How in the world is this game so entertaining?
The concept of the game is incredibly simple; the main character inherits a farm from his grandfather who passed away recently. The main character used to spend time on the farm in his youth and even had a girlfriend while he was there, but he does not remember who the girlfriend was. Now as a young man it is his responsibility to maintain the farm and make it profitable.
With that simple idea, you are now in charge of the farm. You start the game with a few tools like a hoe, ax, hammer, sickle and watering can. You use these tools to remove sticks, tree stumps, rocks weeds and till the soil to prepare for crops. You buy seeds to grow products like potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries and eggplants. Different crops grow in different seasons, and certain crops are worth more money than others, but some crops grow faster than others. Here is how the game becomes addictive. You raise the crops to gain money. You use the money to buy better tools to make you more efficient at growing crops. You then gain more money to build a greenhouse to grow plants all year around. You also buy livestock to have milk, eggs and wool. You use the supplies to cook food products that you can either eat yourself or give as gifts. You give gifts to townsfolk to impress them and have them give you gifts in return. You give gifts to certain female members in town to woo them. You can woo them to a certain level, that girl will marry you. You impress your wife enough the two of you will have a baby.
As you can see, it is a whole world the game creates. There is more to the game to just farming. You can go to a mine and dig-up ore to help in the creation of better tolls and supplies. You can fish, teach your dog tricks, raise a horse to help with harvest and even race. You compete in cooking contests, livestock contests and even celebrate your birthday and holidays. Before you know it, you have played for thirty or forty hours. It is an extremely entertaining game.