How Starsand Island's Romance Options Hold Up to Stardew Valley

Ever since Stardew Valley hit the scene back in 2016, the game has sparked a chain reaction of other indie titles that have their own unique takes on the farming sim genre. Starsand Island is one of the most recent games to take on the Stardew Valley formula. It’s clear that the farming sim is heavily inspired by Stardew Valley, but Starsand Island features its own special twists on certain staples that help it stand on its own.

One of the biggest differences between Starsand Island and Stardew Valley is that the former is a fully 3D farming sim with anime-inspired artwork. Stardew Valley‘s simple 2D aesthetic may be missed by some long-running fans, but Starsand Island‘s art direction and visuals are an eye-catching and fresh approach to this kind of sim. Despite some key differences, Starsand Island honors the core of what makes Stardew Valley so much fun a decade later. Farming and building relationships is still the heart of this new sim, and Starsand Island‘s romance options might even trump the game that inspired it in the first place.

When It Comes to Romance Options, Starsand Island Actually Has More to Offer Than Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley features 12 NPCs that players can romance and marry.
Starsand Island has 15 possible candidates that can be romanced.

Stardew Valley‘s romance options offer a decent amount to choose from. Between six bachelors and six bachelorettes, players can date a variety of characters before finding the perfect match. Even if married, players can still date other NPCs, too. This often comes with consequences, though. Stardew Valley‘s romance is fluid, allowing players to build relationships with any of the NPCs, regardless of gender identity. Starsand Island takes this same approach, but there are even more characters to choose from, with eight female and seven male NPCs for players to romance.

Every Romanceable NPC in Starsand Island

Alex
Aurelis
Delphin
Graminova
Loren
Lunelle
Neona
Pastelle
Selena
Solara
Stella
Sylvain
Youfang
Zephyria
Zerine

Balance the critic averages

Easy (6)Medium (8)Hard (10)

Stardew Valley’s Romance Options May Catch Up With Starsand Island Soon

Right now, Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone hasn’t revealed when the anticipated 1.7 update will arrive, but he recently teased some features that players can expect. Stardew Valley 1.7 will add two new marriage options. It’s unclear which NPCs would become available for marriage, but it would put Stardew Valley at just one romanceable NPC behind Starsand Island. In the future, both games will have room to add even more romance options to their respective rosters, but only time will tell. Since Starsand Island features one more female option compared to the male choices, a future update will hopefully add one more male to even everything out.

Starsand Island Takes Note of Stardew Valley’s Relationship System and Brings Its Own Flare

In Stardew Valley, players can only advance a relationship into romantic territory when they have reached an eight-heart level with one of the NPCs. After getting eight hearts, players can then give the NPC a bouquet. The next step opens up when players reach level ten with their chosen partner. To get engaged, the NPC has to be given a Mermaid’s Pendant as a proposal. After that, players have to work to keep the relationship thriving, so their spouse remains happy in the farmhouse and helps with the daily chores. Stardew Valley‘s relationships can sometimes feel more like checklists than meaningful bonding, and this is where Starsand Island has an edge.

Right Now, Starsand Island is a Slow Burn

Since Starsand Island is still in early access, the romance system isn’t fully fleshed out yet. However, there is at least a bare-bones system that still offers some relationship building. Starsand Island‘s romance mechanics are built on a five-heart system that is similar to Stardew Valley‘s slow build, but the game’s developers have teased that deeper stories and character personalities will be part of these relationships. This could ultimately make romance options feel more rewarding.

Heart Level	Relationship Reward
1 Heart	Players will start receiving gifts from the chosen NPC.
2 Hearts	Taking pictures with a romance option
3 Hearts	Access to a romance option’s room
4 Hearts	Make requests that specifically involve the character
5 Hearts	Love interests can move in with the player

Developer Seed Sparkle Lab plans on adding more to the romance mechanics when Starsand Island 1.0 releases. The plan is to not only make the current mechanics deeper, but to bring full dating features into the mix. Once the full dating features are added to the game, it will be even more interesting to see how Starsand Island‘s romance compares to Stardew Valley.

Seed Sparkle Lab has yet to confirm an official release date for version 1.0. However, the developer has made it clear that the hope is for a summer 2026 launch.

Stardew Valley Continues to Inspire Charming Life Sim Games

Starsand Island may have taken a lot of its inspiration from Stardew Valley, but it is still shaping up to be a unique new addition to the genre that the latter revived. Some of the best farming sim games out there have been directly inspired by Stardew Valley, and Starsand Island definitely won’t be the last. Starsand Island is still a work in progress for the time being, but that hasn’t stopped it from attracting a lot of players already.

Because of its early access status, Starsand Island is currently only available on PC and Xbox Series X/S. Once the full release is here, the game will also be available for the Nintendo Switch 2 and PlayStation 5.

Starsand Island‘s romance options and mechanics still need a little bit longer in the oven, but what is currently available is promising relationship-building features that are on par with Stardew Valley. The game already boasts more NPC options than Stardew Valley, so it will be interesting to see if it can one-up the beloved farming sim in more ways than one. Games like Stardew Valley thrive on players building in-game relationships and becoming a central figure in their towns, and Starsand Island has a solid understanding of how important these features play into the overall experience.