Stardew Valley is already as challenging as you make it. But have you ever wanted it to be even worse? Well, a new mod that’s been making the rounds online could help with that.
The “Hardcore Mode” mod was created by a software engineer called Sylvie Nightshade and released out into the world on Friday (spotted by GamesRadar). It does one simple task: delete your save if you just so happen to open the Stardew Valley Wiki in your browser.
so I made this real #StardewValley #sdv
source code: https://t.co/7H9ig2Rz4i https://t.co/adxBVSsD0S pic.twitter.com/xsdIPUxXjZ
— akemi homura, notwithstanding everything ⌚️ (@nightshademagia) June 22, 2024
In a video demonstration posted on X (formerly Twitter), the developer shows a save file getting deleted in real time. They open a save file in one window, but when they open the wiki site in another window, the game restarts and the saved game file is gone from the loading menu.
According to the developer, the mod requires the save to be open and running in-game first. It then scans the title of every browser window or tab open for the words “Stardew Valley Wiki” and deletes the save if it finds one. Later, Nightshade added a feature that closes the offending browser window “just to add insult to injury.”
The mod was made in response to a satirical article by Hard Drive posted last week that introduced this exact same thing — but as a joke. The post, titled “Stardew Valley’s New Hardcore Mode Deletes Your Farm if You Open the Wiki,” does go a bit further than the mod though and imagines a world where hardcore mode was an official mod that was enabled by default. The post also says developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone responded by saying starfruit, the priceless crop from the game, tasted like players’ tears. So far, ConcernedApe hasn’t reacted in the real world.
If you’ve played Stardew Valley, you’ll probably know how invaluable the wiki is for playing. Sure, there’s a lot that you can figure out through trial and error, but if you want to look up every NPC’s daily and seasonal schedule, what their favorite gifts are, or when you can catch certain fish, the easiest way without wasting another year is through those guides.
There was no way I was going to try it out with my 1.6 update save still in the works, but the source code is available through GitHub if you want to take a look.
