Stardew Valley is a sandbox-farming RPG, similar to Harvest Moon, that was released in Febuary 2017. It was created by one man going by the name of ConcernedApe. Stardew Valley was an Indie success, managing to get on Steam's top titles list. I've only played 1 Harvest Moon title beforehand when I was a kid and it was for hours before eventually losing it. So how does it stack up in quality?
Gameplay:
Stardew Valley's gameplay is split into three sections: Farming, Simulation, and Dungeon-crawling.
The farming section is done in your very own farm where you grow crops and later, farm animal products. You get to design your own farm, and house. Crop seeds can be bought at the store in town which can then be growned in your farm. Once they've grown, you can either keep the food to use in cooking or sell them for money which can then be used to buy more seeds, upgrade equipment or upgrade your house. You have to plan out your farm in order to grow crops and add other amenities. You can also fish which also gives you money if you sell it. The simulation elements involve interacting with villagers and getting to know them. Each of the townspeople have their own Heart-to-Hearts which unlock once you reach certain friendship levels. You can also date and marry certain villagers which in turn will also allow you to have children. However, I wish the game would let you befriend suitors and acheive level 10 of friendship without having to romance them, as you have to romance them in order to acess some cutscenes. Of course, I wish they'd create another set of cutscenes if you choose to not date them but increase the friendship level. The dungeon-crawling elements are introduced in the mine. You can go inside and dungeon crawl your way to level 100. You are only limited by your HP and the time of day as you fall asleep at 3 AM. You can equip a lot of weapons and items. Besides those three, there is also the goal of restoring the community center using items you can find in the game. However, there is no incentive to do anything after restoring it. Even the new wizard items introduced in the update are grindy and aren't that fullfilling to complete. Overall, the gameplay is really fun and varied.
Story:
Stardew Valley doesn't have a real story. You arrive at Pelican Town to inherit your grandpa's manor and live your life there. Not much here but the focus isn't really in the story. All of the characters feel developed greatly and are all charming in their own ways.

Presentation:
Stardew Valley's presentation is very appealing to look at. it has releatively great pixel art. However, the character sprites look a bit off. The character sprites don't look that good which can be ignored. All the other sprites look charming and cute.

Nitpicks:
-I wish days lasted longer than normal because it's really tedious advancing a few levels in the mine and having to go back.
-I wish cooking recipes were tyed to days because it takes humongous amount of time just to clear a year
-Winter

Tips and Tricks:
-Get the glasshouse before Winter so you can grow crops during it.
-Play until the end of the third year before deciding to finish the game.
-Certain characters have tastes in gifts.
-Stamina fruits are everywhere.
-There are legendary fishes everywhere
Verdict:

+Charming characters
+Charming setting
+Fun gameplay
+Cozy graphics

-Grindy endgame
-Uneven character portraits

9/10

Price Drop or Sale?
I suggest you buy it. It is well worth the price of admission and it's really content heavy for 15$ compared to other games that are pricier.