Former Stardew Valley developer making their own gorgeous life sim RPG, this time in a city with rideable bikes
Jan. 6, 2024The unnamed game looks absolutely delightful
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One formerStardew Valleydeveloper is setting off on their own to create an urban take on the life sim genre.
Arthur “Mr. Podunkian” Lee was once a contributor on Stardew Valley, the biggest farm-life-sim on the planet, and the developer is now putting that rare experience to use on a similar game set in a city. The currently unnamed game has the expected beautiful pixel art and expressive sprites, but some snippets make me very excited for a big potential contender in the Stardew-like space.
Being set in the city probably means that walking isn’t the most ideal form of transport. Enter, bikes! One clip shows our character mounting a bike with an animation reminiscent of Pokémon’s old-school adventures. “Will they be customizable with unusually expensive add-ons?” Lee writes on social media, “Only time will tell.”
Another interesting snippet mentions that you can read books, but also that you can “level up your Reading Skill.” Doing so unlocks the ability to read in bed (how powerful), but I’m more interested in what other new skills are being added to the usual farming/fishing/foraging formula.
Lee’s most recent update revealed an homage to the Harvest Moon series - the farming games that inspired Stardew Valley - with an “open-air hot spring that you can soak in to revitalize after a hard day’s work.” The ambient water and bamboo noises are oh-so relaxing, even when a stranger rudely comes to soak in the same juices.
Scrolling through Lee’sTwitterfeed makes it clear that his own personality and memories are being injected into this project, making the game overflow with real charm that can’t be faked with some gleeful chiptunes or bright colors. The beautiful scenery and exciting news ideas don’t hurt, though.
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Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that’s vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he’ll soon forget.
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