Some Japanese devs played Stardew Valley and loved it, but wanted something more "carefree" – now their anime life sim RPG is tearing up Steam Next Fest, and it's hard to put down

If you confronted the barely restrained cynicism in my mind and challenged it to vat-grow a Steam Next Fest hit, an anime life sim RPG would probably be near the top of the list of candidates. It’s a cozy, popular, and relatively forgiving genre, so in a sense it’s no surprise that – wait for it – anime life sim RPG Starsand Island is proving very popular in the latest Steam demo blowout. That being said, it’s also quite fun to play and has some of the best art I’ve seen in the genre, making it a clear standout in a saturated space.

Starsand Island had a massive Kickstarter earlier this year, with Japanese developer Seed Lab earning over $300,000 all told, and now its Steam Next Fest demo is rolling in over 600 user reviews tallying 87% positive. I’ve given it a go myself, and even as someone who’s generally neutral on life sim games, I have to admit it is very charming and quick to get its hooks in you.

That may sound counter to the “carefree” thesis that Seed Lab proposed, inspired by the likes of Stardew Valley and My Time at Portia but also left hungry for a more “‘do-what-I-want’ country life” set on a fantasy island, but what I mean is that Starsand Island is compelling. It lays out a zillion goals for you to approach as you please, and gives you the tools to make a zillion more on your own.

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There are professions like exploring and fishing to learn, quests to accept and complete almost JRPG-style, and relationships to form and progress. It reminds me a bit of Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, which is still a dark horse 2025 game of the year contender for me, and that is no small praise. Already, I can see myself leveling up professions, grinding mini-dungeons or bosses for certain materials, and agonizing over whether the wooden nightstand clashes with the wallpaper in my little house.

The distinctly anime art style is an immediate head-turner. Where Fields of Mistria channeled 80s and 90s shojo anime, Starsand Island nails a softer, painterly vibe closer to the likes of Genshin Impact. Character models, including your highly customizable protagonist, are cute and expressive. The island city is lovingly detailed and animals are adorably wiggly. A few areas feel bizarrely barren by comparison, but I suppose you do need some calm stretches of wilderness, and this is only a demo. Speaking of which, I noticed some mild pop-in, animation hitching, and occasional long load times that will hopefully be improved in the full release due Q1 2026.

I chased down the exploration vocation first to test out the light combat, which so far boils down to shooting cursed bunnies with a slingshot. For snacky third-person ranged attacks in an outwardly cute sandbox game, it’s honestly not bad. I’m told I’ll get a bow soon, the trailer shows off some proper bosses, and there’s a skill tree with combat bonuses like reduced charge times and a damage shield, so I think we might actually be cooking.

So far, Starsand Island feels exactly as I’d hoped: like an anime Stardew Valley with some good ideas of its own that’s elevated, but not carried by a striking aesthetic. For the right kind of cozy game glutton, I suspect it will hit like a three-day weekend after a long week.

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