Stardew Valley vs. Fields of Mistria: Which should you play?

When it comes to cozy farming sims, it seems like Stardew Valley dominates the space. It’s the OG, the role model that any other farming sim aspires to live up to. However, in 2024, a new challenger appeared in the shape of Fields of Mistria, but which should you play?

If you’ve never played a farming sim before and you’re thinking about diving in, everyone will tell you that Stardew Valley is the best place to start. It’s finished, offers hours of gameplay potential, and there are guides aplenty on all aspects of the game. However, is it really the best for everyone? Is there a possibility that Fields of Mistria could be more suitable for some?

As someone with hundreds of hours sunk into each of the farming sims, I am apparently well-placed to offer a comparison between the two games. In the interests of honesty, I do have a favorite of the two, but I’ll try to be as subjective as possible when drawing comparisons and considering similarities. 

Future updates

Yes, Stardew Valley is what many would consider the OG farming sim, despite it being created using direct inspiration from games such as Harvest Moon. Since it was initially released back in 2016, Stardew has received multiple huge updates and has surged past Harvest Moon in terms of popularity, still regularly entering into the most-played charts on Steam and other platforms. 

By comparison, Fields of Mistria is incredibly early into its lifespan. It’s still in early access and, therefore, not finished to the extent that developer NPC Studios plans for it to be. This does mean that there’s a limit to what you can do, and once you’ve reached the end of the currently available content, you’re stuck waiting for the next update. I don’t think that should be a point against Fields of Mistria, though. 

With its early access status (and ConcernedApe stating he plans to work on Haunted Chocolatier rather than further updates for Stardew), Fields of Mistria offers something that Stardew Valley no longer can — potential. 

There will be more story quests, more features, more areas, and just generally more to do with every future update to Fields of Mistria. So yes, you might run out of things to do temporarily, but there is more to come. With Stardew, once you’re done, you’re done. That’s not a bad thing, considering the hundreds of hours you can sink into one playthrough, but it is a point to remember. 

Art style

Both Stardew Valley and Fields of Mistria are made using a pixelated art style, with sprites for everything that are easily recognizable despite their blocky simplicity. However, while the pixel graphics style in Stardew Valley is now synonymous with games of its type, the style employed to make Fields of Mistria is cleaner and more vibrant when compared to the muddy tones featured in Stardew Valley. 

Neither of the art styles is better than the other, and this point comes down to personal preference. The biggest difference is in the characters themselves when you compare the portraits in Stardew Valley with the larger character images in Fields of Mistria. The latter goes with an almost 90s anime style for its characters, which goes well with the overall ‘kawaii’ aesthetic laid out in the rest of the game. 

Accessibility options

When it comes to accessibility, while I’m trying to be objective here, I can’t help but admit that Fields of Mistria just does it better, especially after one notable difference in the second major update — the ability to change how long a day lasts. I mean, let’s face it: it was left to fans to create mods for that to happen in Stardew Valley, but it’s now one of the basic options in Fields of Mistria. 

And I know Fields of Mistria very likely learned that lesson from Stardew Valley, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s an excellent feature to have in the game itself. Many of the accessibility options are shared between both games, but this day-length option definitely gives Fields of Mistria the edge.

While we're on the topic of accessibility, one thing I've noticed is that the Fields of Mistria settings menu is much easier to navigate than the options menu in Stardew Valley. Fields of Mistria separates the settings into individual labeled categories, making finding the specific setting you need easy. Stardew Valley, on the other hand, lumps all of the settings into one long list that you'll need to endlessly scroll down and hunt for specific settings.

Character movement

At this point, I’m throwing objectivity out of the window, and I will openly say that Fields of Mistria absolutely dominates when it comes to character movement. Why? Because you can jump and swim. Again, fans have made mods to add both jumping and swimming into Stardew Valley, but it’s just a basic feature in Fields of Mistria, and I’m not ashamed to admit that it made me extraordinarily happy when I first dived in to play hundreds of hours ago. 

You can swim in any water just by jumping into it, and there are gameplay mechanics such as Fish Schools and Diving Spots that rely on the ability to swim. Jumping might not be a necessary mechanic in a farming sim, but it’s almost freeing simply to be able to. You can jump off ledges to avoid going the long way around, you can jump over obstacles, and you can hop from place to place if your heart desires. It’s nice. 

Character customization

After creating your character in Stardew Valley, you’re stuck with them as they are until you reach four hearts of friendship with the Wizard to gain access to his basement and the Shrine of Illusions; then you’ll need to spend 500 Gold every time you so much as want to change your hair because you’re feeling a little bit bored of your current style. It’s all a bit complicated. 

In Fields of Mistria, the option to change everything about your character, including their hair, name, and clothes, is right there from the very beginning, and it will cost you absolutely nothing to change things up a bit. While it’s not a big thing, being able to change your name (or even the name of your farm) is a lovely option to have. 

Pronoun options

Stardew Valley does not feature pronouns. While you can pick between a male and female character, that’s the limit of your options when it comes to your gender identity. With many players identifying as non-binary, having the ability to switch up your pronouns at any time without fuss is definitely a welcome one. Fields of Mistria offers this as a basic option at any time.

Is it strictly necessary? No. Is it inclusive? Yes. Is it a welcome change in the world of gaming to include this option for those who feel seen by it just being there? Absolutely. There are many options, ranging from basic she/her or he/him to he/they and it/its. In a world where everyone is (or should be) free to be who they truly feel they are, and gender dysmorphia is a genuine problem faced by a lot of people, having the ability to be addressed as you want to be is a welcome addition. 

Fishing mechanics

I’ve written about my conflicted feelings towards fishing in Stardew Valley before, but even now, I think that the mechanic in ConcernedApe’s game is overcomplicated and frustrating. You can get the hang of it, but it’s all a bit of a learning curve, and it’s easy to mess up and lose the fish. If it’s a basic fish that you don’t need, that’s fine, but it becomes more of a problem if you’re hunting for legendary fish. 

Fishing in Fields of Mistria is simple, more like Animal Crossing than any other game I could compare it to. You see a fish, you cast, the fish touches the bobber a couple of times, and then when it bites, you click once. Voila, fish! It’s a simple mechanic, but that’s what makes it fun. You can spend hours fishing to increase your fishing skills, and completing Museum collections is easy as long as you can find the right fish. 

Magic

If you want a touch more fantasy in your gameplay, then Fields of Mistria is definitely for you. Admittedly, there are a Witch and Wizard in Stardew Valley (complete with their own complicated and doomed love story), but if you want to actually use magic to make your life easier, then Fields of Mistria wins this round. 

There are currently four spells, all of which are useful in their way and even used to progress the story once you reach a certain point, particularly Dragon’s Breath. Stardew has its own type of magic, with teleportation that unlocks eventually, but that’s about it. 

Animals and breeding

In a general sense, Fields of Mistria feels like a simplified version of Stardew Valley. That’s not a bad thing, mind you. Gaming doesn’t have to be and shouldn’t always be complicated. However, while most of the gameplay in Fields of Mistria feels pretty straightforward, breeding animals takes things up a notch. 

In Stardew Valley, you buy animals from Marnie, and they provide you with ingredients to sell or use. The quality of these ingredients increases depending on how much your animals like you. In Fields of Mistria, you can buy animals from Hayden, but you can also breed them. 

Breeding animals will result in new animals, and there are multiple different Tiers of rarity for each animal. The rarest are seasonal animals, birthed or hatched within a specific season, and then comes the gold-colored Tier 5s. To get a Tier 5 animal, you need to breed two Tier 4 animals, and so on. 

Another point for Fields of Mistria comes from Animal Cosmetics. All animals have their own hats and other accessories that can be worn. It only adds to the increased cuteness of the beasties in Fields of Mistria over those in Stardew Valley, in my opinion.

Skill system

Both have multiple different skills that can be increased to unlock new things. In Stardew Valley, each skill has 10 levels, with each level rewarding new items or recipes to help you along the way. After reaching level 10 in all skill, you’ll be able to unlock the Mastery Cave for additional rewards. 

In Fields of Mistria, there are no individual level rewards for any of the skills, and each of them can currently increase to level 45. However, there are Skill Perks to unlock every five levels in each skill, unlocking additional features or abilities that help speed things along. 

Stardew Valley Vs. Fields of Mistria: Which should you play?

We’ve covered the major differences and similarities between both games, but at the end of the day, which one appeals more to you will be entirely personal. If you’re looking for something more fanciful and magical, then Fields of Mistria is the winning choice. If you want something more realistic (in a way), then Stardew Valley comes out on top. 

I think it’s clear by now that my favorite of the two is Fields of Mistria. The '90s anime aesthetic and magical elements appeal to me more, and I like the ability to customize my character whenever I like. Both offer the ability to craft and decorate the farm as you see fit, but the items in Fields of Mistria are more to my taste. 

That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy Stardew Valley, though. I’ve sunk hundreds of hours into my farm, but the lack of potential further content or features means I’ve run out of things to do short of starting all over again. But, if you’ve not begun a playthrough in either, the hundreds of hours worth of gameplay in Stardew Valley is definitely an appealing prospect.

The early access status of Fields of Mistria means there’s more to come, and that’s always exciting. Of course, you might want to wait until the game is out of early access before taking the plunge, and that’s a valid decision. However, even in its early access state, there are upwards of 50 hours of story gameplay to work through without counting additional features like exploring the mines or work to do on the farm. 

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