Stardew Valley Player Discovers Secret Area With Hidden Reward After 10 Years

Stardew Valley turns 10 this month, and it’s somehow still managing to surprise even its most fervent fans. ConcernedApe’s farming life sim and cozy game has dominated the genre for a decade, due in no small part to the sheer amount of content it has, both from launch and added afterward in transformative updates. There are plenty of little things to find hidden throughout Stardew Valley, even as it ages and sequel ideas are being considered.

One inconspicuous secret area hid from a longtime Stardew Valley player for years. “Apparently you can go into the little fenced-in garden behind the blacksmith,” wrote Reddit user Miss_Westeros, sharing a screenshot of the location. The garden is immediately behind Clint’s home and business, and appears to be enclosed. The leaves of the tree on the right side of the garden, however, hide the entrance. The Redditor had “no idea” it was accessible, and lamented that there “doesn’t seem to be anything you can do in there.” But they’re wrong.

The Blacksmith’s Garden Has A Secret

Numerous comments in the Reddit thread were quick to point out that there is actually an additional layer to this Stardew Valley secret. In the garden’s northeast quadrant, another tree hides a box. If you bring a Super Cucumber to the garden and put it in the box, you’ll be rewarded with a special decorative item called ??HMTGF??. It looks kind of like a bizarre statue built out of scrap, standing on uneven legs and sporting a very square head.

The ??HMTGF?? is actually one of three statues tied to a larger Stardew Valley secret. The way you get clues organically in-game is by acquiring one of the Museum’s Lost Books, which at first appears to be gibberish. It does not have a title, but if you take the first letter of every word, you end up with:

SUPER CUCUMBER TOWN

DUCK MAYO SALOON

STRANGE BUN TOY BOX

The second and third lines tell you what items you need and where to find their respective boxes. One is in the saloon’s back room, and the other is in Vincent’s room. For solving the riddle, you’ll get the ??Pinky Lemon?? and ??Foroguemon?? statues.

Stardew Valley Is Full Of Surprises

Hidden activities like these are part of what makes Stardew Valley so charming. The game is, of course, rightfully celebrated for its incredible gameplay, beautiful pixel art, and earworm music, but part of the reason it’s so enthralling after so many years is because it almost seems like the mysteries of Pelican Town never end.

A box hidden behind a tree in a seemingly enclosed garden kept itself inconspicuous to one player for years. It makes you wonder if all of Stardew Valley‘s secrets have really been found, or if it’s a game that will continue to surprise us for many more years to come.

Systems

Released

February 26, 2016

ESRB

E for Everyone (Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco)

Developer(s)

ConcernedApe

Publisher(s)

ConcernedApe

Engine

Proprietary

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer

Cross-Platform Play

Stardew Valley does not currently support crossplay between different consoles and PC

Cross Save

cross-progression is only available between the PC and mobile versions of the game

Number of Players

1-4