With Starsand Island getting into Steam’s Subsequent Fest from Oct 13 to Oct 20, I had the prospect to test it out myself after following the sport since its Kickstarter part.
The anime-style artwork mixed with its cozy farming simulator nature already had me intrigued, but it surely wasn’t till I received to play the sport that I noticed its charming potential.
Whereas There Are Nonetheless A Lot of Issues to Enhance, Starsand Island Has the Potential to be the Finest Cozy Sport of 2026
Whereas I solely performed Starsand Island for just a few hours throughout Steam’s Subsequent Fest, I instantly noticed the appeal within the sport with its whimsical city, lovable pets, and flavorful characters.
By simply enjoying the sport for just a few hours and following its major goals or missions, you may already see the depth of Starsand Island. Since your “menu” goes by your cellphone, apps are affected by teasers on what you may anticipate all through your time in Starsand Island.
Opening the Islandpedia alone and over 1,395 completely different collectible objects from classes akin to farming, foraging, livestock, crafting, cooking, and residential decorations. In the event you dive a bit deeper, you’ll even discover certificates, buffs, modes of transportation, and extra. It even has some automated blueprint options the place you may stockpile hundreds of supplies to immediately construct a pre-made Homestead or perhaps a huge Pool Houseboat.
You’ll be able to already see potential neighborhood submissions of their superior art work for gamers to repeat or observe.
I’m already in awe at how stunning the sport seems to be, and to see the way it has a lot depth already ought to make cozy players excited for its Q1 2026 launch.
Nonetheless, it’s nonetheless a number of months away from launch, and there’s loads of enchancment to be finished. General, the sport feels clunky and typically a bit awkward. First, the gathering and foraging actions really feel off, as performing actions isn’t as fluid as you’d need for a farming sim.
Second, the motion with the skateboard additionally feels clunky with each little bump on the street inflicting an annoying drop animation if you roll by them.
Third, the construct management mechanics don’t really feel intuitive. The constructing course of, from selecting an merchandise, putting it on a particular spot, and rotating the merchandise, feels sluggish.
Nonetheless, these aren’t massive deal breakers, particularly after seeing how in-depth the sport is already. Hopefully, there might be some optimistic modifications over the following few months earlier than their launch in Q1 2025, which they’re concentrating on for a February 1, 2026, launch.
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