I was stunned by the amount of content in the demo of Starsand Island. And it all took place in a magnificent setting. Wow! I’m very excited for the full game.
The Backstory of Starsand Island
This game uses the familiar theme of a city dweller moving to the country. In Starsand Island, Leah who is the city dweller, actually grew up on the island and has returned to manage her grandfather’s home and property. She’s met by her old friend Solara, and as I played the demo, I encountered other old friends from my childhood. Solara had me find some items and helped me repair my Grandfather’s worktable. I can now use it to create things I need.
The Atmosphere of Starsand Island
Starsand Island is a beautiful and huge place. The soundtrack is soft and soothing, and the visuals are colorful and gorgeous. I loved every minute I spent there. I noticed that the devs put a glimmer near items I need to find, and I liked that a lot!
I was able to customize my character as I began the game, and I was also able to decorate my cottage. Later on, when I had some money, I could buy clothing and accessories. There are many different regions of Stardew Island. So far, I have seen an ocean area with boats and docks, and a ranch with an assortment of cool animals. There’s also a cute little town centre filled with quaint shops staffed by interesting NPCs and other areas I never even got to after over 4 hours of demo gameplay. (I saw them on my map, but I was too busy to explore them!)
I could talk to just about everyone on Starsand Island, and there were a lot of people!! There were all the local residents, plus tourists and other visitors, in this lovely spot. (I spoke with a visiting hot springs user and an agricultural specialist, to name a few!) I even got some quests from the tourists, which was interesting to me, I don’t believe I’ve run into that in other games before.
There was a bulletin board in the centre of the village with daily tasks I could choose from. And it seems there were always things for me to find. One of my favorite things to do was to clean up areas!! I’d see a display of items that were glittering, and I’d just press A on my controller to tidy the area. I would get a little gift for doing this, one time it was a piece of gold! Wow.
The Gameplay of Starsand Island
The tutorial was presented as needed, so I wasn’t overwhelmed with information. I appreciate that! Many aspects of the UI were also always present on the screen, something else I always appreciate. Starsand Island presented a lot of its information as if it had been sent to a phone. So there was a phone screen with tons of apps which explain and inform. For example, there was an “app” which told me the contents of my bag, as well as a pretty informative “help” button.
The “Journey app” was especially helpful and was full of things I should know. There are even more tabs within this “app” which give additional information. It’s all so helpful.
Choosing a Profession in Starsand Island
There were 5 professions to choose from in the demo of Starsand Island. These are farming, exploration, fishing, ranching and crafting. I chose to try the fishing profession because I always liked fishing in sim games. In Starsand Island, the fishing was a lot of fun!! It was challenging and yet not so hard that I got frustrated. I could choose one, two, three, four or all of the professions; it’s up to me how I want to play the game. I really think that!
Other Interesting Aspects of the Game
The island was quite large, so there were motorcycles and cars that I could rent. Driving them saved a lot of time, and was pretty easy and fun. I could also swim in the various water areas in Starsand Island, but only for a limited time, or my energy ran out. I actually did not test the implications of that, but I assume I would end up back at my house, and I’ve lost time.
There was so much to do every day in Starsand Island!! There were large quests that I could complete, small errands I could run, exploring to do, and I could always work towards my profession. I could choose what I wanted to do and when I wanted to do it. The tasks on the bulletin board do have expiration dates, but there’s no penalty if I don’t complete them. There was a day/night cycle to be aware of; I must be in bed by 2 am or there would be mild consequences. If this happened 3 days in a row, then I would lose an entire day because I’d have to sleep through it to catch up. I don’t believe I lose items, though.
I could mark locations on the map and track which way I should be heading. And after I completed a quest, there was on-screen advice of what to do next and where to go. Also, there’s a public crafting table in town in case I didn’t want to trudge all the way home to craft something. There were numerous fishing spots to choose from, too. There were animals to feed, pet and adopt. There was so much to do in Starsand Island!
But Wait, There’s More!
I didn’t explore these at all, so I’ll just touch on them briefly. There is a building component to Starsand Island. From what I read, you will be able to custom-build structures of any shape. There is also a romance component to the game, which I didn’t have any time to explore! Trust me, there’s a ton of content in this game! I played for over 4 hours and still didn’t see all of the game features.
Final Thoughts
The level of detail in the game is fantastic! Here are two examples. First, there is a hotel in the game, and I could enter and inspect the empty guest rooms! Second, there are familiar red emergency call boxes scattered in the environment. (They don’t work, but they sure look cool!) There are also vending machines which I could use to buy snacks or drinks. I could go on and on about how wonderfully detailed this map is, but I encourage you to try the demo and see for yourself!
The demo for Starsand Island lasts 5 in-game days and does not transfer to the full game. It took me over 4 hours to complete the demo. I plan to play it again, choose a different profession, and explore the world some more. There are two save slots in the demo. I’m not sure if there will be more in the full game, but two is enough for me.
I loved this game, but there’s one thing that gives me pause. According to the Steam page, Starsand Island has combat. I do not like combat, so I’ve asked on the Discord channel if it can be avoided. At this point, I have been told I can play (or not play) any area or feature that I choose. So one option I could choose is to skip the regions with combat. I have done this in other games. I may miss out on some areas of the island, but there’s so much content that I doubt I’ll even notice. I was also told the combat is not difficult, so I could choose to try it and hope for the best. One more option is that combat could possibly be made optional in the full game. This is the option I’d choose. The idea has been presented to the devs, but at the time of this writing, there has been no final decision made. If you enjoy combat, you will love every aspect of this game! If you don’t, there are options.
Starsand Island will release in Early Access on Feb 1, 2026 and is projected to be a full release in the first quarter of 2026. I’m looking forward to the release of the full game; it will definitely be in my library one day soon.
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