Starsand Island Preview – Investment Policy

Sometimes a game comes along that’s so good, it changes how you think about the entire genre and sets a new standard for others to follow. For me, Starsand Island is one of those games.

Starsand Island is a unique game with broad appeal. It offers a little bit of everything for gamers – from relaxing activities like farming and mining, to more adventurous options like combat and exploration. It successfully combines the elements of a life simulation, an open-world RPG, and an action game into one enjoyable experience.

Despite spending days thoroughly exploring Starsand Island, it remained consistently charming. I did encounter some bugs and minor issues while playing, but the game’s endless appeal and relaxing atmosphere made it easy to overlook them.

This game is incredibly expansive and feels remarkably lively – it’s a truly immersive experience unlike most others. There’s an endless amount of content, interesting characters, and hidden discoveries. If I could only play one game forever, this would be a strong contender.

With so many games trying to copy Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon, Starsand Island feels truly special. It’s a big, beautiful world that captures the heart of what makes cozy games so enjoyable, reminding you why you loved them in the first place.

This review will cover all the main parts of Starsand Island’s gameplay, helping you understand what makes this new cozy game so special.

Making a You That Feels Like You

Okay, so the very first thing you do in this game is make your character, and honestly, that’s always the best part for me when I start something new. Good news is, the character creator in Starsand Island is actually really good – I wasn’t disappointed at all!

I was really impressed by how much you can customize your character in Starsand Island. It’s a nice change from older farming games where you only had a choice between male and female characters.

I love how much customization there is! I can really make my character *mine* – I get to pick everything from their name and gender to how they look, right down to their skin tone, eye color, outfit, and even makeup. It’s awesome!

The level of detail is impressive, particularly the small adjustments, but I was surprised by how little you can customize hair. There are only a few pre-made hairstyles to choose from, and you can’t alter their color, texture, style, or any of the accessories – what you see is what you get.

I was a little let down by the hair customization options in this game. Compared to other games I’ve played, where you can really tweak your character’s hairstyle, this one felt limited. It was also strange that so many of the available options were blonde, making it difficult for players who want a different hair color to find something that looks right.

It’s strange that a game with so much character customization for things like makeup and facial expressions doesn’t offer as much control over hairstyles. The available hair options aren’t bad, but I would have liked to see more choices or a way to customize them further.

There were plenty of ways to customize things further, and I really liked all the other aspects of creating my character.

A Cozy Beginning

Starsand Island, like many relaxing games, doesn’t overwhelm you right away with tasks and a complicated story. Instead, it gently introduces you to the game, letting you learn at your own pace.

Your adventure starts as you arrive on the beach of Starsand Island, greeted by your childhood friend, Solara. She excitedly tells you that you grew up here, but moved to the city years ago for work. Now, you’ve returned, ready to enjoy the peaceful island life you once knew.

Solara quickly updates you: your grandfather left you a property with a house and a workshop. The workshop’s workbench is old and in need of repair, and she explains that getting it fixed should be your first task, as it’s essential for anything else you plan to do.

The game begins with a helpful tutorial that lets you easily learn the controls and core gameplay elements, such as gathering resources, fixing items, and making new ones.

I was really impressed with how this game eases you in. Unlike some games that overwhelm you with explanations at the start, it gives you the basics to learn as you go, and introduces more complex features later on.

I was initially concerned that Starsand Island, being a large game, would overwhelm players with too much information all at once – a common problem in similar titles. Luckily, it avoids that pitfall, and the game eases you in nicely.

The initial experience with the game was fantastic, and learning the fundamentals only increased my anticipation for what’s ahead.

A Living, Breathing Paradise

What this game does best is make you feel like the world isn’t just a backdrop – it’s a living, breathing place that evolves alongside you as you play.

The island feels incredibly vibrant and full of life. You’ll notice it in everything – the buzzing of cicadas in the fields, and the way the townspeople each live their own lives, with their own routines and personalities. Even the smallest characters have their own goals and aren’t just there to help you on your adventure.

Starsand Island stands out from other open-world games because its characters feel genuinely human. Instead of being filled with generic, lifeless NPCs, the island is populated with people who have unique personalities and motivations. Every character, even those without a name, feels like a meaningful part of the world – there are no insignificant faces.

You’ll find that even ordinary people you meet – those who seem unimportant – might start conversations, offer you gifts, or even ask you to do things for them. And they’ll reward you well if you help them out! It’s like everyone thinks *you’re* the hero of their story, even if they’re just nameless faces.

It’s not just the characters you talk to that feel real. The entire world – the animals, bugs, and even the forests themselves – feels alive and reacts to your presence, creating a truly immersive experience.

One moment you’re peacefully walking by the river, and the next, the little kitten you helped last week is playfully pouncing on you, hoping for another treat. How you treat the people (or animals!) you meet will affect how they respond, but everyone has their own unique personality and will react in their own way.

Eventually, you realize you’re part of something bigger than yourself – a vibrant community where everyone contributes, in their own way.

An Ocean of Possibilities

Starsand Island is packed with activities – so much so that you could never do everything in one day, but you’ll enjoy every minute of it.

Your primary focus will be progressing through the island’s five careers – farming, exploring, fishing, crafting, and ranching. However, you’re free to pursue your own activities whenever you want, if you prefer to take a break from career advancement.

I’m absolutely loving this game! You can really lose yourself exploring the Moonlit Forest, uncovering all sorts of hidden secrets. And if you’re into decorating, you can craft adorable furniture to make your house feel like home. Of course, shopping for new clothes, makeup, and decorations is a must! But what I really love is getting to know all the cute animal residents and helping them out – sometimes that means running around doing favors, but honestly, it’s just fun to be a part of their world.

…you’ll literally never run out of things to do in Starsand Island.

You’ll always have plenty to do in this game – your inventory will be full of useful items, and you’ll constantly be juggling at least ten different quests.

You’ll never be bored on Starsand Island! There’s always something to do, with characters eager to interact and discoveries waiting to be made. No matter your playstyle, you’ll find plenty to keep you entertained.

The Rough Edges of Paradise

I really enjoy this game, but it’s not without its flaws. While the problems I found weren’t bad enough to make me stop playing, I want to be honest about them before recommending it to others.

The biggest problem is the game’s targeting system – it sometimes tries to assist too much, which can be frustrating.

It’s frustrating when your character interacts with the wrong thing! Games often have lots of objects you can use – like chests, plants, workbenches, or characters – and sometimes your character will choose the wrong one, even though you aimed for something else.

It’s incredibly frustrating trying to get your game character to focus on the specific target you intend. They’ll avoid it, stand on it, or even ignore it from a distance, continuing to target everything *but* what you want, until you eliminate all other nearby objects – often by destroying them.

The targeting system can be a little unreliable, but it’s not a major problem. You can often fix it by hitting it a few times with a pickaxe or axe, although it would be much better if you could just pick up items on your first try.

That being said, that’s far from the only issue this game has.

I said before that this game has endless things to do, and while that sounds great, it can also be overwhelming at times.

Honestly, between trying to finish the main story, getting sidetracked with tons of optional quests, and *also* keeping up with my farm and animals, I’m totally exhausted! It feels like I’m constantly running on fumes, trying to do everything at once.

This game has a ton of content, which some players will love, but it can be really overwhelming for others. Even though I usually enjoy games with a lot to offer, I found myself feeling swamped at times while playing.

With main stories, optional tasks, and the constant work of managing a farm – planting, watering, taking care of animals, and much more – your schedule quickly becomes overwhelming. Trying to fit everything in around the villagers’ routines and store hours can leave you feeling completely burnt out.

Ugh, seriously, no matter what I do, I’m *always* running low on something vital. It takes forever – practically a whole day in the game – just to gather enough, and by the time I get back, it’s a disaster! My chickens are starving, my crops are dead, and then I realize I’m out of something *else* I need every single day. It’s a never-ending cycle!

It’s enough to make you feel exhausted, even though you technically never left your gaming chair.

This game involves a lot of travel – you’ll be running, walking, swimming, and even rollerblading across a huge map. While the island is impressively large and fun to explore, it can take a surprisingly long time to get from one place to another.

While the game includes vehicles to help you move faster, the quickest ones are often very costly, difficult to handle, and prone to getting stuck, making them more trouble than they’re worth. A simple fast travel system – like a bus, taxi, or train – would greatly improve the experience.

It’s so frustrating when you spend ages searching for characters in a game, only to discover the quest you’re trying to complete has timed out because you didn’t reach them quickly enough. I’ve lost so much time to that!

It’s a bit funny that the Moonlit Forest, which is actually smaller and simpler to get around, still has a restricted fast travel system. I appreciate it, but it just makes me want the whole island to have something like that.

Catching Bugs, or Fixing Them?

Starsand Island is a large game, so it’s normal to encounter some glitches – not just the insect kind!

The game has a lot of bugs and glitches. Some are harmless and even amusing – like seeing your character comically punch rocks – but others are serious enough to make you lose significant progress. While these issues can be frustrating, I don’t think they ruin the overall experience.

It’s common for early versions of big games to have some problems, and it’s understandable given the scale of this one. Most of these issues will probably be fixed by the developers before or soon after the official release, so don’t let a few glitches ruin your experience.

To be honest, these bugs were really frustrating at times.

It’s hard to criticize too much… when a game tries to do so much, it’s expected to have a few flaws.

The game has a lot of minor glitches, mostly visual ones. These include tools disappearing while you’re using them, objects like seashells vanishing, characters walking through walls, or even being launched into space. Sometimes, your character will also reset to its default appearance when you try to sleep.

These problems are small and don’t usually impact playing the game, but they might be noticeable if you’re caught off guard.

The visual bugs don’t bother me; it’s the real game-breakers that I worry about.

A frustrating problem can occur when you’re building. Occasionally, especially if you’re attempting multiple things at once, the game gets stuck in build mode and won’t let you exit, no matter what buttons you press.

The only workaround I’ve discovered is to completely restart the game, but unfortunately, you lose any unsaved progress. This has made me hesitant to build and decorate extensively, so I generally try to keep things simple.

The most frustrating bug I’ve experienced is when the game freezes and won’t let me access the main menu. I can press the button repeatedly, but nothing happens. This prevents me from saving my progress, quitting the game normally, or changing any settings to try and fix the problem. I’m stuck until I force-quit the application or shut down my computer.

Similar to the issue with building, the game won’t save before you quit, meaning you’ll lose a significant amount of your progress every time.

I’ve run into this issue a few times, and my usual fix is to wait for the game to automatically save, then restart my computer. This helps me avoid losing too much progress, and it gives the game a fresh start.

Okay, so this game definitely gave me some frustrating moments – honestly, a few times I was pulling my hair out! But I’m trying not to be *too* critical. It’s a really ambitious game, and when you’re trying to do a lot, things are bound to go wrong here and there. I’m confident the devs will patch things up soon, so I don’t think these problems will ruin the experience for long.

It’s not a glitch, but it’s funny to watch Delphin run on the beach every morning. He doesn’t run for exercise—it looks like he’s desperately fleeing for his life! It’s hilarious when you chase after him for a quest, because for a moment, you feel like you’re the one doing the chasing, like a character in a horror movie, and it’s surprisingly satisfying.

An Island Adventure Worth Diving Into

Even with a few problems, I still think Starsand Island is worth checking out and would recommend it to others.

This game is clearly made with passion and care. It’s full of lively characters, engaging environments, and beautifully detailed landscapes that seem to go on forever.

This game is beautiful to look at, incredibly endearing, and so fun you’ll want to play it again and again. It’s the type of game that stays enjoyable even after many playthroughs.

It’s not perfect, of course. Like all games, it still has some problems.

While the game’s aiming can be a little tricky, the huge world can make getting around tiring, and you might occasionally run into bugs that require a restart, I still believe Starsand Island is a game you should try.

I absolutely loved playing this game. Every night, I couldn’t wait to pick it up again the next day. Starsand Island gave me the same joyful feeling I had when I first discovered Minecraft as a child.

It reminded me what I originally loved about cozy stories: their ability to beautifully portray the freedom we all desire as adults—the chance to create a life on our own terms, without anyone holding us back.

Starsand Island feels like a warm hug for anyone who loves video games. It captures the joy of gaming and creates a welcoming environment to rediscover that feeling. While not completely polished, its imperfections actually make it feel more genuine and lovingly crafted, rather than overly manufactured.

If you want a relaxing and immersive game to really get lost in, Starsand Island is it.

Closing Comments:

Starsand Island offers a wonderfully relaxing and immersive experience. Its charming world is full of life, with endless activities and friendly characters to discover. While not perfect, it’s a truly enjoyable place to explore, boasting a beautiful, lively atmosphere and a surprising amount of heart – making it the perfect choice for anyone seeking a cozy and unforgettable adventure.

2025-10-15 01:14