Starsand Island | Debut Trailer at TGS 2025 – A Journey of Soulful and Cozy – YouTube
You can pick up professions like exploring and fishing, accept quests that unfold almost like JRPG missions, and build relationships that deepen over time. It brought to mind Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time — a comparison I don’t make lightly — and I can already see myself leveling skills, farming specific materials from mini-dungeons, and debating whether a wooden nightstand clashes with my wallpaper.
The game’s anime-influenced visuals are immediately striking. Where Fields of Mistria leaned into retro shojo tones, Starsand Island favors a softer, painterly aesthetic closer to modern anime-inspired RPGs. Character models — including a highly customizable protagonist — are expressive and endearing, the island’s settlements are lovingly detailed, and animals wag and wiggle in a delightful way. A few zones feel oddly sparse, though that can suit quieter stretches of wilderness, and this is still just a demo. I did notice some light pop-in, occasional animation hitches, and longer load times that I hope will be smoothed out before the full release slated for Q1 2026.
I tried the exploration vocation first to sample the light combat — which, for now, mostly amounts to plinking at cursed bunnies with a slingshot. For short-range, snackable ranged combat in a deceptively cute sandbox, it works better than I expected. The trailer hints at a bow, proper boss encounters, and a skill tree with combat perks like faster charge times and defensive buffs, so there’s reason to be optimistic about deeper combat options down the line.
Overall, Starsand Island delivered precisely what I wanted: an anime-tinged Stardew-like experience with fresh ideas of its own. It’s elevated by its visuals and design, not just aesthetic charm, and for fans of cozy, leisurely sims it could feel like an extended long weekend — relaxing, rewarding, and easy to lose hours in.
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Source: gamesradar.com
