Inspired by the beautiful worlds of the anime studio and cozy life sims like Stardew Valley. Starsand Island could become an insider tip for genre fans
The films of the Japanese animation studio Ghibli have also won many loyal fans in this country. No wonder, the beautifully painted worlds invite you to explore them yourself (let’s leave out The Last Fireflies for a moment).
It’s a shame that there are only a few games so far that spread the same mood – apart from the role-playing game Ni No Kuni, which Ghibli itself worked on. However, a new life simulation has now been unveiled that was clearly inspired by the animated works and wants to win you over with cozy gameplay: We present what is known about Starsand Island so far
Starsand Island mixes Ghibli and Stardew Valley
“This is an island world inspired by the wondrous style of Ghibli, where you can leave the burdens of everyday life behind and enjoy the peace and beauty of your own paradise”. According to the official description from the developers:
You’ll build your own little farm, plant fruits and vegetables, cook delicious food, walk on the beach (and maybe find washed-up treasures) and meet the many characters who inhabit the nearby town and can make friends with you. This sounds a lot like Kiki’s Little Delivery Service, Totoro and the quiet sections from The Walking Castle.
So far, that sounds pretty standard for Life Sims, but Starsand wants to go a bit further: For example, the game should allow you to create your own murals, customize sounds to your liking and even program interactive items yourself
Of course, we can’t say at this point how this will actually play and how extensive the promised freedoms will be, as Starsand Island has only just been unveiled. The release is planned for the 4th quarter of next year. The release is planned for Q4 next year, so October 2025 at the earliest. You can already add the game to your wishlist on Steam .
Let’s use these article credits to answer a frequently asked question: Is it now pronounced “Gibli” or “Dschibli”? The answer is not so simple: in Japanese it is pronounced “Dsch”. But the name comes from the Italian aircraft model Ghibli, which is pronounced with a “G”. And this title in turn comes from (Libyan) Arabic, meaning something like “summer wind in the desert” and is vocalized as “qibiliy”.
So you can just take your pick, both are somehow correct.