LogFAQs > #947800714

18. Stardew Valley (through 2:42) - MetalmindStats
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PunlIGPlRYA

I have long had a fondness for narratives about alienation caused by modern society, especially with regard to tedious work in an office cubicle. I am a believer that humans were never meant to spend most of their waking hours hunched over a computer indoors working away for a paycheck just to afford some pleasant diversion that makes it seem worthwhile as the years pass by.

So its probably no surprise this intro speaks to me, with its darkly humorous depiction of an office that treats its workers like expendable machines. We see a green light illuminated next to the word work, with a separate light for rest. The view scrolls by cubicles, one of which is empty with the word terminated prominently displayed, and even a skeleton collapsed at one of the cubicles. And it in this context we see the main character read the letter given to her by her grandfather, which he once told her not to open until the day she feels crushed by the burden of modern life. I feel like I probably would have opened the letter much sooner than XX Years later, but I digress. That act of opening the letter and learning of the farm sets in motion the plot of the game as an escape, and its an excellent way to establish the premise.

One minor gripe I had with the sequence is the bus ride seems kind of unnecessary. I think that segment could have been more interesting if we saw the background scenery change and become more rustic along the way, but that surely would have been difficult to depict in such a short time. Nevertheless, it does leave me intrigued to see more of Stardew Valley.