Starsand Island Recensie (Xbox Series X|S & PC)

Starsand Island pours its heart and soul into checking every box on the dossier with its Ghibli-inspired life and farming modules, yet fails to grasp one of the most important aspects: a story that you genuinely want to sit down and talk about. It’s a visually striking game that has a lot to show for its lack of plot points and character progression, but more often than not, its greatest weakness also poses as a problem that no amount of glitter or seaside charm can fix. Don’t get me wrong, it is, in spite of its rather hollow body, an excellent alternative for therapy. Yet, I can’t help but feel that there’s something missing from this all-in-one sun-kissed world.

I’ll admit, Starsand Island is awfully quick to pull you into its natural habitat and give you something to look forward to. With as little as a capybara on a lounger, a joyful medley of seaside memories, and a beautiful art style that captures the essence of a Ghibli flick, it finds a way to wrangle your attention and bundle you with a protagonist to mold and customize. After that, it takes a brief moment to introduce you to its world, its suite of cosmetics—clothes, accessories, and hairstyles, for example—and its characters. The island becomes your oyster, and before long you find yourself with all the time in the world to do, well, whatever makes you happy.

To echo, there isn’t much of a storyline for you to sink your sand-smothered knuckles into here. In fact, once you arrive at the titular island as a wayward resident, you essentially have the opportunity to forge your own path. Sure, a neighbor might introduce you to various aspects of cozy island culture, but for the most part, it falls to you to find your own place in its world. And to be honest, that can be both a blessing and a curse here. For fans of laid-back sandbox games that favor nonlinear gameplay tropes, it’s sweet, sweet nectar. But for those who crave a purpose, Starsand Island falls flat as a directionless experience that doesn’t give you a lot to go on.

The opening chapters of the game are undoubtedly reminiscent of a traditional farming simulation game, in that you spend your time hacking at trees in your sandals, collecting fibers from the local shrubs, and onboarding a dozen mobile applications that both document and reward your milestones. As you apply for a profession—Crafting, Ranching, Farming, Fishing, or Exploration, naturally—the world begins to reveal its adorable smile. The crafting process begins to take shape, and little by little, that obscured hideaway at the far end of the woods begins to feel more like home. The tropical island welcomes you as its newest guest, and before long you find yourself as a small cog on an incredibly large wheel.

The good news here is that, despite there being little to no plot, the game has a huge selection of jobs and professions, blueprints and biomes to unlock. With a stamp system, a skill tree, and a recipe book that can leave you aimlessly exploring for hours, the game itself clearly has an abundance of tasks for you to chase at your own pace. To add, it features bulletin boards that you can interact with for side quests, mopeds and lavish vehicles that you can purchase and drive, and a whole host of neighbors who you can befriend and ultimately “bond” with in a romantic way. The point is, you always have something to find on the island. The only thing that you don’t have, really, is an endgame.

From a gameplay standpoint, Starsand Island plays out in a similar fashion as most farming games of its kind. Case in point, if you’re not foraging for materials to craft blueprints and expand your homestead, then you’re out exploring the nooks and crannies of the island, either fishing, questing, or, on occasions, battling monsters that lurk deep within the forest. And that brings me back to the initial point that, lack of depth in its plot aside, the game itself checks a lot of boxes. It’s a platforming game, a life simulator, and a Ghibli-themed sandbox all bundled into one.

Aside from a couple of teething issues and the general fact that the gameplay often lags or fails to generate environments on time, most of the experience is fluid and easy to understand. With enough signposts, quest markers and, of course, applications to highlight your progress, the odds of bumping into a roadblock are pretty slim, all things considered. Again, you might not have an ultimate goal to accomplish, though you do have enough chores and activities to keep you busy during your time on the island. To that end, I’d say that it makes for a brilliant open-world game that has more than enough material to occupy your mind.

Of course, if you can gloss over the fact that you’re not the main character in this world, but a pawn who can follow a tether that has no knot to tie it all together, then you shouldn’t find an issue with pouring forty or fifty hours into Starsand Island. Visually, it’s about as charming as life and farming simulation games come. The lack of depth dampens the mood I’ll admit, but for what it’s worth, I will say that there is a fantastic game to harmonize with here. A perfect game, no — but a game that can you keep you thoroughly engaged for the long haul, nonetheless.

Verdict

Starsand Island checks all but one of its target boxes, with a brilliantly crafted Ghibli-inspired simulation module that has all of the blissful details and chore core trappings of a long-lasting game. Its lack of a plot might detract the attention of those who want a story-driven experience with rich character development arcs I’ll admit. But, for those who enjoy the act of taking a breather from the outside world to unwind in a haven that has no formal boundaries, it ought to feel like an ideal place to wipe your feet and hang your coat.

Suffice it to say that, if games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons or My Time at Sandrock are to your liking, then there’s a good chance that you’ll enjoy rolling with the tide in Starsand Island. It’s simple, wholesome, and above all, a sandbox with enough weight and padding to keep you busy for dozens of hours. What more could you want?