An In-Depth Look on Stardew Valley Storyline and Game Paths

Storyline Spoilers Are Present in this Post!

Once you are finished with the creation of your character and farm, you are then presented with the story of the game Stardew Valley. If you read the About My Blog Page, you were given a basic idea of the story behind the game. You inherit your grandfather’s old farm plot in Stardew Valley and you must learn to live off the land and create a new life for yourself. After character creation, you are given an intro video that tells a more in-depth story about you, ‘your grandfather’ and the land you inherit.

Storyline Intro

As the scene begins, it appears that you are in the room of your grandfather. You are standing in front of your grandfather who lay sick in bed. He presents you with an envelope as you two talk; however, he tells you not to open it. After you take the envelope your grandfather tells you that there will be a day where you will feel crushed by the burden of life and your spirit will fade. When that day comes that is when you are to open the envelope. After his speech to you, he asks for rest and the screen fades to black. In the game, you learn that ‘your grandfather’ passed away.

As we move on in the scene your character is presented in a cubical office space owned by the business known as Joja Mart (I will talk about the company later in this post). As you sit at your desk you look exhausted and remember the envelope that your grandfather gave you. You open the envelope to find that your grandfather gave you the deed to his land that is located in Stardew Valley. After reading the letter the scene cuts to a scenic bus ride to Pelican Town, located in Stardew Valley, where your land awaits.

Below is the recording of the actual scene that you see in the game!

Game Paths

Joja Mart Path

Joja Mart plays a very important role within the story behind Stardew Valley. Joja Mart is similar to your typical mart but with a cold, uninviting atmosphere. Morris is the one who manages the mart and handles PR. But you might be wondering, who cares about a mart. The problem with Joja Mart is that it takes away business from the community of Pelican Town.

As a player, you get the choice of supporting Joja Mart or not. At the beginning of the game, you are able to go to the Mart and buy a membership. Buying this membership will result in Joja Mart being able to take over the run-down community center. Taking these actions is known as taking the corporate path of the game. If you become a member you pay Morris to complete community development projects. On the other hand, instead of supporting Joja Mart, you can support Pelican Town and the community by donating to replenish the community center instead.

The Community Center Path

The other game path available is supporting the community and merchants of the town by replenishing the community center instead of supporting the corporate business, Joja Mart. At the beginning of the game, Lewis (the mayor) brings you to the community center and tells you that there is a rat problem. However, you learn that the occupants of the community center are far from rats. The small creatures you find are known as Juminos. Taking the community center path, you complete bundles for the Juminos by bringing them different requested items. Once you finish a bundle, they will give you rewards and or help repair part of the community. I plan on later making a post about the different buddles that are apart of the community center and its occupants. Most players enjoy this path of the game more because of the challenge and adventure that occurs to complete these bundles.