11/7/2022 0 Comments The magic circle guide![]() ![]() So much of Stardew Valley is about losing yourself in a different world. It was an important part of the experience.Ĭrossing the magic circle is a vital aspect of any game. While I’m grateful for all the conveniences offered by the Switch, I miss sitting through the intro every time I loaded up the game. It’s more convenient, but there is no longer a set path into or out of the world. The Switch allows you to start a game at home, pause it, get on the train, play for a few minutes there, pause it, walk to the office and then pick up where you left off. It used to take a few minutes to begin play, and you had to know when you wanted to end in order to save and walk away. It takes away much of the routine I’ve grown accustomed to when playing on the PC. The Switch turns Stardew Valley into a pick up and play game due to the system’s native ability to suspend gameplay.Ĭrossing the magic circle is a vital aspect of any game I no longer need carefully plan out gameplay sessions. What happens next is up to you, but the path across the magic circle is always the same. THE MAGIC CIRCLE GUIDE FULLYou wake up in bed with fresh money in your wallet and full energy. You’re always met with a familiar scenario when you return to the game. You’ll start the game with a brand new day when you return. From there, you can save and ultimately close the game. THE MAGIC CIRCLE GUIDE PCThe only way to stop playing without losing your progress on the PC is to rest at your home. One of the most important aspects of the PC version was how you ended and started play sessions. The path to getting lost in this world had been at least slightly obscured. I’ve lost the ability to get pulled into the game’s magic circle in a reliable way. The Switch allows me to suspend gameplay, so I’ve only seen the game’s intro once since I’ve started playing it on the console. ![]() I noticed something was missing after pouring a couple dozen hours into the Switch version of the Stardew Valley. And for many who have spent countless hours tending to their farms, the music and title screen go a long way toward moving them through that boundary. The concept of the magic circle is an essential part of the Stardew Valley experience for me. And Hearthstone’s intro makes you feel like you’re settling down at a table in a tavern to play a card game with the various denizens of the World of Warcraft universe.Īll of the build up and theatrics are essential for making you feel like you’re entering a different world when you’re really just sitting in front of a screen. 3 does it by literally pulling back a curtain to let you know you’re about to enter a strange and wonderful world. Some games do it simply, like Metroid Prime ’s sparse intro that invokes feelings of tension and isolation. The magic circle is invoked by the best console and PC games too. The concept of the magic circle is fleshed out well by Extra Credits: The best rides at places like Disneyland feature lines that shepherd you across the magic circle into the fictional world of the themed attraction. The magic circle is the place where the ordinary world falls away and we enter into a new experience or sense of consciousness. It’s the feeling that takes over when you’re in the crowd at a concert and everyone begins to sing along. You’ve crossed into the magic circle before if you’ve ever sat at a campfire at night telling scary stories. It’s the boundary where the normal rules of reality end and the new rules and norms of a game or narrative take over. It’s the boundary we cross to immerse ourselves in a story. The magic circle is present in most forms of entertainment. You’re already in the embrace of Stardew Valley before you even begin to play.Īll of these sights and sounds do an incredible job of pulling you into the game’s “magic circle.” What is the magic circle? The game’s logo then slowly descends from the top of the screen, coming to a gentle halt that reveals the menu. The pixelated valley then sweeps across the screen. There’s a bit of magic that happens as the overture gets into full swing, and you see the familiar and charming logos of the game’s creators and publisher. The game’s introduction generates a calming buildup to play. I feel it every time I load Stardew Valley up on my PC. It’s that feeling where the longing for something begins to pass as you get closer to it. It’s similar to the sensation at the end of a long bus ride, when you finally see your destination coming into view. I feel something special whenever I hear the opening track to Stardew Valley, “Stardew Overture.” You can listen to it in the video above, if you’d like. ![]()
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