One of the most unique aspects about the game is its story behind the scenes. Barone is the sole developer of Stardew Valley, responsible for every aspect of the game from graphics to music to coding. Game publisher Chucklefish was subcontracted to do the coding for multiplayer options.

Barone provides two lists detailing the update: one complete list, and one that highlights major changes but shies away from spoilers. There’s too much to cover in one article, but here’s a brief overview of what to expect in Stardew Valley 1.5.

There is a new farm available called Beach Farm. Barone teases it’s large with good fishing and foraging opportunities, but not conducive to sprinklers. He recommends this farm for Stardew fans looking for a new challenge.

Other new locations have been added throughout the map, including an island farm on which you can plant crops, but cannot construct buildings.

There are also a swatch of new crops and animals that are available to farm, including mahogany tree, banana, mango, pineapple, and ostriches. With these new foods come additional recipes to discover, such as banana pudding, ginger ale, and pina coladas.

The Stardew Valley population just got a bit bigger. The 1.5 update introduces Leo, a new character with his own backstory and plotline within the game. Three new secondary NPCs have been added as well.

Splitscreen co-op is finally here. Up to four players can build a cabin and farm together. It works very similarly to online multiplayer.

Finally, one unexpected but exciting addition is a Dwarvish forge and weapon enchanting. It’s unclear if this will be an addition to Clint’s shop or the Adventurer’s Guild. Players will be able to combine two rings into one, but not much else is known about what items this feature will unlock.

There are many more features with the 1.5 update. You can check out the full list of updates here, and the abridged, spoiler-free list here.

So far, the update has a few bugs, but nothing out of the ordinary for a new release. A tweet from Barone confirms a patch is on its way. He encourages players experiencing bugs to go to the Stardew Valley forum and report it there.

Photo courtesy of ConcernedApe