Stardew Valley meets Studio Ghibli in stunning RPG

Stardew Valley is the definitive farming-sim, there’s no doubt about it. That hasn’t stopped other games from rocking up for a slice of its success though.

Some games get pretty close too, like one called Grave Seasons which I played at Summer Game Fest and really enjoyed. It’s like Stardew Valley but a bit more linear and has an eerie, supernatural vibe to it; it’s about murders after all.

Another game that I think could come close to Stardew Valley’s success though is Starsand Island, and that’s due to the visuals giving serious Studio Ghibli vibes…

If you haven’t experienced a Studio Ghibli film, by the way, you need to sort that out ASAP. They’re a joy and while some are definitely better than others, it feels like there’s a film out there for everyone.

Back to Starsand Island though; it’s a farming-sim, of course, developed by Seed Lab and set on a tropical island.

It looks very cosy and like Stardew Valley, it goes hard with the relationship options, as the player will be able to form friends and romances with a varied cast of characters.

You could argue it’s more of a dating-sim than a farming-sim with how in-depth the relationship system is, and players will surely spend a lot of time wooing their favourite characters before eventually cohabiting with them.

It’s a game for romantics, farming enthusiasts, and those who fancy playing something different after several Stardew Valley save files or a thousand hours on Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

You can check out the trailers online for a taste of what the game will offer when it releases later this year.

At the time of writing, there isn’t an exact release date to speak of just yet, but it’s scheduled for Q4 of 2025 so it shouldn’t be too long of a wait.