| Developer | Concerned Ape |
| Platforms | Steam, Nintendo Switch PS4 & PS5 Xbox, Mobile |
| Genres | Farming, Open-world Exploration, Adventure Slice of Life |
| Difficulty | Upper Intermediate |
| Language | French, English, German Simplified Chinese Korean and more… |
The huge 1.6 update includes the addition of a new Chinese font option. This font is bigger and much easier to read.
Besides this new font, there are many other reasons that make Stardew Valley 《星露谷物语》 a great game to play in Mandarin Chinese, and I will discuss them in this post.
About the game
Stardew Valley is an open-ended sandbox game where you can achieve your goals in whatever direction you like.
You, as the player, leave your stressful city life to pursue a more peaceful one. You travel to Stardew Valley and inherit your grandfather’s old farm.
From here on, you’ll embark on an adventure of farming chops, raising animals, discovering ruins and artifacts, developing relations with the locals and much much more!
Trailer
Gameplay
On the surface, Stardew Valley’s gameplay is very simple. You plant crops, raise animals, go fishing, sell produce for money, explore the mines, and interact with the villagers.
But it is pretty complex and expansive, with hundreds of hours of content.
The game itself does not provide any quest or direction; it’s entirely up to you. This “left on your own” style can be challenging for those who are not used to sandbox games.
Fortunately, Stardew Valley has a huge player base and is very popular among content creators. There are plenty of videos and guides, and the community-run Stardew Valley Wiki is a gold mine of information!
Is “Stardew Valley” a good choice for learning Mandarin Chinese?
The short answer is YES! But let us discuss the reasons.
Low-cost game
The price of this game has remained the same since it was released over 8 years ago. There are regular discounts for Stardew Valley; you can expect a discount at least once a month on Steam.
So much content
There are hundreds of hours of content, providing a large number of words and sentences that expand across many different themes and subjects.
Everyday language
A large part of Stardew Valley is dedicated to farming; therefore, there is an abundance of farming-related words.
However, the majority of the dialogue in the conversations with the villagers is in everyday language, using words and sentence structures that you can use in daily conversations.
A wiki you can read in Chinese
The Stardew Valley Wiki is not only a gold mine of information but also makes for brilliant Chinese reading material. You can access the Chinese version by selecting “中文” under “In other languages” on the sidebar.
Multiplayer
With multiplayer mode, you can play together in Chinese with other Chinese learners! Forming a study group around Stardew Valley is a great option.
Readable font
Pixel games often lack a readable Chinese font, but with the recent 1.6 update, Stardew Valley now has a larger and more readable additional Chinese font.
How to enable the new Chinese font?
By default, the original Chinese pixel font is displayed, and the large round Chinese font needs to be enabled in the settings.
- Enable Chinese language on the launch screen
- Load into a game or create a new game
- Go to settings and scroll up till you find “使用平滑字体”
Difficulty for a Chinese Learner
Stardew Valley 《星露谷物语》 is a great game for Mandarin Chinese learners, but it’s not the easiest.
The initial overload of farming vocabulary, along with the sandbox gameplay style, will be challenging and overwhelming.
Therefore, for new players whose Chinese isn’t advanced, I recommend first playing Stardew Valley in your native language until you’re comfortable with the game, then switch to Chinese.
For a comfortable playthrough in Chinese, some experience in playing farming games in Chinese is recommended.
Final Thoughts
I’ve had this game for years and have put hundreds of hours into it. The pixel Chinese font was always off-putting, as it was difficult to read. Since patch 1.6, I’ve absolutely loved playing this in Chinese!
Although Stardew Valley 《星露谷物语》 isn’t the easiest game for Chinese learners, it’s very popular, and many people have played it. If you’re already very familiar with this game, it’s a great choice to play it in Chinese!