Starsand Review

I have a theory that all those survival games that have come to consoles over the last few years are part of one big government training program, preparing us for when things get really bad. 

See, it’s through these games in which I’ve worked out how to throw my own poo, craft a shelter with a pickaxe, and collect loads of sticks. What could go wrong, Bear Grylls? 

Starsand is another of those survival games, but this time you are not stranded on an island or thrown into a zombie-infested part of war-torn Europe. Instead you find yourself in the middle of the desert. Yet, what starts out as a normal survival experience fast goes a bit extra-terrestrial.

Starsand puts you in the running shoes of an ultra-marathon runner; someone who you can customise in your own image. They have lost themselves running across the desert, mixed up in a sandstorm. Through the blizzard, they see a shelter and then collapse in a heap. The next day it’s all about survival, left with just a water bottle that’s fast emptying, all as the sun shines down, leaving you with no protection. How you survive the ordeal is up to you, but thankfully there is a tutorial that will take you through the basics. 

If you’ve played any survival game before, then you should be at home with Starsand, as you start getting to grips with collecting resources, going into your menus, working out what you need to craft the right item for the job. You’ll find yourself collecting some stones to make a makeshift knife, then using that knife to cut down a plant, utilising the plant to make a stronger weapon like an axe. You know the deal… it’s a never-ending story. But what the tutorial in Starsand does is that it introduces you to getting items, making fires or creating homemade suncream, hunting food, and making a shelter. 

My main criticism of Starsand is in that adage – it’s not ever going to be as good to play through the game and its plethora of menus with a controller, when compared to if you had a mouse and keyboard. The menu system is awkward and at times it’s pretty tricky to see what exactly is highlighted and what you need to do to select items. Then there is the very small inventory system; one that quickly runs out of space as you are left to work out which items are best throwing away, never knowing what to keep or lose. 

It’s a shame because it’s these things that will see a casual gamer give up on Starsand. That would be a shame too, as the later stuff is the most interesting. 

Exploration of Starsand is fun and rewarding to take part in. You start with nothing marked on your map and the trick is to find different oasis across the sands. When you start to put down markers and work out your bearings you will soon find ancient temples and mysteries to explore; it’s these which elevate the game from the normal survival shlock. There is some combat to be involved in here too, with some ‘out of this world’ enemies. Honestly, I didn’t get on with this so I switched it off in the options. 

Starsand is best once you have worked out how to survive and as you tame a camel the game really opens out, allowing you the chance to become completely involved in this desert adventure and the secrets it holds. But there are plenty of annoyances, one of which is that the save system is quite complicated; not having the ability to save when you want is pretty annoying. 

Visually and Starsand does the ‘desert’ stuff well. It all comes across as sandy and hot with items, creatures, and fauna looking fine without ever breaking the graphics bank. The soundtrack has that brilliant epic desert-themed relaxing music kicking around in the background, but it certainly adds to the game’s atmosphere. 

When you consider what is included here, Starsand feels decent value for money. It’s cheaper than a lot of its counterparts and works best when you put the price up against the content included. However, the menus, a severe lack of direction, and a slow first few hours might put many off from giving it a go. Should you stick with it though, you’ll discover that Starsand is a reasonably clever game that is full of secrets. 

It’s certainly worth considering slapping the suncream on, jumping on your camel and heading out to see what Starsand has lurking under the sand. 

Starsand is on the Xbox Store