New Stardew Valley Rival Adds A Dash Of Baldur’s Gate 3

Stardew Valley is one of few games that have absolutely annihilated every other ‘competitor’ in its genre, and the only game that will probably ever truly eclipse it is ConcernedApe’s own Haunted Chocolatier, whenever the spooky chocolatier sim game is released. Meanwhile, Stardew Valley has never had competition as stiff as Emberville, an action-RPG that is essentially a Diablo-style Stardew Valley on paper.

Cygnus Cross’ Emberville has all the trappings of Stardew Valley’s farming sim delights, including an isometric view and pixel-art style, but it’s instantly clear that there is much more at play mechanically in Emberville regarding combat, progression/customization, and worldbuilding in the fantastical and eerie land of Emberville.

On X, Emberville’s full voice cast has been revealed. Evidently, Emberville features some of the best in the business, boasting the talent from phenomenal games like Baldur’s Gate 3, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Cyberpunk 2077, Resident Evil Requiem, Final Fantasy XVI, and more:

• Alex Jordan
• Doug Cockle
• Abubakar Salim
• Amelia Tyler
• Matthew Mercer
• Jennifer English
• Ben Starr
• Nick Apostolides
• Elias Toufexis
• Jane Perry
• LilyPichu
• Briana White
• Anjali Bhimani
• Harry McEntire
• Alex Ponton
• David Menkin
• Rich Keeble
• Kirsty Rider
• Dillon Francis
• Cahla “Cahlaflour” Thorman
• Michael Bryan
• Lucy Elliott

Announced in a fun minute-long video with the whole cast making an appearance to announce themselves, Emberville has suddenly become one of the most star-studded games of 2026, indie or otherwise. This is reminiscent of AdHoc’s choice-driven superhero and workplace sim Dispatch, whose cast of extraordinary talent helped hoist it to the level of success that it’s been able to enjoy since.

Great video game acting talent is a boon for any indie game that fans may not have heard about or been interested in otherwise. It’s also neat to see more content creators or industry figures who aren’t necessarily known for their voice acting work to be cast in games, while a lot of the biggest names in the industry always find themselves everywhere in terms of new releases. For example, if a game is fortunate enough to have the likes of Jennifer English, Laura Bailey, Travis Willingham, or Ben Starr, it’s likely in good hands.

Emberville’s voice cast is undoubtedly special, but its gameplay also looks terrific. Hardly one-note, it appears as if it’ll scratch several genre itches, especially for fans of Stardew Valley and Diablo.

Though English has unfortunately had to step down from the role of Gwendolyn in Tides of Annihilation for personal mental and physical health reasons, it seems her role in Emberville will be unaffected. Regardless, it’ll be fascinating to learn who all these actors and actresses play in Emberville when it releases in early access later this year.

Emberville is scheduled to be released in early access for PC on October 27, 2026.