I keep seeing how Stardew is great here so I tried it yesterday. First I read an interview with ConcernedApe and love how he's a solo dev, which is inspiring to me for my own solo project. So I really wanted to love stardew, become attached to it, and view ConcernedApe as a romodel.
Did not happen. Loved the music and gentle nice vibes of the intro, and the different starting choices were cool. First negative tho is something I remember from the article where he said he didn't really like majora's mask cuz the time aspect then laughed at the irony since he made Stardew. Well I agree. The time aspect doesn't make it more fun for me.
I love how different the people are instead of all slight variations of the same model.
thing 2 tho that basically prevents me from getting farther is the 'work'. Right now I'm loading back in to my Rimworld game. Comparatively, when I stepped out on to that Stardew field with no crops yet planted, my thought was, '"oh am i going to have to do all this myself?" Idk why I would want to spend my time and effort doing what someone in Rimworld does without needing micromanagement.
Tried to get farther this morning and could not.
So I guess it isn't for everyone, and for me, this is why. Definitely admire ConcernedApe tho and his success and community he creates as a solo dev.
Thats fine, not every game is designed for every person that plays it to enjoy it. Its just not the kind of game for you.
Anyone that tells you to play it more is gaslighting due to Sunk Cost Fallacy. The experience late game is more or less the same as early game. The biggest difference being that you have stronger gear and can do more, just like any other game with progression. But the main gameplay and game loop remain the same, so if you aren't enjoying that early on, you probably aren't going to enjoy it later either.