A Stardew Valley fan shared a photo of their custom Nintendo Switch arcade cabinet. This unique item doesn’t come cheap, but the Stardew Valley cabinet is sure to impress anyone who sees it.
Indie developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone released Stardew Valley in 2016. Inspired by the classic Story of Seasons games and featuring beautiful retro pixel art, this open-ended farming sim has been critically acclaimed and a huge financial success, selling over 3.5 million copies by the end of 2017. That number has ballooned to 20 million by 2022, and some consider Stardew Valley to be one of the greatest games of all time. The game even earned praise from Story of Seasons creator Yasuhiro Wada, who felt that Stardew Valley captured the freedom of the early games.
Given the popularity of Stardew Valley, it’s no surprise that some fans want a physical version. However, fans are more willing to go further than others, such as Reddit user Additional_Handle736 who paid about $96 for a custom Stardew Valley arcade cabinet. Created by Etsy seller The Tree Rat Symposium, this cabinet doesn’t appear to be fully functional, just a really nice Switch USB monitor. Still, it’s an impressive piece of custom gear, and The Tree Rat Symposium deserves credit for its design and craftsmanship.
Cabinets feature custom Stardew Valley artwork on the front and sides. The side panel depicts an idyllic pixel art scene depicting a quaint farmhouse with dirt paths and blue streams. Animals graze on the grass, flowers bloom on the trees, and blue mountains loom in the background against an orange evening sky. It’s a beautiful scene that neatly captures the cozy atmosphere that Stardew Valley creates.
The cabinet’s dashboard features the familiar image of the Stardew Valley cover art, but unfortunately, the buttons aren’t real. Meanwhile, the lower body of the cabinet depicts the characters Sebastian and Leah kissing on the edge of a scenic cliff overlooking the city at night. While romance is a big part of Stardew Valley, and both characters are marriage options in the game, this pairing is still an interesting choice considering their lack of any significant relationship in the game.
It might not be practical to play Stardew Valley on a real arcade cabinet with limited controls. However, some Reddit commenters pointed out that it’s perfect for the Junimo Kart minigame. Unfortunately, the buttons don’t actually work, as that really helps capture the experience of punching buttons in one of the arcade cabinets in Stardew Valley’s Stardrop Saloon.
Stardew Valley is available on Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4 and Xbox One.