Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is a cozy farming simulation game. Moving from the a soulless corporate job to their grandpas old farm, the player is given a new life in a sleepy village, integrating with the residents and building a prosperous farm.

ConcernedApe started this game as an homage to "Harvest Moon". ConcernedApe began working on "Stardew Valley" in 2012 and released it in 2016. He was praised for creating the game independently, as its sole designer, programmer, animator, artist, composer, and writer. To complete the game, he worked 10 hours a day, seven days a week, for four and a half years. For part of that time, he lived with his parents to save money before moving out with his girlfriend to Capitol Hill, Seattle. During this time, his girlfriend Amber Hageman worked two jobs to support the both of them while Barone worked a part-time job as an evening usher at the Paramount Theatre.

First released on February 22, 2016 by developer Concerned Ape, this has become one of the more popular indie games of the late 2010s and early 2020s, with over 30 million copies sold according to Statista.

Has a website here.

Tropes used in Stardew Valley include:

Absurdly Spacious Sewer: One exists below Pelican Town.
Anachronism Stew: Television and computers exist alongside manual farming and mining techniques. And Dinosaurs
Broken Bridge: Some paths are blocked until the player progresses.
Character Customization: The player can customize their character at the start of the game.
Drowning My Sorrows: Shane is shown on one of his cutscenes.
An Entrepreneur Is You: The player is tasked with operating the farm their Grandpa gave to them.
Father Neptune: Willy is a fisherman who lives by the sea, encouraging residents to take up fishing.
Fishing for Sole: It’s possible to fish up an unbelievable amount of trash.
Fishing Minigame: One exists as part of the fishing mechanic.
Frontier Doctor: Harvey serves as one to the rural Pelican Town.
Game Mod: There are mods that can change the looks of trees and buildings. There are even mods that can make undateable characters dateable or add more characters.
Hello, Insert Name Here: The player can select their name.
A Homeowner Is You: The player character is given their Grandfathers old cottage at the start of the game.
An Interior Designer Is You: The player can decorate their home.
In-Universe Game Clock: This mostly determines what shops and NPC locations are open on a day to day level, and the crops available on a seasonal one.
Legendary Catfish: Several legendary fish exist.
Local Hangout: Gus operates a bar in Pelican town.
Lovable Jock: Alex is one.
Mega Corp: Joja's workplace is seen in the intro, as employees work in cubicles under human and camera surveillance. A shot pans across several cubicles, showing a drug addled worker as well as a skeleton.
RPG Elements: Various stats can be improved.
Seadog Beard: Willy has a scruffy beard.
Show Within a Show: The television can be watched to see a weather forecast or fortune teller.
Spiritual Successor: To the classic 2D Story of Seasons Games, albeit with numerous deviations from that formula and polishing that makes it its own experience.
Video Game Caring Potential: You can support the locals in a number of ways, helping residents overcome their problems and bringing the community together
Video Game Cruelty Potential: Supporting JoJa Mart to the detriment of the community.
Virtual Paper Doll: Clothes can be dragged and dropped off the character model in the inventory screen.
Year X: The start of the game takes place "XX Years later" following Grandpa giving the player character their letter.