Howl’s Moving Castle Meets Stardew Valley In This Charming Freebie

Released for the first time back in 2004, Howl’s Moving Castle is yet another Studio Ghibli hit, and as a Welsh person myself, I cannot help but point out that its inspiration came from the 1986 novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones. Telling the story of Sophie, a young milliner who lives in a fictional kingdom home to both magic and 20th-century technology, she soon finds herself turning into an old woman after a customer curses her. Luckily, she encounters a young wizard known as Howl, but things soon get even more complicated when Sophie learns that the man refuses to fight for the king in the ongoing war.

The movie was met with critical acclaim, going on to win multiple awards in the process and now, two decades on, Howl’s Moving Castle is still as beloved as ever, with both Sophie and Howl being iconic fictional characters. That is why Howl is set to make an appearance in one of the most successful farming simulator titles of all time: Stardew Valley.

Courtesy of yirehi on Curse Forge, Howl Pendragon is a brand-new mod for Stardew Valley which, as you can probably guess, adds the beloved character to the pixelated village as an NPC. As the description reads, “Adds Howl Pendragon from Howl’s Moving Castle as a marriageable NPC with his moving castle, Calcifer & Markl, custom events, and magical secrets.”

Flouncing into Pelican Town as a wandering wizard, the mod welcomes Howl Pendragon complete with custom dialogue, a schedule, heart events, gifts, original mechanics, and a fully explorable moving castle accessible by a door hidden near town. Not only that, but Howl will be available to romance, with the creator choosing to omit Sophie in the hopes that the player takes on that role themselves.

If you are still unsure if this Howl Pendragon mod is for you, here is the full list of brand-new features:

✦ Fully custom romanceable NPC: Howl Pendragon

✦ Seasonal, weather, and festival dialogue

✦ Custom schedules and daily routines

✦ Original heart events

✦ Interactive moving castle interior

✦ Custom Map you can access through howl’s magic wheel door:]

✦ Custom items, foods and +1 cooking recipe.

✦ Marriage support

✦ References inspired by the film while adapting naturally into Stardew Valley.

If you’re lucky, you’ll hear townies talking about Howl.(chances are randomized)

✦ Calcifer, Heen (the dog), Markl and Turnip head appearances and other familiar details. (Calcifer and Markl have been added as a support NPC)

As you can see, there are tons of new content for Stardew Valley available to get stuck into courtesy of this brand-new mod, and better yet, it is completely free to download and add to your game right now. Well, if you own a copy of it on PC at least.