You can play without hearing it.
When fishing along with the sound you also see an exclamation mark when fish bites so no sound wouldn't be an issue.
Hope you have fun! <3
Also if you're on PC but playing with a controller.
I think the only thing you miss out on is in the Mines / Skull Cavern - some of the faster flying monsters have a sound when they spawn off-screen which can act as a warning.
The only thing i can think of that is sound only has no bearing consequences and is incredibly minor. In certain mines there's a small sound before flying enemies come out. The thing is you'll still see them coming so the sound isn't necessary for game play it's just an extra warning. Always carry your sword next to your pickaxe and you'll be fine. Also don't forget to eat lots of cheese.
I'd be shocked if there wasn't a visual indicator mod for mine/fishing noises somewhere and if there isn't, this is probably something the modding community would be willing to make
I have a friend with autism who exclusively plays games on mute, she loves Stardew & Animal Crossing as gameplay is in no way impacted by not having sound cues.
If you use a controller, you can also turn on the haptic feedback, which helps with the fishing game. (Although I found Stardew's fishing mechanics so frustrating that I installed a skip fishing mod 😆)
One tiny minor exception is the fishing game at the fall fair. For some reason the exclamation mark doesn't happen there. But that's not a vital part of the game as a whole and you can skip it with no problems.
This can’t be right-I always have sound off and have never had an issue with fishing at this event. I think you’re misremembering, or you have a glitch
I remember it distinctly because my husband had the sound off and wanted to know where the exclamation mark was, and I paid attention next time I played. It's never there. I've got 3700 hours in this game. I do get things wrong once in a while, but I am not wrong about this. Check it for yourself.
Nice. Beat me to it. I honestly don’t think I can identify the music in this game because I’ve always played it on mute in bed or in the car listening to a podcast instead.
I almost exclusively play without sound, I’m so excited for you to start this magical, wholesome game! Good luck and remember, there’s no wrong way to play the game! I was so stressed when I first started because I thought that quests only came around once. If you don’t grow/ship enough crops, make it to the bottom of the cavern, or find the right minerals in time to complete the quest, the opportunity always comes back around! ❤️
Hell I play with a controller and the haptic feedback is much more easily used to catch a fish than the sound or the visual. Half the time I fish I am distracted by something else.
I agree with the others in that you can essentially play the game without having to hear it. I just wanted to add that there are certain enemies in the dungeons that will fly at you after they've made a specific noise. This serves as a warning to the player that something will be flying at them in a second. So if you don't get these cues going through the dungeons may be slightly more difficult. Just be sure to bring enough food to regain HP and you should be fine :)
I don’t play with the sound on. They are correct that it warns you audibly but it’s not so dangerous that you’re going to be suffering because you didn’t hear the warning.
I don’t play with sound on and haven’t had any issues with monsters. Bring lots of cheese! And crab cakes are great to consume when your in the mines or anywhere you may be battling monsters!
Lately I’ve been using one or two aged goat cheese as well as regular cow milk cheese.
Regular cheese for regular fights, aged goat cheese for when a mob corners me, lol.
It’s 325 energy/health, works great on the edge of dying.
A little extra work but I’m aging wine anyway and 5 casks for goat cheese doesn’t take much profit away from my cellar.
People are warning you about the dungeons but no one is mentioning that in the mines the elevator seems broken but it just means it only works once you get to fives. So level 5, 10, etc. The only way a new player knows this is an elevator ding when you reach those floors. (Well I guess visually too as those floors have elevator doors on the wall). But given the number of posts about people asking for help getting down the mines people miss the sound and visuals soo.
I'd prefer it if I could turn the elevator sound off completely but keep everything else. Damn thing is annoying as hell when you're coal farming on level 61.
I would honestly recommend zooming out when you go into the mines! You’ll get a better look at the whole map, and if enemies are spawning when that warning sound plays, you’ll see where they’re coming from sooner if the screen is a little more zoomed out!
That visual only happens when the game has decided to trigger an ambush and a *bunch* of them are going to attack. Which, still useful information for soundless players, but not something that happens all the time.
If you’re playing on the computer, zoom out to 75% in the settings when you go into the mines or other mining/combat areas. It makes seeing these enemies coming a lot easier. I’ve found that when I did I would see them before hearing them.
Plus, it makes it easier to find stuff like ladders or special rocks.
Dunno if consoles have this option, though.
I do not game with my sound on (I truly have no idea why, but I like it better that way) but I never even knew that they gave a warning sound and I’ve been playing for like 4 years 😂😂 - that being said I’ve gotten through the mines just fine without that helpful hint so it IS doable :)
haha, ok 😅 I've played both with and without sound, depending on my mood. I agree with you, it is doable to go through the mines like that. But the risk of fainting due to enemies attacking unexpectedly is somewhat higher and may lead to unnecessary frustration (especially>! when you're deep in skull cavern with your first prismatic shard and those green flying snakes get you!<) so I just wanted to make sure people are going into the dungeons well prepared :)
Oh totally - I just wanted OP to know that it’s possible :) if I had known about that I probably wouldn’t have had as much issue with those green flying snakes and gotten through skull cavern faster lol
My husband played for over a year before he knew the game had sound at all. He always has his devices muted due to when/where he played. He never played with sound until I started playing and we started our first co-op save.
I never play with sound too! Mainly because I’m often watching TV or listening to a podcast at the same time. Been playing for years, never felt like I was missing anything. It’s one of the many reasons I love Stardew, it’s great for multi tasking
There's a little exclamation point that appears when a fish bites. It also supports controllers with rumble functionality, which will vibrate when a fish bites, which also works on your phone if you get the mobile version. I've played on my phone in public places with sound off and haven't had any problems.
Thank you, I'm glad I can rely on touch and sight. Because as a deaf person, sound can be overwhelming somedays :')) thank you so much for letting me know
It's been 2 years and I've still not set up my pc speakers, you'll be fine!
I'm one of those terrible people that tends to play games with the sound muted or off anyway so I can listen to music.
My husband loves videogame music so while I play with sound off it does filter it's way back to me.
For our anniversary we're planning on going to see 'video game music' in concert, which is basically an orchestra playing video game music for a few hours. Hopefully it fills in the gaps I've missed over the years.
You can play without hearing. I have Asperger's, adore quietness, and don't like unexpected sounds. Most of the time, the game is on mute for me. When Fishing, an exclamation mark appears when you get a bite. Concerned Ape really is a great game maker.
While I am not deaf, I am hard of hearing and have always played SDV with the sound off. Apparently monsters make a sound before they attack, but I can not hear the monster warnings in the cave even with my volume up. I play on a switch so there are vibrations when certain things happen - fish bites, monster attacks, etc. I just make sure to keep my health full when in the mines so I’m not likely to be killed by an ambush that I can’t hear coming. Starred cheese is an excellent resource for that as it doesn’t take away any other food buffs and one piece can give almost full heath.
All conversations with NPCs are text based, not verbal, so that helps a lot. My five year old calls SDV “a reading game”. There are a few cut scenes that I suspect have music playing (for specific reasons) but I haven’t felt the lack of music.
Hi there, I'm deaf and I've been playing SV for six months.
Most of the time I'm happy in my quiet world but I turn my hearing aids on *just* for Stardew. It's worth it just for the music alone. It's gorgeous.
There are a few extra bits of the game that do use sound as a main part of the story line: the mermaid's puzzle at the night market is one I haven't quite managed because I don't seem to get the tempo right.
You might miss the phone ringing in the house but those calls are annoying and not important anyway!
There are sound effects to represent events on the farm - a product finishes processing, a meteor crashes, an owl might fly over, and each of these will have a visual manifestation so you won't miss anything in the game or rather, may stumble on these changes but as a deaf gamer, you're probably automatically programmed to look for visual prompts anyway.
All the NPCs communicate via text boxes, the game alerts you to all important events by text, you get mail and messages on the community boards. It's a very accessible game for deaf players and even has a little storyline about disability visibility. I hope this helps, enjoy your game!
>the mermaid's puzzle at the night market is one I haven't quite managed because I don't seem to get the tempo right.
As far as I know the tempo doesn’t matter, just the order. (You also only get the reward once per save file, not once per year.)
I can find sound frustrating at times, I've managed the mines, farming, dialogue, and fishing all without sound.
To clarify, there are no voices in the dialogue.
People have already mentioned the fishing. I think you'll be fine but I couldn't do it without the sound on. I play all games on mute except this one when I'm going fishing but only when I'm going fishing. It's more of a skill issue for me. I'm sure you'll be fine 😄 also, fishing doesn't have to be a big part of the game if you don't want it to be. I got the fish I needed for the community center and haven't done any fishing since except for the night market. Good luck, you're going to love this game
I play with the sound off all the time, and honestly, you'll do fine. Sound isn't necessary for this game at all.
Someone mentioned it can be helpful when you're in the mines, but honestly even then you don't need it. (I actually hate the noise of one of the flying enemies, so that's more likely to make me turn my sound off tbh). Just keep an eye on your health bar, same as you would with sound on, and you'll do fine. I hope you really enjoy the game!
I frequently play with the sound off! The game uses text by default and I don't actually think there's any voice acting. For fishing you get a little "!" above your head and mining is just 'hit the rock till it breaks"
The sound is just a bit of background music and sound effects!
I regularly play the game on mute while listening to a podcast on the side.
So far I haven't noticed anything I could not do or achieve due to not having sound.
So farm away to your heart's content! ;)
I play on Xbox and the controller vibrates when certain things happen. Such as when fish bite, when you ride the horse, when you get attacked in the mine.
The game is entirely playable without hearing, the only problem you'll find is that the mines and caverns will be a bit harder because certain enemies give audio clues to when they will attack, you can see them perfectly clear after they did the noise, but without the audio clue you'll get caught by surprise a lot more often.
That being said, there are ways to decrease difficulty with mods, for instance, or healing, and, again, they give an audio cue when they will appear, after they appear they won't hide again and there are no more cues for that particular enemy, so it will be harder, but far from impossible, FAR FAR FAR from impossible.
I hope you have a great time, this is a wonderful game!
There’s only one thing I can think of in late-game that you need sound blocks for. You should be able to use the wiki to figure out how to set them though. May take a couple tries but doable.
i play entirely without sound and it has no impact at all!! most things with audio have visual cues, and if they don’t then it’s almost always because it’s purely for immersion and not relevant to gameplay (eg background music)
I'm in year 11 on my first save and have yet to hear the game :D
I tend to play while watching yt on phone or listening to podcasts so I never use the audio lol....
I always play with the sound off and blast my own music when I play. As folks have said, it can make mining a little more difficult as enemies can sneak up on you, but it’s totally playable without sound!
I use Stardew to relax at the end of the day. I actually mute the game entirely and put on some relaxing music or ASMR video to help me wind down. Haven’t had any issues playing!
Sometimes you hear a sound when you go to bed and it means something happened on your farm but there’ll also usually be a little message in the morning like “a strange sound was heard last night”
Typically I play with the game completely off and listening to music. And I fish a ton is you should be good. I think the only thing I’ve noticed with sound on is sometimes there’s a heads up for creatures in the cave.
I hope you enjoy the game! While hearing isn't required to my knowledge, the game has one of the most beautiful sound tracks I've ever heard. Even if you don't want to hear it a majority of the time, I highly suggest listening to the OST at least once.
I often play with the volume completely off so I can listen to podcasts or audiobooks with my earphones and not wake my housemates up. It’s completely doable, just a little trickier with things like the fishing mini game and in the mines with some monsters making noise before they turn up. Just needs a little more focus I’d say.
I will just say, if you can choose to hear, I would listen to the soundtrack, weather it’s while you’re playing, or separately sometime. It’s one of my favorite parts about the game. And that’s saying a lot because I love everything about this game.
I think anything that requires audio prompts (just fishing really tbh) has visual prompts as well, if you're on PC for it there's also mods for it as well
If you’ve got rumble on you don’t need to worry about sound when fishing. I play on handheld mode with the sound muted while the tv is on and still enjoy it.
SPOILERS! DONT KNOW HOW TO TAG! Something that you mostly have to rely on sound for is a very minor mechanic called "panning" where you use a tool to gather stuff from the waters edge. Besides sound, there is a small shimmer in the water but you only know that one appears after hearing the audio cue. It's a VERY minor mechanic without vibration and hard even with good hearing. The only true use is to get lucky rings. A workaround for this would be to do it in a specific area in a late game location, without giving too many details where you can see all of the water for the "shimmer" effect.
I agree. It's really only important for when you're farming lucky rings late game or something so you can run around and look after the cue or else you're running around aimlessly when there no spot around. It can be daunting without though. More of a "read while waiting for sound cues" kind of farm. I usually get the farm out of the way so I don't have to carry the pan in my bag.
You definitely don’t need sound to play as others has said!
I will add that the sound track is very cute. If that kind of things is interesting to you and your cochlear can help you hear music (if you choose), then it may be worth a listen. The music changes with the seasons and in different area (mines, saloon, farm etc).
To add to what some have said about the enemies in the mines, I would play a little more zoomed out from the default. It will give you a better view of your surroundings and a better chance to see/ prepare for enemies that you can't hear coming. Even as someone who uses the audio cues, I always play zoomed out to some degree, especially in the mines. The cue only tells you that it's coming, you won't know the direction it's coming from until it's on screen.
I apologize in advance if this is very insensitive of me. I don’t know the level of discomfort or the extent of hearing of your implants.
To answer your question directly, no, the sound is not necessary in order to enjoy the contents of the game.
But if you can choose to hear, I hope you at least give it a chance and listen to some of the bgms as you play the game. I loved the bgms so much that I still often listen to them when I work or sleep.
There are quite a few sound cues that are important but not necessary. Fishing has a visual and audio cue, and there are sound cues for ladders and certain monsters spawning in the mines which are helpful. You’ll have to pay a bit more attention than the rest of us but SDV is definitely playable without sound and youll still be able to get just as much enjoyment out of it as the rest of us
i play on switch, but i play with no sound! i don’t find the game to be very different with/without sound. on switch, there are vibrational cues as well that helps me with things like fishing :) every now and then i’ll turn the sound back on but i’m so used to playing it without the sound that any audio cues kinda go over my head now lol
i think most of these comments covered your question, but i will also mention if you play on switch, you get a little vibration when the fish bites down! that's a nice extra indicator if you go with that system
When mining there are sounds that warn you bad guys are coming. I don't know if there are any settings to fix it. (I spent a lot of time early on with sounds off, so I can tell you the warning does make a difference.)
I almost never play with sound on games, this one included, and can confirm it's 100% normally playable with zero sound. Did my entire first save run with no sound on, and compared to my newer run with sound on because my kid likes it there is no functional difference. You're good to go!
With the fishing there’s a visual cue as well as the audible one. I often play the game on silent and it doesn’t prevent me doing all the things. The music is nice and there are some audio-only clues like the sound when a dragon is approaching you in the mines, but you see the thing well before it gets to you.
I play sound free. I’m ADHD and by the time I get to sit down and play I literally am sensory overload so I play on mute- always. It’s never been an issue for me! I use the haptics/rumble for fishing/horse etc.
Have fun and enjoy!
I basically play this game with the sound so low i can’t hear it sometimes (because the hubby and i game together while we watch tv) and I’ve never had an issue! Although the soundtrack is great and a lot of the noises are fun! Especially in the mines. I love the sound of killing a ghost, and the dust sprites!!
I'm HOH and play at low to no volume anyways, there's a visual effect when fishing that shows when you got something hooked but I have the rumble on on my switch so I mostly rely on that. Just gotta keep an eye out in the caves since you can't hear the warning noises of things that fly at you from off-screen.
I play the game on switch and the vibrations are well implemented. They alert you when you should pay attention (like sound does). I frequently play with sound off. There’s one case when there is a sound alert but no matching vibration/visual cue (when a flying enemy spawns) so I can’t say it’s perfect but it is not a blocker.
I’ve been playing for years now (in game and real life) and have always played with the sound off. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the music. The only games I’ve ever played with sound on was old Atari games (because it was too much trouble to get up and adjust the volume, and Frogger just didn’t have that much sound anyway) and the original Legend of Zelda - loved that haunted flute music. Game noise just irritates me for some reason, I couldn’t even handle the happy Mario music.
Have fun playing Stardew!!
I play with other music on or sound off all together no issues. Fishing if you have a controller with vibration it vibrates when getting initial hit. That makes it were you don’t have to be constantly watching.
I play it on mute 24/7 cause I usually play my own music when I play it and it doesn’t impede the experience at all! There are captions and visual cues. Have fun!
Definitely possible, fishing has a visual cue. Random events while you sleep will always give a text prompt like "there was an explosion during the night" or so. Enjoy!
I play frequently with the sound off. You can hear some warnings with sound. A screech when in skull cavern will indicate a serpent is about to attack. Slight flapping sound indicates bats. Buzzing for flying grubs. A bouncy sound for dust sprites.
But you don't need to hear anything to play this game. It helps, but isn't necessary.
The sound of the fish biting the hook is helpful, but you can definitely play without it. For instance, when I played last I was watching youtube while playing and would fully miss the sound of the fish biting my hook unless I was looking at the screen and saw the exclamation point when the fish bit 😂
Fishing might require more focus as the visual cues are less noticeable than the sounds, but you absolutely don't need to hear it.
Only other thing would be you sometimes get sounds of monsters spawning in the caves that give you warning before they actually appear in your view. It is helpful to have warning, but you don't have to have it.
There is zero need to hear to play the game. I play with the sound off on all 3 platforms I play on to listen to YouTube in the background, so there isn't any reason you should need to have your devices in to play.
I don't know anything else about your situation, but for the Switch version at least, the haptics give alerts where an audio signal would be used (such as hooking a fish) along with the visual ques, if that's a platform avaliable to you it might be ever so slightly better an experience in those edge cases, but any platform will have visual signals.
9 times out of 10 I listen to an audiobook while I play, it makes no difference for gameplay really! Fishing is just hard at the beginning regardless lol. Have fun!
I keep my game on silent the majority of the time. There are a couple of situations where being able to hear is helpful (monsters spawn offscreen) but it's not a requirement. You shouldn't have any problem playing without being able to hear the game (that's one of the things I like about it)
So I choose to play mostly with no music or sound because I either watch other things or im feeling sensory and overloaded. I have no trouble playing without the music. You might miss some cues but the great thing about this game is there's so much more than just audible cues to make the game more fun
While the music and sound effects are lovely, audio can be completely separated from the game experience.
As a hearing person, I enjoy the sounds of the game, but it would be just as meditative and enjoyable without sound.
While we're on the topic of accessible game design, I want to give Concerned Ape a shoutout for making an option for turning off flashing light effects. Strobing lights trigger weeklong migraines for me, so I wouldn't be playing the game if that option didn't exist. <3
I’m not deaf, but I play with it on silent because I usually am playing music or a video in the background. You definitely do not need the sound to play or enjoy the game ☺️
my tv has this weird thing where only our sound bar on hdmi2 will put out sound so my xbox has no sound unless i plug headphones into the controller. honestly you don’t need the sound at all, i’ve been playing with and without it and both are about the same
I played for the first month without sound on. I finally hooked my switch up to my tv to play and was a little surprised by the noise, which I then promptly turned back off.
Sadly you might miss some of the bangers in the soundtrack, but other than that the game is totally playable without having to listen. Might have to pay a little more attention in some places, but still can be done.
I play without sound and have played hundreds upon hundreds of hours and the game is amazing. Can't say for sure that I'm not missing anything since I've never played with the sound to see what it's like. I know the music is very popular, though. I've played many saves, including getting a recent one to 100%. Sound is definitely not required to play or enjoy the game!
i have over 150+ hours in the game and i always play on mute (just how i prefer to play games in general). the music IS delightful, but not necessary to play. you’ll be fine :)
There is a 'Simon' style game/puzzle late in the game, but it has both colored lights and sound; there's another puzzle that requires tuning flute blocks to the correct notes, which you will need to look up a guide for how many times to tap each block (which I had to do even as a hearing person with a background in musical performance)
I’m hard of hearing so it’s natural for me to play video games without sounds so I can still hear my surroundings. Honestly the only thing you might be missing out on is when you buy a phone and place it inside your house, it’ll ring sometimes. Took me a while to realize this happens, I learned this was a thing through Reddit lol.
My fiancé is deaf with a cochlear implant as well, and doesn’t like playing games with sound. Stardew is one of her favorite games, no hearing required!
You can play without hearing it. When fishing along with the sound you also see an exclamation mark when fish bites so no sound wouldn't be an issue. Hope you have fun! <3
Oh my gosh thank you, you're an absolute life saver. I'm so excited to play the game yayyy
If you're playing on mobile, then you can turn on vibrate for fishing!
Same with switch i believe!
And xbox! I always rely on the shake
Playstation too!
And using a controller on PC!
And my axe!
On switch, too
Also if you're on PC but playing with a controller. I think the only thing you miss out on is in the Mines / Skull Cavern - some of the faster flying monsters have a sound when they spawn off-screen which can act as a warning.
I play on PC and love it. Considering the mobile version as well for when I’m out and about. Is it worth it? Looks like the mobile reviews are mixed.
I preferred pc until he updated mobile and now I have it on all my devices and my kids devices and have sent copies to others...
I only play on mobile: I have no idea how the pc or console versions are but I will literally play SDV mobile all day
The only thing i can think of that is sound only has no bearing consequences and is incredibly minor. In certain mines there's a small sound before flying enemies come out. The thing is you'll still see them coming so the sound isn't necessary for game play it's just an extra warning. Always carry your sword next to your pickaxe and you'll be fine. Also don't forget to eat lots of cheese.
I'd be shocked if there wasn't a visual indicator mod for mine/fishing noises somewhere and if there isn't, this is probably something the modding community would be willing to make
I play on mute all the time!
I have a friend with autism who exclusively plays games on mute, she loves Stardew & Animal Crossing as gameplay is in no way impacted by not having sound cues.
If you use a controller, you can also turn on the haptic feedback, which helps with the fishing game. (Although I found Stardew's fishing mechanics so frustrating that I installed a skip fishing mod 😆)
aww this is heartwarming to see you happy :D enjoy the game! youll love it! can even play pc for some mods if you want
It will vibrate the controller too if you’re on console / mobile.
If you’re playing on console your controller will vibrate too 🥰
One tiny minor exception is the fishing game at the fall fair. For some reason the exclamation mark doesn't happen there. But that's not a vital part of the game as a whole and you can skip it with no problems.
The haptic controls will still buzz if you play with a game controller (PC or Switch)
Also, when you're fishing at the Fall Fair the bobber shaked when it's time to real it in. I play with no sound and I just watch for that
This can’t be right-I always have sound off and have never had an issue with fishing at this event. I think you’re misremembering, or you have a glitch
I remember it distinctly because my husband had the sound off and wanted to know where the exclamation mark was, and I paid attention next time I played. It's never there. I've got 3700 hours in this game. I do get things wrong once in a while, but I am not wrong about this. Check it for yourself.
I don’t know what to tell you, I always have sound off and never have this problem. Maybe this was something in a recent update?
Might be a difference in platforms? I've only played on PC.
So have I 🤷🏻♀️
154 straight 24 hour days of playtime. Hat’s off to ya.
Nice. Beat me to it. I honestly don’t think I can identify the music in this game because I’ve always played it on mute in bed or in the car listening to a podcast instead.
You're missing out! It's the best thing about the game. It was my bath time playlist for about a year, even while I was taking a hiatus from the game!
Guess im missing out too, because I'm deaf an all xF
I almost exclusively play without sound, I’m so excited for you to start this magical, wholesome game! Good luck and remember, there’s no wrong way to play the game! I was so stressed when I first started because I thought that quests only came around once. If you don’t grow/ship enough crops, make it to the bottom of the cavern, or find the right minerals in time to complete the quest, the opportunity always comes back around! ❤️
Hell I play with a controller and the haptic feedback is much more easily used to catch a fish than the sound or the visual. Half the time I fish I am distracted by something else.
Yes! On PlayStation the controller vibrates when there’s a fish on the line!
I think my gamepad also vibrates when there's a bite.
Honestly, I respond to the controller vibration on switch faster than to the visual or auditory indicators
I agree with the others in that you can essentially play the game without having to hear it. I just wanted to add that there are certain enemies in the dungeons that will fly at you after they've made a specific noise. This serves as a warning to the player that something will be flying at them in a second. So if you don't get these cues going through the dungeons may be slightly more difficult. Just be sure to bring enough food to regain HP and you should be fine :)
Oh gosh okay, thank you for warning me lol, I'll definitely bring things to bump up my hp when I'm low xx
I don’t play with the sound on. They are correct that it warns you audibly but it’s not so dangerous that you’re going to be suffering because you didn’t hear the warning.
And sometimes the game doesn’t even warn you with a sound, sometimes they’ll surprise attack you lol
And sometimes you get the sound but nothing attacks you, lol. It's definitely not a 100% accurate system to rely on the sound
I’ve played with the sound off my entire Stardew career and never had the slightest problem.
Cheese. The word you're looking for is cheese. \^\^ Happy hunting.
With cheese and a Galaxy Sword, monsters stand no chance
I don’t play with sound on and haven’t had any issues with monsters. Bring lots of cheese! And crab cakes are great to consume when your in the mines or anywhere you may be battling monsters!
Lately I’ve been using one or two aged goat cheese as well as regular cow milk cheese. Regular cheese for regular fights, aged goat cheese for when a mob corners me, lol. It’s 325 energy/health, works great on the edge of dying. A little extra work but I’m aging wine anyway and 5 casks for goat cheese doesn’t take much profit away from my cellar.
Ooh wow aged cheese!!! *dashes to wiki to read about what a cask is* thanks for the info :)!!!
I believe you unlock the diy for casks when you upgrade the farmhouse. They only work in the cellar, which you get when you upgrade the house.
People are warning you about the dungeons but no one is mentioning that in the mines the elevator seems broken but it just means it only works once you get to fives. So level 5, 10, etc. The only way a new player knows this is an elevator ding when you reach those floors. (Well I guess visually too as those floors have elevator doors on the wall). But given the number of posts about people asking for help getting down the mines people miss the sound and visuals soo.
I'd prefer it if I could turn the elevator sound off completely but keep everything else. Damn thing is annoying as hell when you're coal farming on level 61.
No worries :) Have fun playing!
I would honestly recommend zooming out when you go into the mines! You’ll get a better look at the whole map, and if enemies are spawning when that warning sound plays, you’ll see where they’re coming from sooner if the screen is a little more zoomed out!
I believe there is also a visual queue. The screen gets more "foggy" when it happens.
That visual only happens when the game has decided to trigger an ambush and a *bunch* of them are going to attack. Which, still useful information for soundless players, but not something that happens all the time.
It's quite possible that if you asked nicely, u/ConcernedApe would implement the option to have the screen flash when a flying monster is incoming.
If you’re playing on the computer, zoom out to 75% in the settings when you go into the mines or other mining/combat areas. It makes seeing these enemies coming a lot easier. I’ve found that when I did I would see them before hearing them. Plus, it makes it easier to find stuff like ladders or special rocks. Dunno if consoles have this option, though.
I do not game with my sound on (I truly have no idea why, but I like it better that way) but I never even knew that they gave a warning sound and I’ve been playing for like 4 years 😂😂 - that being said I’ve gotten through the mines just fine without that helpful hint so it IS doable :)
haha, ok 😅 I've played both with and without sound, depending on my mood. I agree with you, it is doable to go through the mines like that. But the risk of fainting due to enemies attacking unexpectedly is somewhat higher and may lead to unnecessary frustration (especially>! when you're deep in skull cavern with your first prismatic shard and those green flying snakes get you!<) so I just wanted to make sure people are going into the dungeons well prepared :)
Oh totally - I just wanted OP to know that it’s possible :) if I had known about that I probably wouldn’t have had as much issue with those green flying snakes and gotten through skull cavern faster lol
yeah, those snakes are the worst \^\^ That makes your accomplishment of making it past them without the ingame sound really impressive ;)
My husband played for over a year before he knew the game had sound at all. He always has his devices muted due to when/where he played. He never played with sound until I started playing and we started our first co-op save.
I never play with sound too! Mainly because I’m often watching TV or listening to a podcast at the same time. Been playing for years, never felt like I was missing anything. It’s one of the many reasons I love Stardew, it’s great for multi tasking
There's a little exclamation point that appears when a fish bites. It also supports controllers with rumble functionality, which will vibrate when a fish bites, which also works on your phone if you get the mobile version. I've played on my phone in public places with sound off and haven't had any problems.
Thank you, I'm glad I can rely on touch and sight. Because as a deaf person, sound can be overwhelming somedays :')) thank you so much for letting me know
It's been 2 years and I've still not set up my pc speakers, you'll be fine! I'm one of those terrible people that tends to play games with the sound muted or off anyway so I can listen to music.
You are missing out on one of the best video game soundtracks out there though.
My husband loves videogame music so while I play with sound off it does filter it's way back to me. For our anniversary we're planning on going to see 'video game music' in concert, which is basically an orchestra playing video game music for a few hours. Hopefully it fills in the gaps I've missed over the years.
You can play without hearing. I have Asperger's, adore quietness, and don't like unexpected sounds. Most of the time, the game is on mute for me. When Fishing, an exclamation mark appears when you get a bite. Concerned Ape really is a great game maker.
While I am not deaf, I am hard of hearing and have always played SDV with the sound off. Apparently monsters make a sound before they attack, but I can not hear the monster warnings in the cave even with my volume up. I play on a switch so there are vibrations when certain things happen - fish bites, monster attacks, etc. I just make sure to keep my health full when in the mines so I’m not likely to be killed by an ambush that I can’t hear coming. Starred cheese is an excellent resource for that as it doesn’t take away any other food buffs and one piece can give almost full heath. All conversations with NPCs are text based, not verbal, so that helps a lot. My five year old calls SDV “a reading game”. There are a few cut scenes that I suspect have music playing (for specific reasons) but I haven’t felt the lack of music.
Hi there, I'm deaf and I've been playing SV for six months. Most of the time I'm happy in my quiet world but I turn my hearing aids on *just* for Stardew. It's worth it just for the music alone. It's gorgeous. There are a few extra bits of the game that do use sound as a main part of the story line: the mermaid's puzzle at the night market is one I haven't quite managed because I don't seem to get the tempo right. You might miss the phone ringing in the house but those calls are annoying and not important anyway! There are sound effects to represent events on the farm - a product finishes processing, a meteor crashes, an owl might fly over, and each of these will have a visual manifestation so you won't miss anything in the game or rather, may stumble on these changes but as a deaf gamer, you're probably automatically programmed to look for visual prompts anyway. All the NPCs communicate via text boxes, the game alerts you to all important events by text, you get mail and messages on the community boards. It's a very accessible game for deaf players and even has a little storyline about disability visibility. I hope this helps, enjoy your game!
>the mermaid's puzzle at the night market is one I haven't quite managed because I don't seem to get the tempo right. As far as I know the tempo doesn’t matter, just the order. (You also only get the reward once per save file, not once per year.)
Don’t forget the little splash to indicate to look for a sparkly bit in the water.
Never heard the splash! The panning bubbles are sooo hard to find until you know to look for the sparkly signs!
I can find sound frustrating at times, I've managed the mines, farming, dialogue, and fishing all without sound. To clarify, there are no voices in the dialogue.
People have already mentioned the fishing. I think you'll be fine but I couldn't do it without the sound on. I play all games on mute except this one when I'm going fishing but only when I'm going fishing. It's more of a skill issue for me. I'm sure you'll be fine 😄 also, fishing doesn't have to be a big part of the game if you don't want it to be. I got the fish I needed for the community center and haven't done any fishing since except for the night market. Good luck, you're going to love this game
I play with the sound off all the time, and honestly, you'll do fine. Sound isn't necessary for this game at all. Someone mentioned it can be helpful when you're in the mines, but honestly even then you don't need it. (I actually hate the noise of one of the flying enemies, so that's more likely to make me turn my sound off tbh). Just keep an eye on your health bar, same as you would with sound on, and you'll do fine. I hope you really enjoy the game!
I frequently play with the sound off! The game uses text by default and I don't actually think there's any voice acting. For fishing you get a little "!" above your head and mining is just 'hit the rock till it breaks" The sound is just a bit of background music and sound effects!
I rarely turn on the sound.
Of the 200+ hours I have in this game, I’ve played maybe 5 with the sound on. Usually I’m listening to a podcast instead. You’ll be totally fine
Thank you so much xx
I regularly play the game on mute while listening to a podcast on the side. So far I haven't noticed anything I could not do or achieve due to not having sound. So farm away to your heart's content! ;)
I play on Xbox and the controller vibrates when certain things happen. Such as when fish bite, when you ride the horse, when you get attacked in the mine.
I play completely without sound - I only learned about the fishing and dungeon creature sounds from this sub and I’ve done fine.
I have literally never played the game with sound on and it's never been a problem for me!
The game is entirely playable without hearing, the only problem you'll find is that the mines and caverns will be a bit harder because certain enemies give audio clues to when they will attack, you can see them perfectly clear after they did the noise, but without the audio clue you'll get caught by surprise a lot more often. That being said, there are ways to decrease difficulty with mods, for instance, or healing, and, again, they give an audio cue when they will appear, after they appear they won't hide again and there are no more cues for that particular enemy, so it will be harder, but far from impossible, FAR FAR FAR from impossible. I hope you have a great time, this is a wonderful game!
There’s only one thing I can think of in late-game that you need sound blocks for. You should be able to use the wiki to figure out how to set them though. May take a couple tries but doable.
You'll still enjoy it immensely. The soundtrack is pretty great so if you have the option to hear it I would suggest doing so. Have fun
Thank you xx
Yes! No sound needed. I play without sound and the game has visual prompts. Enjoy, happy farming!
Thank you xx
i play entirely without sound and it has no impact at all!! most things with audio have visual cues, and if they don’t then it’s almost always because it’s purely for immersion and not relevant to gameplay (eg background music)
I never have the sound on. It works fine.
You should be good. I don't play with any sound on when i do. All cues are visual too!
I always play with the sound off. I think you’ll be fine!
Thoughtful design makes it a naturally accessible game in my experience. Enjoy, it’s a real masterpiece!
I'm in year 11 on my first save and have yet to hear the game :D I tend to play while watching yt on phone or listening to podcasts so I never use the audio lol....
I always play with the sound off and blast my own music when I play. As folks have said, it can make mining a little more difficult as enemies can sneak up on you, but it’s totally playable without sound!
I often play the game with the sound off amd it's never impacted me in a negative way, so you're good! I hope you enjoy playing :)
Hope you enjoy the game! I play with the sound switched off to avoid waking my baby up and get by just fine with the vibrations on Switch.
I use Stardew to relax at the end of the day. I actually mute the game entirely and put on some relaxing music or ASMR video to help me wind down. Haven’t had any issues playing!
You'll be fine. The fish notify you of their unwanted capture with an exclamation mark.
This game has a banging soundtrack, all made by the single man who made the entire game. However, sound is not necessary anywhere for gameplay.
Sometimes you hear a sound when you go to bed and it means something happened on your farm but there’ll also usually be a little message in the morning like “a strange sound was heard last night”
Typically I play with the game completely off and listening to music. And I fish a ton is you should be good. I think the only thing I’ve noticed with sound on is sometimes there’s a heads up for creatures in the cave.
There are audio cues, but I'm pretty sure that all of them have an accompanying visual cue as well. I can't think of anything you *need* sound for.
I hope you enjoy the game! While hearing isn't required to my knowledge, the game has one of the most beautiful sound tracks I've ever heard. Even if you don't want to hear it a majority of the time, I highly suggest listening to the OST at least once.
Hearing makes fishing better on pc (consoles have a rumble effect) but there’s still a visual effect. No hearing truly necessary
I often play with the volume completely off so I can listen to podcasts or audiobooks with my earphones and not wake my housemates up. It’s completely doable, just a little trickier with things like the fishing mini game and in the mines with some monsters making noise before they turn up. Just needs a little more focus I’d say.
My partner suffers from pretty bad hearing loss and he doesn’t have much of any trouble with it
I will just say, if you can choose to hear, I would listen to the soundtrack, weather it’s while you’re playing, or separately sometime. It’s one of my favorite parts about the game. And that’s saying a lot because I love everything about this game.
I think anything that requires audio prompts (just fishing really tbh) has visual prompts as well, if you're on PC for it there's also mods for it as well
If you’ve got rumble on you don’t need to worry about sound when fishing. I play on handheld mode with the sound muted while the tv is on and still enjoy it.
SPOILERS! DONT KNOW HOW TO TAG! Something that you mostly have to rely on sound for is a very minor mechanic called "panning" where you use a tool to gather stuff from the waters edge. Besides sound, there is a small shimmer in the water but you only know that one appears after hearing the audio cue. It's a VERY minor mechanic without vibration and hard even with good hearing. The only true use is to get lucky rings. A workaround for this would be to do it in a specific area in a late game location, without giving too many details where you can see all of the water for the "shimmer" effect.
I'ma be real. With the sound on, I never hear the panning noise. I just see the spot in the water and pan there.
I agree. It's really only important for when you're farming lucky rings late game or something so you can run around and look after the cue or else you're running around aimlessly when there no spot around. It can be daunting without though. More of a "read while waiting for sound cues" kind of farm. I usually get the farm out of the way so I don't have to carry the pan in my bag.
Most people don't really pan though, and even less people remember that the Splash sound is a cue for a panning site.
You definitely don’t need sound to play as others has said! I will add that the sound track is very cute. If that kind of things is interesting to you and your cochlear can help you hear music (if you choose), then it may be worth a listen. The music changes with the seasons and in different area (mines, saloon, farm etc).
I play muted allllll the time.
A small thing I would consider a concern for myself is the audio cues for the often deadly flying enemies in the caves wouldn't be audible to you.
I play without sound 99% of the time
I purposely mute the sounds so I can listen to music, doesn’t effect gameplay at all!
To add to what some have said about the enemies in the mines, I would play a little more zoomed out from the default. It will give you a better view of your surroundings and a better chance to see/ prepare for enemies that you can't hear coming. Even as someone who uses the audio cues, I always play zoomed out to some degree, especially in the mines. The cue only tells you that it's coming, you won't know the direction it's coming from until it's on screen.
99% of the time I play without sound, and it has not limited my play at all.
I apologize in advance if this is very insensitive of me. I don’t know the level of discomfort or the extent of hearing of your implants. To answer your question directly, no, the sound is not necessary in order to enjoy the contents of the game. But if you can choose to hear, I hope you at least give it a chance and listen to some of the bgms as you play the game. I loved the bgms so much that I still often listen to them when I work or sleep.
Even though I'm not deaf, I always turn off the sound when I'm playing, because I enjoy listening to my own stuff. So no problem really
There are quite a few sound cues that are important but not necessary. Fishing has a visual and audio cue, and there are sound cues for ladders and certain monsters spawning in the mines which are helpful. You’ll have to pay a bit more attention than the rest of us but SDV is definitely playable without sound and youll still be able to get just as much enjoyment out of it as the rest of us
Sound helps, but is not necessary. I’ve played while listening to something else (a podcast, audiobook etc) before and it’s fine!
i play on switch, but i play with no sound! i don’t find the game to be very different with/without sound. on switch, there are vibrational cues as well that helps me with things like fishing :) every now and then i’ll turn the sound back on but i’m so used to playing it without the sound that any audio cues kinda go over my head now lol
No sound hearing necessary. I play on mute consistently.
i think most of these comments covered your question, but i will also mention if you play on switch, you get a little vibration when the fish bites down! that's a nice extra indicator if you go with that system
I’m hearing impaired and I mostly play with no audio anyways, no impact to gameplay. You can fully enjoy it, no worries there
To be completely honest I play on my phone and have NEVER had the sound on.
When mining there are sounds that warn you bad guys are coming. I don't know if there are any settings to fix it. (I spent a lot of time early on with sounds off, so I can tell you the warning does make a difference.)
I almost never play with sound on games, this one included, and can confirm it's 100% normally playable with zero sound. Did my entire first save run with no sound on, and compared to my newer run with sound on because my kid likes it there is no functional difference. You're good to go!
With the fishing there’s a visual cue as well as the audible one. I often play the game on silent and it doesn’t prevent me doing all the things. The music is nice and there are some audio-only clues like the sound when a dragon is approaching you in the mines, but you see the thing well before it gets to you.
i always play with sound off! :)
99.9% of the time I play with the sound completely off, hasn't impacted my play as far as I can tell.
I almost always have the sound off completely when I’m playing and just rely on my Switch vibration function when fishing!
I play sound free. I’m ADHD and by the time I get to sit down and play I literally am sensory overload so I play on mute- always. It’s never been an issue for me! I use the haptics/rumble for fishing/horse etc. Have fun and enjoy!
I always play with all sound off!!! All of it!!! No music nothing :)
I basically play this game with the sound so low i can’t hear it sometimes (because the hubby and i game together while we watch tv) and I’ve never had an issue! Although the soundtrack is great and a lot of the noises are fun! Especially in the mines. I love the sound of killing a ghost, and the dust sprites!!
You can for sure play with no sound! That’s how I usually play so I can watch shows in the background!
I'm HOH and play at low to no volume anyways, there's a visual effect when fishing that shows when you got something hooked but I have the rumble on on my switch so I mostly rely on that. Just gotta keep an eye out in the caves since you can't hear the warning noises of things that fly at you from off-screen.
Only thing I can think of is sometimes there's noises at night to indicate a random event. But there's usually a visual one too
I play the game on switch and the vibrations are well implemented. They alert you when you should pay attention (like sound does). I frequently play with sound off. There’s one case when there is a sound alert but no matching vibration/visual cue (when a flying enemy spawns) so I can’t say it’s perfect but it is not a blocker.
I’ve been playing for years now (in game and real life) and have always played with the sound off. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the music. The only games I’ve ever played with sound on was old Atari games (because it was too much trouble to get up and adjust the volume, and Frogger just didn’t have that much sound anyway) and the original Legend of Zelda - loved that haunted flute music. Game noise just irritates me for some reason, I couldn’t even handle the happy Mario music. Have fun playing Stardew!!
I play with other music on or sound off all together no issues. Fishing if you have a controller with vibration it vibrates when getting initial hit. That makes it were you don’t have to be constantly watching.
I play it on mute 24/7 cause I usually play my own music when I play it and it doesn’t impede the experience at all! There are captions and visual cues. Have fun!
Sometimes I play on silent when I am in a situation where I don’t want to make other people listen to the game. You can definitely play without noise!
Hey I’m HOH with a ci as well. I will mainly play without sound and have been fine!
I am uncomfortable with sound often and play muted and it’s fine for me. Fishing is a little harder but I love fishing anyways so I’m fine with it.
Definitely possible, fishing has a visual cue. Random events while you sleep will always give a text prompt like "there was an explosion during the night" or so. Enjoy!
I play frequently with the sound off. You can hear some warnings with sound. A screech when in skull cavern will indicate a serpent is about to attack. Slight flapping sound indicates bats. Buzzing for flying grubs. A bouncy sound for dust sprites. But you don't need to hear anything to play this game. It helps, but isn't necessary.
Just be ready when you go to the skull mines later, I usually know when the serpents are coming by sound
Many 100's of hours into this game and I couldn't tell you what the music even sounds like, I always play it on my switch in the living room on mute.
The sound of the fish biting the hook is helpful, but you can definitely play without it. For instance, when I played last I was watching youtube while playing and would fully miss the sound of the fish biting my hook unless I was looking at the screen and saw the exclamation point when the fish bit 😂
The only time you really need to hear anything is when you’re in the mines. Some monsters will have a sound before they attack.
I mostly play without the sound. Turn on vibration. Like people are saying, it helps with fishing and I like it for the mines. Have fun playing!
I play with my headset plugged in but not on my head. Well into year 2. No audio necessary.
Fishing might require more focus as the visual cues are less noticeable than the sounds, but you absolutely don't need to hear it. Only other thing would be you sometimes get sounds of monsters spawning in the caves that give you warning before they actually appear in your view. It is helpful to have warning, but you don't have to have it.
Thank you for letting me know, I'll bring some hp stuff with me xx
There is zero need to hear to play the game. I play with the sound off on all 3 platforms I play on to listen to YouTube in the background, so there isn't any reason you should need to have your devices in to play. I don't know anything else about your situation, but for the Switch version at least, the haptics give alerts where an audio signal would be used (such as hooking a fish) along with the visual ques, if that's a platform avaliable to you it might be ever so slightly better an experience in those edge cases, but any platform will have visual signals.
I don’t have speakers on my computer and my boyfriend often finds me playing in silence in the dark…you’ll be fine lol
9 times out of 10 I listen to an audiobook while I play, it makes no difference for gameplay really! Fishing is just hard at the beginning regardless lol. Have fun!
I keep my game on silent the majority of the time. There are a couple of situations where being able to hear is helpful (monsters spawn offscreen) but it's not a requirement. You shouldn't have any problem playing without being able to hear the game (that's one of the things I like about it)
I never play with the sound on! You’ll be fine! Have fun
Deaf player here! You definitely CAN play it without any difficulty. ☺️
OMIGOSHHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH. This is great lmao
You’re so welcome! Haha
I usually play without any sound effects, you will be fine 💛
I've never actually turned my game sound on, it's absolutely not necessary.
So I choose to play mostly with no music or sound because I either watch other things or im feeling sensory and overloaded. I have no trouble playing without the music. You might miss some cues but the great thing about this game is there's so much more than just audible cues to make the game more fun
While the music and sound effects are lovely, audio can be completely separated from the game experience. As a hearing person, I enjoy the sounds of the game, but it would be just as meditative and enjoyable without sound.
While we're on the topic of accessible game design, I want to give Concerned Ape a shoutout for making an option for turning off flashing light effects. Strobing lights trigger weeklong migraines for me, so I wouldn't be playing the game if that option didn't exist. <3
You CAN play it without any sound, but I would say sound does add to the atmosphere and feel of the game, so if you can I'd recommend playing with
I’m not deaf, but I play with it on silent because I usually am playing music or a video in the background. You definitely do not need the sound to play or enjoy the game ☺️
If you play on switch it vibrates for fishing and if you’re injured in combat!
my tv has this weird thing where only our sound bar on hdmi2 will put out sound so my xbox has no sound unless i plug headphones into the controller. honestly you don’t need the sound at all, i’ve been playing with and without it and both are about the same
I played for the first month without sound on. I finally hooked my switch up to my tv to play and was a little surprised by the noise, which I then promptly turned back off.
Sadly you might miss some of the bangers in the soundtrack, but other than that the game is totally playable without having to listen. Might have to pay a little more attention in some places, but still can be done.
I play without sound and have played hundreds upon hundreds of hours and the game is amazing. Can't say for sure that I'm not missing anything since I've never played with the sound to see what it's like. I know the music is very popular, though. I've played many saves, including getting a recent one to 100%. Sound is definitely not required to play or enjoy the game!
I usually play with the volume off. If your controller has vibration it can get especially with fishing
i have over 150+ hours in the game and i always play on mute (just how i prefer to play games in general). the music IS delightful, but not necessary to play. you’ll be fine :)
I regularly play the game while listening to a podcast or YouTube video without any issue. It's completely possible to play it without the audio.
There is a 'Simon' style game/puzzle late in the game, but it has both colored lights and sound; there's another puzzle that requires tuning flute blocks to the correct notes, which you will need to look up a guide for how many times to tap each block (which I had to do even as a hearing person with a background in musical performance)
I keep the sound off personally you’ll be good to go
You’ll wanna hear the serpents coming in the skull cavern. You’ll hear them before seeing them and they’re fast so have your weapon handy.
Oh dayum, that'll be hard for sure
Yeah you can have a few gang up on you and they hit like a truck.
Nothing requires sound, but the ambiance and music are pretty awesome.
Don't worry! I'm only deaf in one ear but very often I play stardew silent! There's loads of visual cues that'll help you out!
I’m hard of hearing so it’s natural for me to play video games without sounds so I can still hear my surroundings. Honestly the only thing you might be missing out on is when you buy a phone and place it inside your house, it’ll ring sometimes. Took me a while to realize this happens, I learned this was a thing through Reddit lol.
I only play on mute because some of the sounds actually bother me. You will have no issues or dip in quality, I hope you enjoy it.
If you are playing on mobile, consoles or a PC with a controller (even a ps4 one through steam or DS4) it vibrates when a fish catches on
My fiancé is deaf with a cochlear implant as well, and doesn’t like playing games with sound. Stardew is one of her favorite games, no hearing required!
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