I can understand the concern but I actually own this game (prior to sale), SDV and quite a few other farming sims, including a Harvest Moon game.
Sometimes I get burnt out playing SDV and want a similar game to scratch the itch.
It's fun to discover the unique features the 'spins offs' offer and lose myself in them. So sometimes, some people like myself are looking for something similar to the SDV/Harvest Moon experience and that's okay too. 😊
Stardew was such a big hit that it encouraged a lot of clones. I imagine if you search any game storefront for "gentle farming and friendship simulator" you'll get a lot of results!