This indie zookeeping RPG originally looked so much like Stardew Valley it had to be redrawn, but that didn't stop it from hitting 283% Kickstarter funding

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Super Zoo Story is a little like Stardew Valley but you're running a zoo

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There's a new Stardew Valley-like doing gangbusters on Kickstarter, and it originally looked so much like ConcernedApe's farming sim behemoth that the developers had to redraw the whole thing.

"We're big fans of classic pixel art life sims like Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley. Early in development, we took inspiration from these beloved games when creating assets for Super Zoo Story," the developers said. "That said, we’ve heard the feedback about the similarities in the art style. While we’ve always admired those classics, we’ve since redrawn the game to reflect our own unique vision."

Anyway, back to Super Zoo Story itself. It's a zookeeping sim where you're in charge of the health and well-being of over 70 species of animals. You start out as an ecologically aware person saddened by the state of conservation who finds an abandoned hunting ground to turn into a barebones zoo. From there, you'll plan out and build habitats, bring domestic and exotic animal species to your sanctuary, monitor their health, and even crossbreed species and "recreate long-extinct dinosaurs", which sounds rad as hell.

Elsewhere, you'll find many life sim trappings popularized by games like Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon, including various romance options and relationship-building with local residents. You'll also get to explore an "underwater world in search of rare sea creatures and mysterious dungeons filled with rare fossils."

If all of this sounds enticing, you aren't alone. The project is currently 283% funded with seven days still to go. Its initial funding goal was just $60,000, and it's since wracked up more than $170,000 from supporters, greenlighting it for release and helping the devs achieve stretch goals like a 'Bird Aviary', a 'Tourist Zone & Shops', and a 'Second Island Expansion'. If it gets to $210,000, the game will come to PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

Right now, the single-player and co-op game is "coming soon", according to Steam.

In the meantime, here are some games like Stardew Valley we'd recommend.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.