I know full well that whenever I do an article about a game you can play in your browser, productivity in workplaces around the world goes down. Hey, if you're the CEO of a company, now you know - I'm here to help the retro gamers in your company find an easier route through the working week, and this Stardew Vally GBC demake is going to do exactly that.
If you've never played Stardew Valley before, then you might be wondering why I'm getting so excited over this. As far as I'm concerned, ConcernedApe's farming sim is one of the most relaxing games to play of all time. Releasing in 2016, it's one of the most successful video games of all time, selling 50 million copies worldwide. The graphics have always had a bit of a retro feel to them, and they certainly lend themselves to the GBC.
This demake from AEProjects isn't huge, but it encapsulates the feeling of Stardew Valley by bringing the core elements of the game–fishing, farming, foraging, and character interaction–to an 8-bit project. And the weird thing is that it feels like it should always have been a Game Boy Color game. I think because it's so relaxing and the kind of game I could have seen myself kicking back with my GBC and a cup of Sunny D in my hand back in the day.
I know it looks like all you do is water stuff with the two images I've got here, but I guess it's a key part of the game! As you can see, you have a square in front of you that shows which part of the field you're going to manipulate, and you can till the earth, water, plant seeds, cut crops, and more. It's just like the real deal, just way more nostalgic.
You can play using your browser by using the WASD keys to move, Z to interact and use tools, and Esc or I to pause. X and C let you scroll through left and right through the hotbar, respectively.
You can also use the D-Pad on your chosen controller to move, with B being your 'tool' button, Start pausing the game, and the left and right triggers controlling your hotbar selections.
Head to Itch.io to give it a go in your browser, and if your boss asks, tell them that it's market research for a new product you're working on.
