PREVIEW Starsand Island

Generally I don’t expect too much of a story from the cozy life-sim style games. When I play titles like Animal Crossing or Fantasy Life, I’m not expecting a grand narrative that makes me overly emotional or think about the human condition.

However, when I saw the trailer for Starsand Island, something about it spoke to me. Perhaps it was the main character being exhausted by her nine-to-five and deciding to return home to the picturesque island she grew up on, or maybe it was the train to the island gliding wistfully over water while accompanied by sweepingly emotional music in the vein of Spirited Away, but the result was that Starsand Island looked to be the rare emotionally charged life-sim. 

However, I was greatly disappointed by being jarringly-thrown directly onto the island and put to immediately completing tasks and gathering resources without any sort of story or buildup. Yes, there is a short video tucked away in the main menu — albeit shorter and lower-quality than the trailer online — but the qualities that drew me into the trailer and made me want to preview Starsand are largely absent in the Early Access version of the game. However, despite that inelegant start, I eventually found an enjoyable gameplay loop and a beautifully whimsical island to explore.

Starsand Island sees the player take on the role of a customizable character returning to their home island to start a simple life away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The island is beautiful — the twinkling lights of the main hub, the Japanese-inspired zen gardens and castles, and the sprawling beaches overlooking the water are all a joy to explore. There’s also a second major area called Moonlit Forest, where the player will gather resources, fight enemies, and explore to uncover secrets. 

Traversing the island is also a joy, as players can use skates, skateboards, motor vehicles, and even ride animals to get around. Though there are some pop-in issues and objects in the distance look a bit muddy, those things weren’t enough to hinder my enjoyment. Starsand also runs on both an in-game clock and a stamina system, forcing the player to accomplish what they want to get done before it gets too late or they get too tired. 

These limiting factors are definitely a consideration, as there is a lot to do on the island. While they build their new life, the player will be certified in five jobs — crafting, farming, fishing, ranching, and exploration. In order to rank up in each of the jobs, the player will have to complete tasks that involve fulfilling requests for the island’s inhabitants, crafting a specific item, or defeating enemies in Moonlit Forest. The jobs also do a solid job of overlapping in smart ways. 

For example, crafting allows the player to create the typical foraging tools such as axes, fishing rods, pickaxes, bug nets and whatnot. With those items in hand, the player will then be able to collect wood with the axe, iron with the pickaxe, and craft them into weapons. From there, the explorer certification will charge the player with tackling a baddie in Moonlit forest. I enjoyed this task-oriented gameplay loop, as it kept me a little more motivated than the average life-sim. For those looking for a more laid-back experience of simply finding cute outfits or decorating their house, those gameplay mechanics are also present, but Starsand encourages the player to prioritize the job system first.

The player will ultimately be tasked with gathering tons of resources to complete their job certifications, but not all of them can be found in the island’s natural landscape. Many need to be handmade through the use of workstations like a spinning wheel, worktable, furnace, charcoal kiln, and cutter, just to name a few! There were times I would be hopping between the charcoal kiln to make more charcoal, while waiting for the cutter to finish my softwood planks, and also sitting in my porch chair to replenish stamina. If this sounds overwhelming – it can be! But once I got the hang of it, it was enjoyable to use all the tools at my disposal for a common goal.

Moonlit Forest is the island’s other main location, rife with resources and enemies. However, to harvest rarer materials and defeat stronger monsters, the player will have to level up their job certifications to create stronger tools and weapons, allowing them to venture deeper into the forest. Though combat is nothing to write home about — mostly projectile-based fights that I could generally complete without taking a single hit — the ambiance of the forest is magical and mysterious, always keeping me motivated to venture deeper. 

Besides the scenery, I also enjoyed Starsand Island‘s large population of animals. From dogs and cats to pandas and alpacas, the player can befriend critters by petting them, feeding them, and even adopting them when their affection level is high enough. The rancher job sees the player highly involved in animal caretaking, even allowing the player to ride some of the bigger animals as a testament to their hard work.

I am hopeful that when Starsand’s final build releases this summer, more story buildup is added to replicate the fantastically magical trailer, because the core mechanics are very strong and the experience deserves a much better kickoff. Despite that rough start, I ended up enjoying my trip to Starsand Island, and I’m looking forward to the improvements and additions that I hope will come before the final release. 

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