On the surface, Stardew Valley looks like a cute, simple farming simulator. While that's true for the most part, many longtime fans know there's more to this game than meets the eye. For players who want to immerse themselves in the game's universe, there's plenty of deep lore and dark secrets that are waiting to be discovered in Pelican Town.
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However, not all mysteries in the game have definite answers. Some are hinted at, while other questions leave the player to ponder possible explanations all on their own. Here are a few of the game's most puzzling plot holes and open-ended mysteries.
10 Where Are Haley and Emily's Parents?
Early in the game, Emily tells the player that her and her sister's parents have been traveling the world for the past few years. Though she implies they're simply vacationing, they never appear in the game. Did these unseen characters decide to settle down somewhere abroad?
Unlike Kent, who is absent in Year 1 but returns in Year 2, Haley and Emily's parents seem to have abandoned their lives in Pelican Town. Furthermore, they don't appear to have been honest with their daughters about their plans to permanently leave.
9 Why Can't The Player Befriend Certain Characters?
Gunther at the library and Marlon and Gil at the Adventurer's Guild don't function like the rest of the townsfolk. Even shop owners like Marnie and Pierre have lives outside their merchant functionality, but the former three cannot receive gifts or engage in daily dialogue like other villagers.
These three all have distinct personalities, shown in cutscenes (and in Marlon's case, festival dialogue). Why don't they seem to "count" as townsfolk? Considering the player can befriend even inhuman NPCs like Krobus and the Dwarf, it's a bit strange.
8 Who Left The Secret Statues Around Town?
Around Pelican Town are three locked chests. Each of them requires an item to open, revealing bizarre-looking statues. One of the library's lost books holds the code to opening them, but the bigger question is: who set this puzzle to begin with?
One possibility is Mr. Qi, who seems to have a hand in most mischief that goes on. If he can hide Qi Seeds in coconuts, surely he could create this puzzle and plant a book in the library. However, there's no way to know for sure.
7 Where Does The Crop Fairy Come From?
Longtime players are familiar with this little pixie, who will occasionally fly over the farm during the night and bless the player's crops, making them fully grown and ready to pick by morning.
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Unlike the witch, who also may fly over the farm at night, this fairy has no lore surrounding her. No NPCs, books in the library, or any other in-game sources mention this being. Where does she come from? Is she a single being, or is Stardew Valley full of her kind?
6 Is Abigail Really The Wizard's Daughter?
When the player builds a high enough friendship with the Wizard, Pierre, and Caroline, certain dialogue becomes available pointing to this possibility. The Wizard believes one of the townsfolk is his child, while Pierre worries Abigail isn't his biological daughter. Caroline, meanwhile, mentions she used to take walks to the Wizard's tower when she first moved to town.
Many fans believe this theory, but no confirmation exists in the game. Even Abigail may suspect something, as she'll sometimes be seen lurking in the bushes outside the Wizard's home.
5 Who's In Secret Note #11?
Most players are familiar with Secret Notes, found here and there around the world once they have a magnifying glass. This particular note, though, is a bit puzzling. It's a photograph, depicting a woman and a little girl outside Marnie's Ranch.
Who exactly is in this picture? Is this Marnie as a child, holding her mother's hand? Or perhaps a young Marnie with Jas, suggesting that Marnie may be Jas' mother? There's no explanation for this photo in the game, and players remain mystified.
4 What Is Krobus' Story?
One of the Shadow People, Krobus lives in the sewers where he sells rare items. He tells the player that most of his people fear humans and resort to violence—and indeed, others of his kind are encountered as enemies in the mines.
However, he never really explains why he is different, or why he chooses to separate himself from his own kind. Krobus admits his life can be lonely, so what prompted him to choose this path? Are there other peaceful Shadow People like himself?
3 What's With the Strange Capsule?
As a rare event, players may wake up to find a strange capsule on their farm. This object spends a few days pulsating in place, until the glass breaks and the capsule is still.
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The design suggests it's some sort of incubator. Supporting this idea, players may see a creature waving at them at the bus stop or in town at night, after a capsule has broken. But where did this thing come from? Is it extraterrestrial, like some fans believe? And where are the creatures hiding?
2 What Powers Does Mr. Qi Hold?
Mr. Qi can affect the world in mysterious ways, completely altering the mines with a snap of his fingers. He appears randomly in unexpected places, as if he were waiting for the player—yet the player never sees him move. Does he, like the player, have access to warping technology?
His powers of observation are also uncanny; for example, he knows whether the player uses staircases to reach Level 100 of Skull Cavern. Despite his dialogue above, it's clear that he is in fact watching—perhaps all the time.
1 Where Is Leo From?
On Ginger Island, players can befriend a boy named Leo, who lives among the parrots as one of their own. It's implied that his parents were lost at sea and he was stranded on the island when he was very young.
Leo doesn't seem to remember his life before Ginger Island. Where was his family journeying to, and where were they from? Does he have distant family somewhere in the world? Regardless, once he moves to the mainland, Leo finds happiness among new friends—and that's what matters most.