Am I missing something?

[The Seraph of Tomorrow]

I hear a lot about how this game is deep and memorable, yet so far there has been nothing in my play-through I would even consider such. It has mostly just felt like graveyard keeper, a grind simulator with the rare event to try and break up the monotony.

Oh and just so people know, I am 7 hours in.

[CrescentMouse]

in a way that's why people like the game. it's a bit monotonous. it's relaxed and you have infinite freedom. no quest markers, no specfic objectives. and amazing people to talk to. talk to anyone and there's a good chance they play the game very very differently. and every way is correct. there's people who just stay in the mines all day. people like me who never go in the mines and just farm flowers and talk to NPCs, people who fish, people who are farming crazy. trying to make the most money. and people who never ever farm.

[lizardmang]

I definitely wouldn't call it deep. The characters are all very archetypal and have predictable arcs, and there's very little story otherwise. In terms of gameplay, it's not much different from any other farming game - at least any that I've played - so of course it's a repetitive grind at its core. That said, you haven't seen much of what the game has to offer in only 7 hours, though if you don't enjoy the basic gameplay elements so far, your opinion of it likely won't improve much.

I do think the game has a unique charm to it, but that lies more in the superficial, imo, like graphics, music, and sound effects. And there's a subtle focus on quality of life and freedom throughout its design that I've always found lacking in similar games. Combined with a strong modding community and a hands-on dev who has provided free major updates for 5 years, I understand its popularity, and I think it's arguably one of the best games in the genre. But I do think that its strength in some areas is sometimes exaggerated.

[airgid-sionnach]

I would argue that the "deepness" depends on how far you look into it. There is certainly a ton of lore and story, and I can see quite a bit of symbolism. But it can also be a fun farm game, and thats it.

[Queen Droxxanna]

7 hours is only just beginning, several things in game dont happen until you make friends with npc's , reach certain achievements, later seasons, or get to the second or third year.
You most likely haven't finished the community center, which makes a lot of things happen.
You haven't been to the desert.
You haven't been to the island.
You haven't made it thru the volcano.
you haven't gotten married and had kids.

[esturias]

The game isn't deep. In fact, it's rather shallow. Most of the mechanics are very simple, there isn't much lore, the story is very basic.
But the game is very diverse. Tons of things to do and to discover, everything has its place in the game and there is little to no tedious filler content. You'll continuously get in touch with new content that will enrich the game.

[Nakos]

Originally posted by Tech-Priest:

I hear a lot about how this game is deep and memorable, yet so far there has been nothing in my play-through I would even consider such. It has mostly just felt like graveyard keeper, a grind simulator with the rare event to try and break up the monotony.

Oh and just so people know, I am 7 hours in.

It's a game about leaving the (so called) "rat-race" behind and returning to an older mode of life, where you live in a small town, make a living with your hands, engage with the local community, shape your life around the turning of the seasons.

If that sounds like a fun, relaxing, rejuvenating experience to you (and if you like the pixelated art style), then you'll probably like the game. If it doesn't, then you probably won't. SDV is more flexible than GYK, but also somewhat less focused, your goals are your own to set. Also bear in mind, SDV came first and was (at least partly) the inspiration for GYK. (And SDV has its own inspiration in the Harvest Moon games).

SDV resonates with a lot of people, but that doesn't mean it'll be fun for you personally. Nothing wrong with that of course, but it is what you see. If it's not your type of game, then it's not. <shrugs>

[ChrillBill]

The message which Nakos is talking about in the first section of their post is what I think many refers to as deep and I know a lot of people can relate to the whole being disconnected with nature and longing for more purpose in life. So while the npcs and also the story doesn't feel very deep I think the idea and message behind the game is quite deep and that is part of the reason why it has had such an impact on many players (including myself). But we are all different and if it doesn't resonate with you then that's totally fine.

7 hours isn't a lot, but I think it is enough to give you an idea about what the game is about.

[Amberbaum]

Originally posted by esturias:

The game isn't deep. In fact, it's rather shallow. Most of the mechanics are very simple, there isn't much lore, the story is very basic.
But the game is very diverse. Tons of things to do and to discover, everything has its place in the game and there is little to no tedious filler content. You'll continuously get in touch with new content that will enrich the game.

I agree. Calling it deep would be a misnomer. You gradually open up the game world. Build stuff and discover new things. You have a clear say in what you want to do and focus on in the very moment. The game gives you options, but you don't have to go fishing if you really don't like it. Maybe you start fishing in year 2. Whatever floats your boat.

In the end it's a farming slice of life sim. This is important to know when buying games like SV or that of it's genre. Please remember that the PC crowd never really got to see something like that before. It just has a huge fanbase that tends to overblow it's lustre and make it appear to be more deep then it is.

Mind you I love this game, but without the constant stream of mods I wouldn't have revisited it that often. In fact in terms of story and cohesiveness I find My Times at Portia much better. And be it that you don't have to be the super roleplayer and day-dreamer to enjoy the content. I think the charm of SV lies in what the player can do with it. I don't decor, I don't hardcore roleplay, I don't write fan-fiction of my character in my head when playing. But many players do. If you want a story and pressing issues then go with My Times at Portia.

It took me over 100h+ to finish year one and that's when the main story ended for me. I ended up feeling pretty satisfied and didn't think that I wasted my money on it. Mind you it is also a farming slice of life sim, but it has a voiced main story and you are a builder that either gets hired or you need to fight for the commissions to progress the story. The building objectives have time limits. But they aren't impossible or overwhelming. Especially not if you are a good builder who collects and refines resources to stock up on them.

SV let's you do what you want and manage your time at your leisure. My time at Portia pushes you more with clear objectives. It gives you are much clearer structure, but you can alos just do what you want. If you don't like fishing then don't go fishing.

[Nakos]

Originally posted by ChrillBill:

The message which Nakos is talking about in the first section of their post is what I think many refers to as deep and I know a lot of people can relate to the whole being disconnected with nature and longing for more purpose in life.

Yeah, that.

It often makes me think of the PBS historical "reality TV" series Frontier House: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontier_House

The chosen families spend the summer living in conditions as close as possible to those that would have been found in the mid 1880's on the American "frontier". One family starts with a pre-built cabin, one with a half completed cabin, and one starts with nothing, and has to build their own cabin.

There are lots of challenges and elements of what life was like back then that are studied, but one of the things that most struck me was that at the end of the show, they interviewed each of the adult men, and all of them said that the process of actually making a living ... growing their own food, providing for their families with their own hands resonated with them, and that they would miss it.

Conversely, all of the adult women shook their heads and said they couldn't wait to get back to the "modern" world and that they would not miss the "frontier" life.

The show is hardly perfect, but as a historical simulation went, it was pretty interesting.

I'm also fond of watching Bushradical's youtube channel. He and his wife (Girl In The Woods), lived in Alaska when they were first married, and built their own cabin (while living on the land, in a tent). Currently, they reside mostly in Michigan, but they still have land in Alaska (and in upper Michigan) and constantly post videos about living off the grid and doing stuff for yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOOXmfkXpkM

I'm also fond of this guy, who lives (or lived for a while, I think he's moved) in a cabin he built himself deep in rural Canada (abutting Crown land (basically a national park)).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxM9FYSs8V4

[ChrillBill]

I see we are watching lots of similar stuff on youtube Nakos :D We actually have a reality show in my country called "The Farm" where a group of people are thrown back in time and is set up to live together on a farm without modern comfort just like people did back in the day. I love that show and it is so interesting to see how people adapt and develop while having that experience. Many of them have been truly amazed by what they actually CAN do (like growing food, craft and build) by just working with their hands @.@ Life aint that bad out here after all, many have said. The only thing missing in the show is a Krobus ;D

[Nakos]

Ahh Krobus ... and those magical T3 sprinklers ;)

I'll have to look for that show, sounds fun.