Since its release in 2016, the indie game Stardew Valley has become a powerhouse in the video game industry. It won various awards, but it also revived a genre that many believed to have been past its prime. So, of course, given the massive success that Stardew Valley has received over the years, it isn’t surprising that other games would want to follow in its footsteps.
To be fair, it is worth mentioning that Stardew Valley itself is not entirely an original game, and creator ConcernedApe has been open with how it is inspired and somewhat similar to other titles, most notably, the Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons franchise. However, despite having similarities to older farming sims, Stardew Valley did offer new mechanics that offered unique experiences, and the same can be said for many games that follow it. But while there are many games inspired by Stardew Valley and put their own unique spin on it, some titles take it to a whole different level, with one copying a popular feature while the other having eerily similar graphics.
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Just a year after Stardew Valley’s release, another farming sim came into the scene called Harvest Life. The game is developed by indie studio Bumblebee and is currently available on PC and the Nintendo Switch. Like Stardew Valley, Harvest Life tasks players to manage and expand their own “sustainable organic farm.” While there is nothing wrong with its concept as a farming simulator, players would notice that Harvest Life’s fishing mechanic appears to be very similar to Stardew Valley.
Again, Stardew Valley is not the first farming sim to have a fishing mechanic. However, it is worth noting that the fishing mechanic in Stardew Valley is infamous for its difficulty and its unique take on catching fish. In other similar games, players would only need to cast their fishing line and wait for some sort of movement before they are required to mash certain buttons to catch a fish successfully. In Stardew Valley, a meter will appear on screen as soon as the players cast their line that makes the experience much like a mini-game. Similarly, this mini fishing game also appears in Harvest Life, and the mechanics are pretty much the same. As a reference, the image above shows the similarities between the two.
Apart from the fishing mechanic, Harvest Life does offer a unique experience from Stardew Valley, and its overall look is very different. However, the same couldn’t be said of Super Zoo Story, an upcoming game that was heavily criticized as a clear Stardew Valley ripoff. While the premise of Super Zoo Story is different from Stardew Valley, its visuals looked almost the same, from the art style, the general color palette, and even in-game menus.
Looking at previews released by Super Zoo Story so far, one can’t help but notice just how similar it is to Stardew Valley, with some players initially thinking that it is an expansion or a new game by ConcernedApe. However, as soon as comparisons of it broke out on Twitter, many fans of Stardew Valley called out the upcoming game as a complete ripoff. The issue even trended in social media that ConcernedApe himself was forced to speak about it.
In a tweet, ConcernedApe, whose real name is Eric Barone, stated that while he supports developers who take inspiration from Stardew Valley, he is not okay if it turns out that his assets were actually copied or duplicated. Barone also mentioned that Super Zoo Story’s devs have “taken it a little too far and that their attitude about it has rubbed [him] the wrong way too.” In the end, the team behind Super Zoo Story issued an apology and agreed that some of the art in the game appears similar to Stardew Valley. However, the devs clarified that it was never their intention to copy art from other games and that they will redesign all assets that are too similar to Stardew Valley. Since then, the devs behind Super Zoo Story have made significant changes to their visual design and art style so it doesn't so closely resemble that of ConcernedApe's.
Stardew Valley is out now for Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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