Nintendo’s new hardware iteration officially welcomes one of the most relevant independent phenomena of the last decade. Stardew Valley is now available on the Nintendo eShop at the price of 13.99 euros, while guaranteeing a painless transition for those who already owned the title on the first Switch. Thanks to a free Upgrade Pack, the generational transition does not entail additional costs for the user, confirming the long-term support policy that has characterized Eric Barone’s project since its original debut on PC in 2016.
The narrative and management structure remains faithful to the pillars that made the title successful, putting the player in the shoes of a grandson tasked with redeveloping his grandfather’s old farm. In a context marked by the expansionism of the multinational Joja Corporation, the primary objective lies in the restoration of the social center and the revitalization of the rural community. The experience develops through a cycle of resource management and field cultivation which, over the years, has been able to expand onto every available platform, from desktop systems to home consoles, up to mobile devices.
However, the edition dedicated to Nintendo Switch 2 introduces technical and functional improvements aimed at optimizing interaction and cooperation. The control system has been revised to make the positioning of furniture and inventory management more fluid using mouse controls, while the multiplayer sector undergoes a significant expansion. In addition to local split-screen support for up to four users, online mode now accommodates sessions of up to eight participants. Of particular note is the introduction of the Game Share function, which allows you to host up to three friends in a shared game with a single copy of the software.