Starsand

63%
Game Brain Score Based on 565 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Starsand Game Cover
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"Starsand is a single-player Simulation game with an interesting plot and phenomenal graphics, accompanied by masterful music. Stranded in a desert, your character must survive and find rescue, fighting against the harsh conditions, bugs, and the need for grinding. Despite its flaws, Starsand offers a unique atmosphere that challenges players to persevere."

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

63%
Audience ScoreBased on 565 reviews
story31 positive mentions
grinding34 negative mentions
  • Starsand offers a unique desert survival experience with a captivating atmosphere and engaging exploration.
  • The crafting and resource management systems are enjoyable, allowing players to build and survive creatively.
  • The game has potential for growth, with active developers who are responsive to community feedback and regularly update the game.
  • The game suffers from a lack of content and can feel empty, with long distances between points of interest and limited resources.
  • Combat mechanics are clunky and frustrating, with inconsistent hit detection and overwhelming enemy encounters.
  • The map system is confusing, lacking a player marker, making navigation difficult and leading to frequent disorientation.
  • story108 mentions

    The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it intriguing and well-integrated into the gameplay, while others describe it as linear, bland, and lacking depth. Many appreciate the potential for future story development, but express frustration with the limited guidance and clarity in the narrative. Overall, while the story has its moments, it often feels underdeveloped and disconnected from the gameplay experience.

    • “The story is compact but brilliant from start to finish, and the poignant ending is something that I will remember for a long time.”
    • “Every single piece of the puzzle interlocks in a thoughtful and imaginative way, meshing the gameplay and the story together to make for a truly immersive experience.”
    • “The story is very intriguing, and I feel like the portion of the story that we have now is more than enough to make me come back after release.”
    • “The story is very linear, bland, and overall lacking.”
    • “There is a barebones story told over 3 cutscenes which doesn't really add anything to the experience because it doesn't seem to connect with the player in any way or even be a complete story on its own.”
    • “The end-game portion of the story line was difficult, taking away from some of the gameplay.”
  • gameplay95 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by a mix of simplicity and immersion, with standard survival mechanics that can feel repetitive and clunky. While some players appreciate the atmospheric elements and potential for fun, many criticize the poorly executed mechanics, frustrating tutorials, and lack of depth in crafting and combat systems. Overall, the game shows promise but requires significant polish and content improvements to enhance the player experience.

    • “The gameplay is simple but super immersive—you’ve gotta try it to get it.”
    • “The gameplay is purpose-driven, comes with a relatable story, and allows you a lot of freedom in how to build your life in the sometimes forgiving desert.”
    • “Every single piece of the puzzle interlocks in a thoughtful and imaginative way, meshing the gameplay and the story together to make for a truly immersive experience.”
    • “The gameplay loop is repetitive: explore, hunt, craft, survive—rinse and repeat.”
    • “Even crafting and building feel underwhelming, with clunky mechanics and limited options that don't evolve enough to keep things interesting.”
    • “The environment, feel, and beauty of this game are superb, only to be hobbled by clunky gameplay, unforgiving resource allocation, and a lack of save points.”
  • graphics42 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the stunning visuals and immersive atmosphere, particularly in terms of animal animations and environmental design. However, some users criticize the lack of customization options, poor optimization, and graphical bugs that detract from the overall experience. While the graphics are generally considered good for a Unity engine game, they do not reach new heights compared to other titles in the genre.

    • “The graphics are gorgeous, the animals are well animated, and the ruins are intriguing, particularly the deserted villages.”
    • “The visuals of this game are astounding and paired with the depth of interactivity, this game is worth playing in early access.”
    • “Stunning visuals and immersive, was not expecting this from an early access game.”
    • “The graphics are also really faded and washed out when the sun goes down.”
    • “You cannot alter frame rates or anything like that, and due to the poor optimization it ends up maxing out your graphics card even on the lowest setting.”
    • “They're mostly fine, but lots of graphical issues and bugs.”
  • grinding35 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely described as excessive and tedious, with players noting that much of the gameplay revolves around repetitive tasks like farming, crafting, and transporting materials. While some find enjoyment in the grind, many express frustration with the lack of engaging content and the slow pace, particularly in the endgame, leading to a sense of tedium and a diminished overall experience. Players recommend the game primarily for those who enjoy grind-heavy mechanics and have the patience to endure its repetitive nature.

    • “If you're interested in the concept, you can feel fairly safe about buying it, because while the mechanics are not groundbreaking or really remarkable in any way, they're solid, functional, not grindy, not buggy--they won't get in your way.”
    • “Will definitely be coming back until I get bored - although that might not be too long considering the super grindy nature of the game.”
    • “I see no reason to continue playing, because the only challenges left in the game require hours of farming in a featureless desert.”
    • “The combat is tedious and unrewarding, which wouldn't be so bad if you weren't forced into so many inescapable encounters, even more so in the endgame areas.”
  • stability24 mentions

    The game's stability is a mixed bag, with numerous users reporting significant bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as freezing menus and resource management issues. While some players find it less buggy than other recent AAA titles and appreciate the developers' responsiveness, many express frustration over persistent problems that can lead to game-breaking experiences. Overall, while there are moments of fun and solid mechanics, the game's stability remains a concern for many players.

    • “No issues so far, no glitches.”
    • “If you're interested in the concept, you can feel fairly safe about buying it, because while the mechanics are not groundbreaking or really remarkable in any way, they're solid, functional, not grindy, not buggy--they won't get in your way.”
    • “I'm only an hour in, but so far the game runs great and has a feeling of care that makes me trust these devs enough to build on this solid foundation and give an early thumbs up.”
    • “Crafting menu bugs sometimes - if you rapidly scroll down with the controller, the selector duplicates and then freezes the craft menu until you close it.”
    • “But the biggest problems I have, and maybe others, is that when I open the menu or the inventory too many times it freezes, so I have to start from the beginning if I haven't saved.”
    • “And why I am criticizing it so harshly is that many of these fundamental game-breaking issues, like being unable to save your game or something suddenly breaking, like running, to events getting stuck in a loop and animation freezes, just shows me that the foundation this game is being built on is already broken.”
  • atmosphere23 mentions

    The atmosphere in Starsand is widely praised for its immersive and realistic depiction of a sci-fi desert environment, enhanced by dynamic elements like sandstorms and detailed graphics. Players appreciate the intriguing premise and the little touches that contribute to the overall ambiance, making it a captivating survival experience. While some note minor rough edges, the game's atmospheric qualities are consistently highlighted as a standout feature.

    • “The atmosphere is incredible, the exploration is interesting, and the resource management is a fun challenge.”
    • “I really loved the atmosphere of this game, and the little touches like the sparks when you hit metal, the sun flares, etc. Appreciate all your work, thanks!”
    • “Great little indie survival game, kept me going till the end of the story of what's available so far in early access, wanted to find all craftable items too, nice sci-fi desert vibe & atmosphere.”
    • “This kind of took away from the atmosphere of the place and made it a little disappointing when I imagined how cool it would look if it actually worked.”
    • “The atmosphere in the game, i.e., the feel of the desert, was spot on.”
    • “The atmosphere is kind of okay.”
  • music14 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its immersive and effective soundtrack, enhancing the overall experience of the desert survival setting. While many players appreciate the catchy tunes and sound design, some express a desire for more variety in the tracks. Overall, the soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's atmosphere, balancing between spooky and relaxing tones.

    • “Desert survival magical experience with good/great background music and nice immersion.”
    • “The sound design is good, with a minimalist but effective soundtrack.”
    • “A very challenging and rewarding survival game with a huge open world desert and a gorgeous soundtrack.”
    • “The soundtrack is actually decent for this game.”
    • “Sure enough not far from camp, the music started and I knew they were on my ass.”
    • “Besides that, this game's got some really enjoyable mechanics and, for what's basically a vast, open desert, is actually really pretty, the soundtrack adding to it all.”
  • optimization7 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews; while some players report that it runs exceptionally well, others experience significant performance issues, particularly during specific scenarios like sandstorms or when using multiple light sources. Many users suggest waiting for further optimization improvements, as the game currently maxes out graphics cards even on low settings. However, there are indications that the developers have made progress in enhancing performance since the demo.

    • “There was no problem with optimization either, the game runs exceptionally well!”
    • “Between my initial impressions with the demo and now with early access, I can say that the developers improved the performance a great deal, making for a much smoother experience.”
    • “At an oasis... where almost nothing is... 90%+ graphics performance?”
    • “You cannot alter frame rates or anything like that, and due to the poor optimization it ends up maxing out your graphics card even on the lowest setting.”
    • “- Major performance/fps drops during sandstorms or when using more than a few light sources at base.”
    • “I would advise more people wait until the game is optimized a little more and maybe when they increase the spawn rate of oasis/mines.”
  • monetization3 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with users expressing disappointment over a lack of updates since June 2023. While some suggest it could be worth purchasing at a discounted price, the overall sentiment indicates frustration with the game's tedious mechanics and perceived exploitation.

    • “Another cash grab by the developers. Don't buy; no updates since June 2023.”
    • “The advertisement invites you to find mystery and survive the desert, but the tedium of handling the crafting and user interface kind of demotivates me to want to see these supposed mysteries.”
    • “If it is on sale for under $5, I'd say buy it with the hopes that this isn't a cash grab.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted by its quirky elements, such as the amusing feedback form for bug reports, which adds a lighthearted touch to the experience. Players find the game to be genuinely funny, particularly enjoying its comedic take on desert survival scenarios.

    • “Very funny desert survival game.”
    • “This really made me laugh.”
    • “However, a funny side aspect: if you want to 'help' the developer with bug reports, you have the possibility to fill out and send an integrated feedback form.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Players express a profound emotional connection to the game, highlighting a sense of accomplishment and belonging as they navigate and explore the environment, transforming a hostile wasteland into a personal home.

    • “But then, when I had explored everything and landmarked it all and always knew where I was, there was a special sense of accomplishment in that — something that really made me feel as though I belonged in this hostile wasteland, that it had become my home.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

7hMedian play time
9hAverage play time
4-15hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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