Let’s be friends (or perhaps more!) ‘Starsand Island’ reveals its romance & friendship system

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Let’s be friends (or perhaps more!) ‘Starsand Island’ reveals its romance & friendship system

Seed Lab’s life sim to feature intertwined storylines between players and islanders.

Zhu Hai City, China - Monday, 23rd June 2025 — Chinese developer, Seed Lab, has revealed an emotionally deep romance and relationship system for its upcoming life sim, Starsand Island, which launches on PC and consoles in late 2025. Players will develop meaningful bonds with the island’s many NPC inhabitants, with each islander displaying their own unique personality, and player interactions determining how friendships authentically develop and blossom.



In the game, the player’s character embarks on a journey of personal healing as they return to the island home of their childhood and settle into the calming, pastoral idyll by farming, fishing, raising animals, and building connections with quirky local characters. Every day of island living sees subtle, unscripted changes in how NPCs react to players, creating an authentic feeling of growing friendships and relationships.

Affection and friendship isn’t one-sided in Starsand Island; NPCs will—in time—extend kindness toward the player, experienced as shifts in conversational tone to sending gifts, or even waiting on the shoreline for their return after a day’s fishing. Every relationship developed on the island has its own story arc, with multiple endings and differing levels of companionship depending on the interactions made over the course of the game.

Goltan Gao, Technical Director at Seed Lab, said: “We’re aiming to make the inhabitants of Starsand Island truly compelling individuals, each with their own engaging personalities and long-term personal goals. We are looking to break new ground in how players will establish and nurture vibrant relationships with NPC inhabitants, building bonds as they interact with them throughout their time in the game, so islanders - and their stories - feel truly alive.”