The 4 Squares Review: Stardew Valley: The Board Game

Zee, Chris, Mike & Roy take a look at Stardew Valley: The Board Game!

Intro 0:00
Overview 1:27
Final Thoughts 7:48
Scores 24:39

Support the channel by becoming a member!

Check out the friendliest conventions on Earth!

[bricelory]

After the game overview, I realize just how good of a radio voice Chris has. My goodness.

[theenthusiast]

This is one of the better 4 squares. Not to say I don't love Tom, But Zee kinda killed it being the moderator of the review. I'd be okay with seeing this group on the regular.

[marks]

I wish Chris would teach me every game. That guy’s voice is like butter, and his rules overviews are so clear 👍

[saintsalieri]

My favorite game as a kid was Harvest Moon on SNES and I still enjoy farming as a theme in board games. If anyone is coming to this review wanting a farming board game that scratches a similar itch but was maybe worried about the luck or length of this one, you might look into:

-An upcoming game called My Farm Shop that looks good for families, with quick gameplay and reasonable luck mitigation
-Fields of Green, a game that has the same plot as Stardew Valley but has weighty decisions while still having a simple ruleset. It works well at all player counts, and when you play with more than two players take turns simultaneously to keep game length down. You really get the feel of installing sprinklers on your Stardew Farm and building a feedback loop to make the most money (we should admit Stardew is really about making money)
-Reykholt, a charming game that lets you watch your vegetables multiply within your Icelandic greenhouses. This game is reminiscent of some more complex games by the same designer, but the simplified scoring makes it suitable for families or people new to board gaming. It's gorgeous.
-Fields of Arle is a complex two player farming game that has a wonderful sense of place. It has always reminded me of Harvest Moon.

[mkitten]

I usually shy away from all co-op games because I usually do not enjoy that style of game, but I LOVE this videogame and after watching a couple of playthroughs and this I'm actually rather excited about it. Hope it won't be too long until those of us outside of the US gets a chance to get it

[Drewkas]

This is the first boardgame I've seen where taking a leek is an action. Fantastic!

[_Cervantez]

"We befriend George by gifting him this leek".
#simplerlife

[LEGnewTube]

Yah! Miami dice music is back! Play it longer!

[someshyguy]

I hope they have them in stock soon. Joja is scalping them on ebay

[tas]

Everyone did great job making their point and then letting someone else talk.

[IdlestHands]

Zee the word you are looking for is overstated, not understated.

Also, 7 seems weirdly high for a game one has "significant issues" with.

[kristenumansky]

I’m excited to order the 2nd edition of this. Haven’t played the video game mostly because I play animal crossing and barely have time to keep up with that. But the video game does appeal to me as I loving farming games so maybe the bird game version will be perfect. Hopefully they upgrade the production quality.

[shalomandblessings]

Anyone know if the 2024 reprint has the same problems?

[SquaredbyX]

Seems like this would be the ultimate game, with Stardew Valley being at the top of its genre and being able to study the greats and the evolution of the tabletop industry.

[Wolforce]

After seeing the rules, i dont see why you cant play all player turns at the same time?

[raymyers]

Talking about the component quality, I can see video gamers listening and thinking "no big deal, it doesn't affect game play " and board gamers being horrified :D

[sirownzalotgaming]

seems dope, I love the video game. This ruleset seems very complicated to explain to a group for a game night. Might as well just play the video game.

[christaggart]

This game should have been very similar to viticulture

[HALOX]

Zee, not everybody knows about Stardew Valley. Just be glad people are here.

[Skarpo]

Where is Tom? 😱 Don't get me wrong I'm sure he'd have been wrong in his review as usual (joking), but still, it's the first Miami Dice not Miami Dice to not have either Tom or Sam I think