Summary
- Starsand Island is a new farming game on Kickstarter that looks like an anime-inspired take on Stardew Valley.
- It offers a peaceful sandbox experience with farming, fishing, combat, exploration, and a romance system.
- The game is aiming for a Q4 2025 release and has already raised $65,000 of its $100,000 funding goal.
A new Kickstarter game, Starsand Island, is a farming-sim experience resembling Stardew Valley, but with an anime-style twist. Starsand Island promises to feature the cozy, relaxing gameplay experience that games like Stardew Valley offer, but with a unique visual style closer to that of Studio Ghibli movies.
Stardew Valley has inspired numerous games since its appearance in the video game industry. The indie farm sim developed by ConcernedApe offers such unique, relaxing, and charming gameplay that it became a cornerstone of the genre and a massively celebrated title, whose popularity never seems to fade despite the passing years. Many developers have ventured into creating their own Stardew Valley-like titles, featuring all sorts of different spins on the formula—from introducing sci-fi and cowboy themes to adding new mechanics—though always making their source of inspiration clear. Now, a new title inspired by ConcernedApe’s game is on the horizon.
Cozy New Steam Game Looks Like Stardew Valley Meets Mineraft
A newly released Steam game channels survival and life sim elements into something reminiscent of both Minecraft and Stardew Valley.
At first glance, Starsand Island looks like Stardew Valley meets Studio Ghibli, and while the game clearly seems to draw inspiration from both, it also promises some unique elements. Developed by Seed Lab, Starsand Island (currently raising funds through Kickstarter) is a “cozy life simulation sandbox” game set on a subtropical paradise where its inhabitants live in “harmony with nature and the ocean,” featuring distinct seasons. Seed Lab’s goal with the game is to create a truly peaceful experience where players can relax, spending time with the game and the island itself.
Starsand Island Is a Stardew Valley-Style Farming Game With Anime Flair
Like many other farming-sim games, Starsand Island gives players the option to become in-game farmers, cultivating crops, working in the fields, and taking care of their animals. But that’s not all the game offers; players can also choose to become explorers, investigating the island’s ruins and jungle, learn the ropes of fishing and spend their time catching a variety of fish, learn combat skills to face off against different creatures, or spend time building the island with many customization options. Seed Lab wants players to find their own way and rhythm to play it using the many features of the game. “Starsand Island isn't just a game for us; it's a reflection of our own life philosophy,” the developer wrote.
One important feature the developer has highlighted is the romantic aspect of the game, which—much like Stardew Valley’s romance system—will introduce multiple romanceable characters, each with unique behavior patterns and personal backstories, who can join the player’s life as partners. Starsand Island has already raised $65,000 of its $100,000 goal and is aiming for a Q4 2025 release window.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
- Released
- February 26, 2016
- ESRB
- E for Everyone (Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco)
- Developer(s)
- ConcernedApe
- Publisher(s)
- ConcernedApe
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- Stardew Valley does not currently support crossplay between different consoles and PC
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Simulation
