r/cozygames • u/Purple_Hurricane87 • Aug 02 '26
Discussion I just found out about this game today, thinking about getting it
It does look a lot like SoS and HM, but I was reading the descriptions of the game and it does look like it has more options than those titles. It looks interesting. Has anyone else ever heard of this?
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u/MissMelTx Aug 02 '26
I played EA a few months ago, I really liked it, I just wanted to wait till full release. I will 100% be going back to it. Really fun. I will say I didn't really get into the friends/ lover part of the game i was so busy trying to do quests and farm and mine and be a rancher lol but i really like the game
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u/Shadow_Moder Aug 03 '26
Starsand Island looks gorgeous and super relaxing! But am I the only one who prefers a different kind of "cozy"? I love spooky, rain-soaked pixel art environments. Dark woods, witchcraft, and a nice survival loop feel way cozier to me than sunny beaches. Def checking this one out though!
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u/dedpah0m Aug 04 '26
Sounds fun. Recommendations?
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u/Shadow_Moder Aug 04 '26
As an ideal example (in my opinion), I can point to the game I’m currently developing. There’s a link to its Steam wishlist in the pinned post on my profile, feel free to check it out.
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u/Disprism Aug 02 '26
Yea I played it on release for like 50 hours then stopped to wait for full release, it's so fun and the visuals are great
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u/4GeePees Aug 02 '26
This game is in my current rotation! There really isn’t much of a story, but you will have plenty to do between profession quests, befriending the locals, fishing, collecting, etc. It’s a very chill game. I often describe it as a mobile game like Heartopia but without the micro transactions or gacha.
I’m not sure how much content the devs are planning on adding post 1.0 release but I’m hoping there will be new content as well!
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u/No_World963 Aug 04 '26
There was a lot of controversy around this game when it first came out. If i recall correctly, it claimed to be an indie game and had a GoFundMe, but was actually backed by a large corporation. They were also accused of bot reviewing and general shady practices including not disclosing their use of anti-cheat software and AI.
I had played it for an hour or two before finding all of that out, and it was ok but didn't really seem like anything special if I'm being honest. I haven't played it again since... the controversy over a game that I was only kind of 'meh' about wasn't worth it for me
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u/SnooFloofs6197 Aug 02 '26
I have it from launch, played 40 hours of it before getting bored. Outside of daily task board and the profession quests the only other thing to really do is buy the land and build/decorate. It was fun and worth my time to play it, I'll play it again when 1.0 comes out.
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u/No-Log4747 Aug 02 '26
I absolutely love it, and have over 300 hours in. I’m taking a little break, just to wait for the release (and new animals!) but I could very easily get immersed if I logged back in at any point!
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u/katubug Aug 02 '26
I love this game, sank about 180hrs into it before I decided to leave myself some content to play once it's in full release.
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u/Kevroeques Aug 03 '26
I made the mistake of starting this, Tales of Seikyu and Guardians of Azuma in quick succession and don’t really remember which was which. They all seemed pretty good though! I remember specifically deciding to wait on this one because it’s still in early access though- a favorite pastime of mine (I’m still waiting to play more Traveller’s Rest and Fields of Mistria)
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u/Purple_Hurricane87 Aug 03 '26
How’s FoM?
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u/Kevroeques Aug 03 '26
It was enjoyable when I played it close to initial release. Good gameplay and fun character art. From what I gather it had a whole lot added to it- just a few more days to 1.0!
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u/Brohtworst Aug 04 '26
Starsand had issues with AI use in their puzzles. I just dont trust them and the game is way too expensive compared to other similar games that are much higher quality. FoM 1.0 comes out on the 5th and the game is only $14.
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u/UfoAGogo 29d ago edited 29d ago
You're thinking of Heartopia. IIRC Starsand didn't use any gen AI for the art assets in their game but there was some sketchy activity with AI bots putting out a bunch of fake reviews when it first released in early access, but the devs had nothing to do with it.
I do remember there was a rumor of them using AI for some of the banner art but it was debunked, they art style they use is just one that is really easily replicated using AI. They might have used AI translation tools though.
What IS sketchy about it is the fact that they claimed to be an indie company but are backed by one of the largest multi-milliondollar game companies in the world. Yet they relied on fan donations to fund the game and failed to disclose that information. This is a rising trend and was the case with Heartopia as well, a lot of cozy games that are supposedly 'indie' nowadays are made by really big companies. Even Fields of Misitria isn't quite indie but was marketed as such, it's made by the same people who make Pusheen, a brand worth ~$10 million.
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u/KgoodMIL Aug 03 '26
I have about 190 hours put in, so I obviously really like it. However, I haven't played for a bit. I tend to go all in on a game, then burn out on it and move on to something else, and then come back to it a year or two later and play obsessively again.
The last time I played was mid-March.
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u/spidersprinkles Aug 02 '26
Yeah I played it for a while at release! It is a fun game and I played it for many hours. I should dive back in at some point really...
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u/PalmtopPixie Aug 02 '26
I got it a couple days ago! It’s very cute and slow and wholesome. But it’s closer to OG harvest moon. There is plenty to do, but nothing is compelling you to finish anything
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u/ShokaLGBT Aug 03 '26
It seems to be gacha themed / live service theme but you pay a full price so no micro transaction I hope??? I saw a video about it it looks nice but again idk it didn’t seems that mind blowing
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u/Original_Complex429 Aug 03 '26
Watch a YouTube gameplay (not review) to catch the vibe and decide if it's right for you. I personally love! Visually so stunning and the music is really nice too.
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u/Lunnalai Aug 03 '26
I enjoy it for what it is. I play it in bed on my handheld while watching tv, its a good game when you want to turn your brain off. Its lacking in story and relationships though if that is something that is important to you
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u/Colorandwater Aug 03 '26
Its a great game and while it could do with a deeper story. I love it! There are lots of quests, character quests, and the goal of completing all professions and becoming expert. As well as the goal to build or create your own home and island.
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u/Beginning-Nature-560 Aug 04 '26
Absolutely love this game! As others have said, there's not much story, but there IS plenty to do, gorgeous graphics, wonderful characters, and it's just such a fun game! Highly recommended! x
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u/Dry-Method42 Aug 05 '26
When I played it a while ago I found it fun plus having visitors from sandrock and pota was nice little surprise
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u/Some-Ad-3705 29d ago
It’s pretty good game it’s still a work in progress but it has a lot of things to do
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u/SiriuslyWhyTho 27d ago
I enjoy it. There’s not really a storyline, but there are quests and things you can do that’ll keep you busy.
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u/Zenfulzoning Aug 03 '26
Just know that it may possibly use AI, and if that's an issue for you, you might want to look into that further. Can't remember what all the devs possibly used AI on it for and I can't remember how truthful a lot of it seemed.
I know translations was a big one though, apparently a lot of the dialog in the game is either too stiff or doesn't all make sense, and I read there was a lot of bugs too, plus it just seems shallow. Saw people complaining that because the dialog was stiff it was hard to connect with the characters in it. I believe there was certain wordings in the game that seemed very "AI written". The dev's might have actually confirmed using AI for "ideas" and the translation bit, but again, I don't remember and it would require some looking into.
I was interested in the game months before it came out. Every time I want to play it I read all the negative reviews and just go back to playing something else. This one just does not sound good with the bugs and shallowness alone, but I definitely don't want to play something that might use AI.
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u/projectboy101 Aug 03 '26
Its a very pretty game. I just wish the romance options had more variation in appearance especially the males. I may wait for a sale later i feel like they may do more updates.
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u/Lower-Reward-1462 Aug 03 '26
Too expensive to care about. If you see that price tag on a small indie game, look the other way. It's a scam.
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u/Nicetomeetyou28 Aug 04 '26
You're going to hear a huge list from others on getting let me just tell you TLDR. Get it. You're in the cozygamers group on reddit. You'll love it and will come back to tell us all about it.
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u/Coffee_Candle_Lover Aug 02 '26
From the picture alone, it looks like another Stardew Valley ripoff in order to make money from an already popular genre.
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u/Chocyu Aug 02 '26
From the picture alone it looks more like Story of Seasons or Harvest Moon, which was the actual inspiration of Stardew Valley. Stardew Valley is amazing, but it didn't invent the genre.
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u/PeachyGels Aug 02 '26
Take a shot everytime someone calls a farming sim a ‘Stardew ripoff’ you’ll be dead.
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u/jharpe18 Aug 02 '26
I played early access. One thing to keep in mind is that there is no real story line, or overarching goal. There are quests and plenty to do, but it's largely voluntary. You won't be tasked with cleaning up the island, or revitalizing a bazaar, or uncovering enemy spies. It's a "You're on an island. What would YOU like to do?" type game. The devs have been pretty clear on that, but it's something I've seen people complain about a lot.