Stuck indoors? Wish you could get outside? I've got the next best thing! A farming simulator on your phone! And not just nay farming simulator. This is Stardew Valley, THE farming simulator of simulators. You will lose hours of your day invested in rebuilding grandpa's crops. It's the perfect game to pass the time while quarantined, and right now it is down to just $4.99 on Google Play and the Apple app store. The game is normally $8 and goes for as much as $15 on PC right now, so you're getting it for a third of the price of PC.
I played this game back in the day, but even I'm thinking about getting the app version. I imagine the mobile experience is very different with touchscreens and such instead of a controller (I first played on Xbox). Plus, I know just how much of a time sink the game can be. It's a beautiful distraction.
If you've never played this game before, here's a quick rundown of the situation. You inherit your grandfather's farm, but it's a bit rundown. It's more rundown depending on the farm you pick at the beginning. Your job is to rebuild it by planting crops and upgrading your tools. You also have a surrounding town that includes a forest, a mine, villagers, and even a wizard's tower. Explore these lands, talk to the people, woo the hearts of your favorite villagers, and more. You'll get dozens of hours of playtime out of this.
Despite being basically the exact same game that was on PC, the app also includes some helpful mobile features like auto save and touchscreen controls. It's also a lot more intuitive to help deal with how mobile changes gameplay. For example, you don't have to switch your tool. Based on the activity, the game does it for you. Little things like that keep the experience just as great on mobile as it is on a PC.
