Stardew Valley players are no strangers to creative ways to customize their farm space using the game's often quirky and eclectic accessories. One musically inclined player certainly made a full commitment by using the game's drum and flute blocks to rickroll their audience with a surprisingly adept rendition of Rick Astley's pop music staple, "Never Gonna Give You Up."
For those who don't know the game, but are gonna play it, drum and flute blocks are just two of Stardew Valley's many craftable items, unlocked fairly early in the game. Each one, when placed on an available tile, will play either a drum or flute note accordingly when the player's avatar runs past it. The blocks can be tuned to different notes by right-clicking them, and by compiling a few together, players can easily compose short tunes or jingles. There's even a puzzle in the recently-added Ginger Island to Stardew Valley where players can earn a Golden Walnut by successfully creating the mermaid's tune with flute blocks.
But because the blocks are more of a novelty than a practical tool, they don't get much attention because they take up what is otherwise farmable space. Redditor RaggedInsomnia9, on the other hand, took it to the next level by composing the first few refrains of Rick Astley's 80's hit "Never Gonna Give You Up" entirely out of flute and drum blocks, with a pathway along the way to help keep pace. They posted their creation on Reddit to wide acclaim, which can be seen here:
Despite the fact that the song itself is older than Stardew Valley (and many of its players), it's still one of the most recognizable tunes on the internet thanks to its resurgence in popularity as an internet meme. While the song did top the charts in the late 80s, it went largely forgotten until 2007, when "rickrolling" or posting misleading links that promised to lead to one site but ultimately led to the song's music video, became popular on 4chan. The result is that the song is now more popular than it was during its release, with the accompanying music video has surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube.
So it's not surprising that a Stardew Valley player decided to recreate it in the game. "Never Gonna Give You Up", like all of the best internet memes, has been getting the video game treatment. But what makes this particular tribute so impressive isn't just how many drum and flute blocks RaggedInsomnia9 had to craft in order to create as much of the song as they did or the fact that it was a fan-made recreation but the amount of meticulous planning, placement, and tuning to find just the right notes. This is what makes a "rickroll" so impressive in any creative video game. Even the most musically adept player would have to spend a few hours creating something longer than a drum riff. But Stardew Valley players know the rules, and it's always a full commitment to every task they undertake on the farm.
Source: RaggedInsomnia9/Reddit
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