18 Best Video Games Of 2016 (So Far)

12. Stardew Valley

It's a sad day when mentioning anything close to a 'farming simulator' is likely to remind you of Farmville rather than Harvest Moon or Story of Seasons, but creator Eric Barone wants to remedy that by making the best one of those games that doesn't go under the same banner.

Let's be clear, appeal is nigh-on identical to that of Nintendo's flagship franchise, seeing you tend to your customisable land, raise all sorts of animals, plant and sell crops, romance the locals and foster a ton of social interactions along the way. Soon you'll be immersed in a tight gameplay loop of darting from point to point and genuinely feeling like you've done a 'good day's work' - a feeling that motivates you to complete 'just one more day', until it turns into weeks and months of in-game time.

It's a strange sell, sure, proclaiming that a game about farm work is genuinely fantastic fun, but if you've got a penchant for grinding and RPG levelling, Stardew Valley should be your destination this summer.