“Starsand Island” was touted as the “anime version of “Stardew Valley” the day before. The official version 1.0 has just been launched, but Steam reviews have begun to rebound significantly. The overall evaluation of the game is still “very favorable”, but the latest evaluation has dropped to “mixed praise”. Even on the day 1.0 was launched, the proportion of negative reviews once reached 61%. For a work that is just about to leave Early Access, this turn of events does come a bit quickly.
Controversies over AI are also on the rise
Many players believe that the content brought by the 1.0 update is not as rich as expected, and some even bluntly said that “1.0 added nothing.” In addition, there have been a large number of accusations about the game’s use of AI in the Steam comment area, as well as questions about the developer’s funding background and Kickstarter-related issues. However, these current AI-related accusations mainly come from player comments and cannot be directly regarded as proven facts. The developer has also denied other related controversies in the past.
Multiplayer mode has been added, but players are not happier?
Originally one of the most anticipated features of 1.0 was the multiplayer mode, where players could farm, fish, explore and build islands together, but it was disliked by many players after it was actually launched. Problems include multiplayer requiring a piece of single-player content to be unlocked before it can be unlocked, and currently only homeowners can gain access to it, making the cooperative play experience quite awkward. To put it simply, what everyone was originally looking forward to was “farming together”, but in the end it was more like “you accompany me to work, but the credit is mine.”
From the popularity of Steam Next Fest to being thrown cold water on by players
“Starsand Island” has previously attracted attention due to its outstanding performance at the Steam Next Fest. 1.0 originally added multiplayer, enhanced love system, and new relationship stories. The official also stated that it will continue to revise the game based on player feedback. However, now that the official version has just been launched, players have begun to question whether the updated content is enough to support the title of 1.0. The farm that was originally preparing to harvest positive reviews now seems to have harvested a wave of negative reviews. Next, it depends on whether Seed Sparkle Lab can slowly put out the fire.