Just the character creation process alone took the two of them more than ten minutes. The player's name, the farm's name, the player's birthday, the pet dog's name, gender...
The game asked for every little detail imaginable.
For two people used to grabbing a controller and jumping straight into the action, it was torture.
If the money hadn't already been spent, Mike would've shut the game off and gone back to Street Fighter right then and there.
What the hell was this? Even outsourcing it to another company shouldn't have resulted in something like this!
At long last, they entered the game, but before either of them could sigh in relief, another opening cutscene greeted them.
Well… looks like actually playing the game would take a while longer. At that moment, John finally understood where all those magazine criticisms had come from.
Yeah… maybe this game really was kind of bad.
As the introduction unfolded, the camera swept across a gloomy concrete office building, passed through rows upon rows of cramped cubicles, and finally stopped on the protagonist.
"...?"
The two men froze.
What kind of children's game started like this?
On screen, the protagonist let out a weary sigh and opened his desk drawer. Inside rested a carefully preserved envelope.
"If you're reading this letter, you must be in need of a change."
For some reason, that single sentence struck a hidden corner of John's heart. His nose suddenly felt a little sour.
Looking at the young man slumped over his desk, burdened by life, exhausted, sharing the same name and even the same birthday as himself, John found himself dazed.
What the hell? Why was this so immersive?
"Long ago, I found myself in the same situation."
"At the time, I ignored what mattered most in life..."
"The connections between people, and the connection between people and nature."
"So I gave everything up and went to the place where I truly belonged."
...
A long-distance bus slowly pulled into a small-town station.
"Hello! You must be John, right?"
"My name's Robin. I'm the local carpenter. The mayor asked me to bring you to your new home. He's already there cleaning it up for you."
"The farm's this way. Follow me."
Robin, with her bright orange hair, cheerfully explained the situation. Her demeanor couldn't have been more different from the lifeless office workers from earlier.
As the camera followed her, John finally saw the farm his grandfather had left behind. It was rundown, dilapidated, overgrown. Yet somehow filled with promise.
Spring, Day 1
John cleared away some debris around the farm. He planted the starter seeds one by one and carefully watered them.
Although he didn't have much stamina left, he chose not to end the day immediately. Instead, he wandered into town and explored at his own pace.
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Robin could help build barns and upgrade houses. The general store sold seeds and supplies. Little by little, John learned about the world through his own eyes.
"Wait a second."
Mike suddenly shouted from beside him, breaking the peaceful atmosphere.
"Robin's married?"
Apparently he'd caught some details from the dialogue.
"That purple haired kid is her stepson?"
Damn it!
Mike suddenly wanted to send angry mails to the developers. The game had romance and marriage systems. So why make such a gorgeous woman already married?
That was criminal!
John merely shrugged.
"Look at you. Have some dignity."
He pointed at another character.
"I think Caroline is prettier. I'm definitely marrying her."
As soon as he said that, Caroline opened a door and walked upstairs into the bedroom above the general store.
"The store..."
John paused.
"...belongs to that shop owner, doesn't it?"
"..."
Why were all the attractive women already married? Did marriage really improve people that much?
Time slipped by without either of them noticing. Only when John's stomach growled loudly did they finally snap back to reality.
"Ugh..."
The two stared blankly at the screen. The once dilapidated farm had transformed completely.
After most of Spring had passed, it now looked neat and thriving. Rows of crops grew in orderly lines, vibrant and green.
John's wallet had grown from a few hundred dollars into something much more respectable. He'd even hired Robin to construct a small chicken coop.
"I gotta say..."
Both men spoke at exactly the same time. Mike gestured for John to go first.
"Maybe there's something wrong with me."
John scratched his head.
"But I honestly think this game is exactly my kind of thing."
"It's ridiculously fun."
Who the hell said this was some children's game?
Good thing he hadn't listened to those trashy magazines. If he'd skipped this game because of a few reviews, he'd have regretted it for years.
The feeling was bizarre.
Looking back, all the criticisms from the magazines technically existed. But they weren't what he'd imagined at all.
The things he'd assumed would be weaknesses had somehow become the game's greatest strengths. This wasn't merely a game.
It was a genuine world existing beyond the screen.
A second life that belonged to him. A place where he could escape reality's frustrations. Forget the pressures surrounding him and immerse himself in a simple, pure utopia.
Every day felt meaningful. Every day offered something new to do. If he didn't have to go to work, he would've happily kept playing forever.
"So, do you know what I wanted to say?"
Mike nodded and looked at him. Then he answered his own question.
"I wanted to say…."
"To hell with game review magazines!"
"Those idiots don't know what a good game is!"
If any of those reviewers had spent more than a few minutes actually experiencing what the game was trying to convey, they would've been too embarrassed to write half those criticisms.
Without exaggeration, even though they'd spent the entire afternoon playing, Mike could clearly feel that they hadn't even scratched the surface.
This was a game you could play for a lifetime. Its theoretical lifespan dwarfed that of almost any other game.
Ethan had chosen the themes and structure of Stardew Valley rather than the more traditional Harvest Moon premise of "a young boy restoring the family farm" for a reason.
He had specifically considered the taste of the American market.
Unlike Harvest Moon, a distinctly Japanese title which had more of a Japanese theme, Stardew Valley was created by Eric Barone, better known as ConcernedApe, a genuine, born and raised American.
The two games had vastly different styles. Each had its own strengths. But abandoning Harvest Moon's softer, slice of life storytelling didn't mean children disliked the game.
Quite the opposite.
Click.
The front door lock turned. Emma reacted like a cat caught stealing food.
At lightning speed, she yanked the Wolfenstein 3D disk out of the console and hid it somewhere Vincent couldn't possibly reach.
"Mom!"
Vincent burst through the door.
"GAMENOVA released a new game!"