Game Analysis

Stardew Valley is a relaxing game about living on a farm and trying to establish and support yourself as a new farmer in a new town. 

The map/space of Stardew Valley:

The game's map utilizes regional gating- meaning that the game's world has sections blocked off despite being open world. You may run around freely for the most part, but things such as upgrading to get animals on your farm (chickens need a chicken coop built, those require skill, materials, and money). Another lesser form of a gate used are item upgrades. You are blocked from fishing for more valuable/rare fish based upon the fishing rod you own. To upgrade, you must keep fishing to raise your experience- which will then grant you access to a better but more expensive fishing rod in the game's shop. Events also become unlockable and can only be seen within a time frame in the game's time. On a larger scale, Stardew has regional gates of complete areas such as caves for you to go mining and gain access to all new materials. 

I believe this game has a good mechanic because despite it being a simulator where you're typically doing most of the same things day in and day out- there are changes that may be slight but make the difference in making the player feel rewarded for their hours put into the game. Releasing more space and aspects of an open world make it more rich and imersive.

(The below are extra editions to my post, as I'd like to give myself practice and examples to refer to as I continue learning Game Design.)

Core Mechanic:

• Walking
• "Firing"- employing things like a pickaxe, shovel, fishing rod, pulling vegetables, picking things up, watering plants, etc.
• Talking to neighbors

Game Space:

• A two dimentional farming simulator
• Boundries in the game are meant to mimic real life, such as typical solid objects such as trees, fences, buildings, mountains (made to be like walls), etc. Except for plants you can pick up, you have the option to walk through them so that you as the player can choose your farms layout and how you decide to harvest.

Objects:

• Items- mailbox, vegetables, lights, storage chest, scarecrow, tools to be equiped in the items HUD which may also contain food or other interactive findings 

• Characters- player, townspeople, (animals after they are unlocked)

• HUD- clock/weather/calander, money, items bar, hunger-meter,