Escape. That’s why we play video games, to escape our dreary existence. And there’s no better form of escape than to live on an exotic island and build a new life for yourself.

You only have to look at the incredible success of Animal Crossing (although helped by a global pandemic, granted) to see that gamers yearn for adventure, the opportunity to feel earth between your fingers planting tomatoes, and the smooth texture of wood as you craft it into yet another bedside table.

But if you feel that Animal Crossing may be a limiting experience after a while, then you’re cordially invited to Starsand Island.

You create a character to live in a small house in Hopeland, on the island of Starsand. It’s basic accommodation, that needs some TLC, but it has potential.

There’s a small plot of land that can be farmed, as you attempt to grow various vegetables.

When you wander into town, you will meet the various islanders, who are all very friendly, and are often keen to give you a gift just from chatting.

And as you get to know them, they will offer you various quests and trials, which will help you progress. This will allow you to become proficient in various areas, such as fishing, crafting, exploring etc.

You will also get very acquainted with the worktable, which you will need to craft items, tools, weapons etc, as well as the odd bedside table if you still yearn to do so.

So off you go, with your tools, cutting down trees, mining for metals and minerals, and exploring the very picturesque island.

One little curiosity you will soon encounter is when you enter the Moonlit Forest, which is like a gentle upside-down world experience, unlike the rest of the island. It’s made curious by the fact its existence isn’t explained, it’s just...there.

It’s a place you will have to visit and explore regularly, as your progress through Starsand is very much tied to it.

It’s also the only place where peril exists with creatures set on attacking you. They are not the most menacing of foes, at least not initially, and can be taken care of easily enough. The difficulty went up a surprising notch or three about halfway through it however, encountering what seemed a Pokémon inspired creature, who ended up actually killing us. A few times. This was basically down to a jump up to actually monitoring the foe’s attack pattern, as it has a tell for a weakness, and using the correct ammo for your weapon. It’s certainly a rush of blood in terms of gameplay is concerned, and certainly a break from your watering plants, etc duties.

The learning curve is quite manageable, but it does become a little tricksy the deeper you go, when whole list of items are needed to progress, with lists within lists, can become quite puzzling.

Still, you do have a literal guiding light to follow to your next part of your task, if you need it, which certainly helps with the overall grind.

It is a deep game, that you can see yourself falling into, but you can also take time out from any challenge, even swap it over with another ongoing one at any time, or simply just hang out in town, or just go do a bit of fishing to relax, as is the cosy game ethos.

It’s also a game that has enough of the regular cosy game DNA to hook fans of the genre immediately, but also add a nice amount of originality, such visiting Moonlit Forest, to make it a unique experience.

If you are a fan of cosy games in general, and perhaps looking for something with a bit more substance to it, then Starsand Island might well be the next new home for you.