There are twelve characters that players can befriend and eventually go on to marry in Stardew Valley. The game features an entire cast of fascinating, fleshed-out, and memorable characters, and each of the romanceable characters offers something unique. Stardew Valley offers the ability to develop relationships with both male and female characters. While LGBT relationships in video games in 2021 are not uncommon, Stardew Valley helped to pave the way for many life and farming simulation RPGs to include diverse content.
One romance option that is sometimes overlooked is Emily. For many players of Stardew Valley, she ranks as a mid-tier romance option; not too appealing but not a bad choice, either. However, those that do opt to pursue a relationship with her have found that she is a highly rewarding potential spouse for a multitude of reasons. Even if she is not the player's first marriage choice, Emily is a character that should definitely be considered on a repeated playthrough.
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Emily is an energetic, optimistic young woman. The fact that she is instantly warm and welcoming to the farmer helps her to stand out among the other residents of Pelican Town. She is a friendly ray of blue-haired sunshine, and her nurturing personality, maturity, and honesty can be quite refreshing compared to a lot of the characters that at first come off as rude and condescending. Emily is far more down to earth than her sister, Haley, who is one of the most divisive marriage options in Stardew Valley. While she is a bit eccentric, perhaps even baffling to some players, her colorful personality ultimately makes her very charming.
What is evident to all players, regardless of whether they choose to pursue a romantic relationship with her or not, is that Emily has a very kind heart. This is proven when she is shown to rescue and keep an injured bird. She is oblivious to Clint’s obvious crush on her, something that is explored further in his own heart events, which is highly endearing, too. Compared to some of the other marriage choices in Stardew Valley Emily's storyline is relatively simple, which can make for a nice change of pace. For players who wish to marry an amiable, easy-going, and light-hearted character, Emily is a stellar and rewarding candidate.
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Emily is easy to find all year round since she works at Gus’ Saloon, though she would much rather find work as a seamstress. In Stardew Valley choosing the right gifts is the way to any character's heart, and unlike some of the others, Emily happily accepts most of the gifts that she is offered. If players wish to begin their quest for her hearts early in the game, they can simply give her daffodils for quick relationship progression. She is very fond of gems and so players that spend a lot of time in the mines have an advantage when it comes to wooing Emily.
One of Emily's biggest advantages over some other characters is that she gives excellent gifts, some of which can be hard to come by easily without using Stardew Valley mods. She makes artisan goods and clothing and she continues these activities after marriage. Once married, she will give players a wide range of special gifts from Duck Feathers to Omni Geodes, which means she is an excellent partner for players who enjoy receiving bonus resources. What makes Emily even more appealing is that befriending her is the only way to get the Red Plate recipe. This recipe gives players a temporary max energy boost, something extremely valuable for players who use up their energy quickly.
Although Emily only has one heart event that requires players to give a response, making it harder to gain extra friendship points with her, this also means there are fewer chances to lose friendship points. Emily is easily one of the most entertaining characters among the residents of Pelican Town to interact with. Her heart cutscenes events are unique and often slightly surreal. They are also very light-hearted compared to some of the other character cutscenes, such as Shane. Her two hearts scene, which triggers a highly memorable dream sequence, and her ten hearts scene, which consists of a night camping in the woods, are particularly fun and creative.
Stardew Valley is available for Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.