitted on 24 Jan 2026
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okay, I'll sacrifice myself for this, here's my opinion:
I haven't been able to get into Stardew, it just feels like there isn't much to do that requires thought. it's run here, buy a thing, decide where you want to go, buy that thing, maybe do a cave for a bit of something interesting but not too much of that
idk, just didn't have enough autonomy or choice, for me? and I wasn't invested in the story at all. seems like a cute mindless game that's good for relaxing, when you don't want to mentally tax yourself because you're gaming to relax. same goes for animal crossing, though I only watched it, never played it. animal crossing seemed like there was more thought involved, actually, as you had more control over stuff. less guided.
so now take those words and twist it into criticism instead of statements about personal preference, I guess, and you've got the source of the OP's comment
SDV is all autonomy and choice. You personally might not enjoy the choices you have available, but the game does not force you in any direction.
Choices you have:
What crops to purchase
How many to purchase
Where you plant them
Do you want to build a bunch of sprinklers
At what quality of sprinklers do you want to start using them
When to upgrade your tools
Do you want to go foraging Do you want to go fishing
Do you want to go increase friendship levels with villagers
Are you focusing on any specific villagers
Do you want to do this random quest
Community center or joja mart
Do you want to go to the mine today
Progress deeper into the mind or stay at levels you've explored for the resources they have
What farm buildings to purchase
When to purchase them
Sell this crop or use it as an ingredient
Which of the 20 perks do you want
What is your goal for this specific day
What is your goal for this specific season
Yes, it's a game that doesn't require a lot of focus but that doesn't mean it's mindless (it's not a clicker) or that it lacks autonomy. There's more autonomy in SDV than there is in say Expedition 33 where your choices are: Kill the paintress (not optional), your character build, and do you go to this side area now or come back later?
The take i remember (just one i read on the internet) for animal crossing was that it was too close to home (ie real life) for the real poster. first thing that happens is you get saddled with a huge mortgage/ loan that you have to pay off by doing repetitive tasks, etc, thats its essentialy a participating in capitalism sim, which matches most people's real life. I think the conclusion was
'instead of playing the game and working off my in game debt, I felt like I should be finding a moderately enjoyable craft/hobby that I can monetize as a side hustle to pay off my IRL debt, like student loans. '
Stardew is pretty devoid of meaningful choice because it's devoid of meaningful challenge. Other games in the genre, like Harvest Moon 64 or Rune Factory 4 (no particular reason for those examples, they're just my favorites in the genre) are defined by taxing time limits, complicated schedules to remember, and so on. Rune Factory 4 even has very challenging dungeons which reward understanding the crafting system and the various skills.