Ranging from the ordinary to the enigmatic, the various Secret Notes players accumulate throughout Stardew Valley not only offer helpful tips, puzzles, and quests, but they'll also leave players with questions and mysteries that have remained unresolved to this day. With twenty-five Secret Notes in total to collect, the player will eventually come across these as they simply progress through the game. However, Secret Notes only become available after Stardew Valley's "A Winter Mystery" quest has been completed, and the player is rewarded with a magnifying glass.
Once the player has started to build their Secret Note collection, it becomes clear that while some provide useful in-game information, other notes are far stranger and cryptic. Provided players don't resort to guides on Stardew Valley's Secret Notes, these more unusual notes can invite the player to think and explore the game's world, characters, and stories in new and introspective ways. So even years after Stardew Valley was first released, these Secret Notes continue to be the center of speculation thanks to their uncertain origins and lingering unsolved mysteries.
The Unknown Origins and Intentions Behind Stardew Valley's Secret Notes
While it might appear to be a non-starter at first glance, the origins behind Stardew Valley's Secret Notes and why they exist are both unclear and seemingly random. For example, some notes are excerpts from in-game diaries or books, but knowing who wrote these wouldn't explain who took them and turned them into Secret Notes. Moreover, while some Secret Notes seem to point to an original creator due to a note-to-self format for some and child-like drawings for others, things get complicated when quests like "Strange Note" and "The Mysterious Qi" have related notes specifically addressed to the player and are explicitly written by another NPC.
However, it's important to consider that Secret Notes are only accessed once the player gets the magnifying glass from a Krobus-like figure. Though it's unconfirmed if this character is Krobus, the fact the Secret Notes require monster intervention to read taps into Stardew Valley's stranger fantasy side. It's possible this unnamed character, dubbed "Shadow Guy," is responsible for the Secret Notes, but why and to what end they're collecting these are unknown. After all, the player only receives the magnifying glass to read Secret Notes from Shadow Guy who admits to stealing, hinting that their note-gathering had potentially bad intentions.
Secret Notes Offer New Insights into Stardew Valley's World and Characters
Besides their dubious origins, the Secret Notes still play a vital role in the bigger picture of Stardew Valley. Since a core part of Stardew Valley focuses on the player's relationships with its NPCs, Secret Notes provides players with a new angle into the characters' personalities and backstories. Beyond puzzles and player guidance, Secret Notes can reveal hidden details about Stardew Valley's world such as through gift-giving hints, ranging from gossip about Pelican Town's "bachelors" to globe-trotting absentee parents. Some can even lead to unique interactions, whether it's placing Mayor Lewis's gold statue in town or giving the Ornate Necklace to either Abigail or Caroline.
But one Secret Note has left fans dealing with a mystery that has yet to be solved. Titled "Secret Note #11" in-game, this specific note appears to be a photo depicting a woman and a young girl outside what fans believe is Marnie's Ranch. Theories about these characters' identities vary from a younger Marnie with her mother Jaz, to the child being Jaz herself alongside her own mother. However, aside from speculation about its contents, the photo doesn't yet seem to have any purpose like other notes, leading some to suspect that, eventually, a future Stardew Valley update could finally resolve this last Secret Note.
Stardew Valley is available now on Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.
