10 Features that Make Starsand Island Feel like a New Cozy Trendsetter

Cozy games have had several hits that went on to influence the genre's next generation. Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley stand out as some of the most influential cozy games because of their concepts, characters, and features that make their gameplay loop addictive.

Starsand Island stands as a game that could define the next generation of cozy games. It includes so many quality-of-life features that improve gameplay and vibes that just make it pleasant to exist in, as well as other features that encourage beautiful builds, relationships, and island development. Here are some of the features that make Starsand Island a good bet for the future.

10 Comforting Weather

Rain Can Be Cozy

Weather is often just an aesthetic aspect of cozy games, but also includes lightning that makes it feel hazardous to be outside. Starsand Island's weather remains mild all year round, and even the rain is gentle.

Making the weather as gentle and cozy as the rest of the game is a feature that other cozy games could continue. Rain has the potential to be the coziest type of weather that makes you want to curl up indoors with a hot cup of tea and a book. Leaning into this instead of making the rain feel hazardous would be wonderful for future cozy games.

9 Different Transport Options

Travel Any Way You Want

Starsand Island is a big place that stretches beyond its shores. Luckily, it has a bunch of different transportation options that are effective and varied, meaning there's something for everyone and for every different taste. Rollerblades, skateboards, scooters, actual cars, jet skis, speedboats, animal mounts of all kinds, and even simply fast travel via bus stops are options for getting around.

Aside from the sheer variety and convenience of having a faster way to get around, these different options offer the opportunity for roleplaying and storytelling, turning a common cozy game feature into something a bit more meaningful. I love getting around on my rollerblades partially because it lets me pick an environmentally friendly transport option that also lets me experience the island.

8 Easy Combat

Monsters are No Longer a Barrier

Combat is a feature of many cozy games, despite the clash with the genre. Because they're all cozy games, combat is usually simple and with no permadeath. Enemies can be aggressive and falling unconscious can have consequences, such as losing money or valuable resources like in Stardew Valley.

Starsand Island's combat is incredibly easy, with only one enemy per area. The enemies have just one or two attack patterns that can easily be dodged, and can be brought down with just a few attacks of your own. The only wall comes when you need to upgrade your weapons from the slingshot to the bow and specialized arrows, but this upgrade makes the preceding monsters even easier to defeat.

7 Save Anywhere, Anytime

You Control the Narrative

Cozy games often work on a 20-hour cycle, with the day beginning at 6am and ending at 2am the next morning. Saves are usually automatic, and happen when your character goes to sleep. This means you can reset your day just by restarting, but it also means that you can't just quit whenever you want, and if your game crashes, you lose all progress for it.

Starsand Island lets you save whenever and wherever you want. I was surprised at how much of a difference this made and removed a mental load I didn't even know was there. Being able to save and quit whenever I wanted to instead of having to finish the entire day to save meant Starsand Island shapes itself to my schedule, and not the other way round. This should be adopted by other cozy games.

6 Animal Genetics

Better Ranching

Ranching is standard with many cozy farming games, as the products from animals like eggs, milk, and wool are essential for recipes and crafting. Starsand Island has a lot of animals to raise as your own, but they differ from other farming games in that they have genetics that go beyond simple appearances.

Starsand Island's animals can have a variety of personality traits that make them feel unique if you take the time to get to know them. I love my rabbit who doesn't like being pet, as it sets him apart from everyone else. Other pets are gregarious, or cranky, or are a twin. The genetics system could be pushed farther, but it's a step in the right direction.

5 Including Crossover Characters

Say Hi to Some Familiar Faces

Crossovers are easy to implement but harder to pull off. They can be a great way to make the world feel bigger, see old characters in new contexts and from new perspectives, and can even be simple, fun fanservice. It can fall flat if not implemented correctly, though, and make the world feel smaller.

One of the biggest Easter eggs in Starsand Island is that it lies on a train line between Portia and Sandrock. Beloved NPCs from both Portia and Sandrock visit Starsand Island and become NPCs you can befriend. This has been implemented wonderfully, and makes the world feel bigger by connecting to characters that many players love, while others unfamiliar with the My Time at... games get a decent introduction to these characters. Having cameo NPCs from other similar games is a fun feature and has a lot of potential.

4 Layouts and Building

Building Made Easier

You can buy several properties in Starsand Island, and making each one unique through architectural design is one of my favorite things to do. Some of the building tools are a bit clunky and there's a bit of a learning curve, but the building tools here are far more in-depth than they are in other games, where it's often impossible to design your home beyond a surface level.

Starsand Island also comes with layouts, which function as a template to follow. Placing down the template creates the frame of a pre-designed house and a garden. There are several styles to choose from, and are a great option for those who just don't have the patience or the time to create an elaborate home and garden of their own.

3 Multiple Levels of Crafting

Step-By-Step Perfection

Many cozy games have crafting systems, but few are as robust as Starsand Island's. Each material goes through a refining process, either once or several times, and their end form is what goes into the final crafted product.

This makes Starsand Island's crafting system a multistep process. It's refreshing to see how each component fits into the whole, as if piecing together a puzzle. Another thing that feeds into the crafting system is the storage system I mentioned earlier. Being able to craft without needing to keep track of what material is in which chest is a big help, especially in a game with so many raw components.

2 Furniture Placement in the Mines

Mine Forever

The equivalent of the mines in Starsand Island is the Moonlit Forest. Traversing this space is vital for the Exploration and Crafting professions, and you can expect to spend a lot of time there. Each section has a campsite to unlock, complete with a tent, campfire, and worktable.

The worktable is especially helpful because you can craft furniture and place it right there. Furniture and other placed items won't disappear, making each campsite fully functional whenever you need to do a mining and foraging run. The Moonlit Forest uses a lot of stamina, and being able to place a bench to recover it, or cook meals that replenish health and stamina, is such a game changer. Rather than retreating when you get tired, you can stick around and progress as much as you want.

1 Chest Access

Everything Everywhere All at Once

There's nowhere near enough space to store everything in your bag, and so chests are incredibly important. The sheer number of things you need to have on hand in Starsand Island means you'll have a lot of chests hanging around. This isn't unique to Starsand Island, but it's developed a workaround so you don't have to memorize the contents of every chest or remember to have items in your inventory when completing quests or crafting.

You can access every chest from any other chest, and crafting and fulfilling quests also draw from items in your chests. This is so useful for doing quests especially, as you can just run into someone and complete the quest even if you don't have the required items on you, showing respect for your time.