Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone, also known as ConcernedApe, has suggested that he is open to allowing some adultery in the game, an idea that has apparently been on his mind for quite some time. Stardew Valley already has a popular romance and marriage system that lets players date available NPCs, all of whom are single. However, the game could get a future feature that turns that idea on its head, with some even saying the change has already begun.
To celebrate Stardew Valley‘s 10th anniversary, Eric Barone announced two new romance candidates from the existing pool of villagers: Clint and Sandy. One interesting detail is that Clint is already interested in dating Emily, though he still hasn’t managed to confess his feelings. Regardless of his crush on Emily, however, players will be able to date and even marry Clint once Stardew Valley‘s 1.7 update arrives. But that could be just the beginning of much bigger changes coming to Pelican Town.
ConcernedApe Explains How Much He Officially Works on Haunted Chocolatier and Stardew Valley
The creator of Stardew Valley and the upcoming Haunted Chocolatier, ConcernedApe, explains how much time he’s spending on their development.
ConcernedApe Says Players Should Be Able to Do Wicked Things
In an interview with Game Informer, Barone explained that he believes players should be allowed to do somewhat immoral things in a sandbox game like Stardew Valley. He also said he would be open to introducing romance features that could break up some of the town’s existing marriages, though doing so would come at the cost of having most villagers turn against the player. “There would be very serious consequences,” he said while discussing the idea, emphasizing that the game would not “baby players” over it.
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Interestingly, this is not the first time Barone has discussed ideas involving unfaithfulness in marriage and borderline cheating in Stardew Valley. During a special episode of the TigerBelly podcast, he said, “I would like you to be able to marry Robin or Demetrius and break up their marriage and cause chaos in the town, but have all the consequences of that.” Now, he appears to be revisiting those same ideas without actually confirming that they will be part of future patches. In other words, he has only implied that he may eventually introduce a mechanic involving cheating or romancing married Stardew Valley NPCs.
While there is currently no adultery mechanic in the game, players can still do some fairly “wicked” things. For example, one of the harshest actions available in Stardew Valley is dismissing one’s own children. Of course, doing so comes with consequences, as players can end up being haunted by the ghosts of their once-beloved kids. If that example is anything to go by, a potential cheating mechanic could carry a similar level of punishment or perhaps even harsher consequences, especially since Barone himself has said that he morally disagrees with homewrecking.
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The possibility of disloyalty coming to Stardew Valley‘s romance has sparked a heated debate within the community. While some players believe it could bring more depth and variety to the gameplay, others argue there is no need to introduce such a bitter twist to the otherwise wholesome relationships in Pelican Town. Whether Eric Barone ultimately moves forward with the idea or scraps it entirely remains to be seen. For now, fans of the decade-old farming simulator still have update 1.7 to look forward to, which will add Clint and Sandy as new romance options alongside plenty of additional content.
- Released
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February 26, 2016
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
- Developer(s)
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ConcernedApe
- Publisher(s)
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ConcernedApe
