Relationship System

Overview

Starsand Island uses an affection-based relationship system with 5 heart levels tracked through the Social App on your in-game phone. There are 15 romanceable characters (7 bachelors and 8 bachelorettes), and romance is available regardless of the player's gender.

The system uses a "Cohabitation and Dynamic Romance" model rather than traditional marriage. NPCs in Starsand Island are proactive: they can approach the player to initiate outings, send surprise letters in the mail, and track who the player spends time with. Their facial expressions and dialogue adjust based on your relationship status.

Heart Level Thresholds

Each NPC's affection is tracked as a numerical point total. When you reach a threshold, you advance to the next heart level and unlock new interactions. The five thresholds are:

You can check your current heart level with any NPC by opening the Social App on your phone. A row of five hearts appears in the top-left corner of the dialogue box when you speak to someone, with filled hearts showing the current level.

Earning Affection Points

There are several ways to earn affection points (AP) with NPCs. The most efficient daily routine combines conversation with a loved gift.

Daily Optimization

The maximum daily gain from passive actions is +20 per NPC (one conversation at +5 plus one loved gift at +15), not counting quests or Bulletin Board requests. To reach Level 5 (750 points) from zero through daily interactions alone, you would need roughly 38 days of perfect daily interactions. Quests and Bulletin Board requests speed this up considerably.

Gift Preference Tracking

The game automatically records loved, liked, disliked, and hated gifts on each NPC's profile in the Social App after you give them a gift for the first time. Neutral gifts (+5 AP) are not recorded in the preferences list. If you give a gift and only receive +5 AP, the NPC has no strong feelings about that item and it will not appear in their profile.

This tracking system means you can discover preferences through experimentation. Give an NPC an item you are unsure about; if it appears in their profile afterward, you know it is loved, liked, or disliked. If it does not appear, it was neutral.

Heart Level Unlocks

Level 1: Return Gifts (90 Points)

The NPC begins sending you items in the mail. These sometimes include rare recipes or materials you cannot buy in shops. The items are themed around the NPC's profession and personality.

Level 2: Photo Invites (220 Points)

You can speak with the NPC to take a photo together. These photos can be displayed in your home as decorative items. The Photo Mode supports various poses and backgrounds for these partner photos.

Level 3: Room Access + Treasure Chests (370 Points)

You gain access to the NPC's private room or bedroom. Inside every NPC's room, there are 2 hidden treasure chests:

This makes befriending multiple NPCs to Level 3 worthwhile, since each character's room has different exclusive decor and provides a recurring weekly source of items. Reaching Level 3 with all 15 romanceable characters gives you access to 15 weekly refresh chests.

Level 4: Bulletin Board Requests (500 Points)

You unlock the ability to post requests specifically for that character on the Bulletin Board. Each NPC fulfills themed requests based on their specialty:

• Zephyria brings adventure items and exploration materials.

• Delphin provides fish and marine resources.

• Graminova supplies seeds, crops, and farming materials.

• Aurelis delivers cooked dishes and cooking ingredients.

Level 5: Cohabitation (750 Points)

You can ask the NPC to move into your home. Once cohabiting, the NPC comes home after their daily activities, helps around the farm (cleaning debris, petting animals, watering plants), and sleeps at home if you place an extra bed. You can also ask them to follow you around the map.

Meet-Cute Cutscenes

Every romanceable NPC triggers a special anime-style "Meet-Cute" cutscene the first time you encounter them. These cinematic introductions show the character doing something they love and serve as a clear indicator that this NPC is romanceable. Non-romanceable NPCs only get a standard wave greeting.

Dating and Shared Activities

Starting from early heart levels, players can engage in shared activities with NPCs:

• Bike rides through town.

• Backyard swing together.

• Hot springs bathing.

• Watching TV together.

• Sleepovers.

NPCs are proactive in this system. They can approach the player to initiate outings, send surprise letters in the mail, and track who the player spends time with. Their facial expressions and dialogue adjust accordingly. Weather and time-dependent events also trigger under specific conditions.

All Romanceable Characters

Bachelorettes (8)

Bachelors (7)

Efficient Relationship Building

If you want to maximize affection gains, follow this daily routine for each target NPC:

1. Talk to them (+5 AP). This takes a few seconds and is free.

2. Give their loved gift (+15 AP). Check their profile in the Social App for preferences.

3. Check the Bulletin Board for any requests involving that NPC (+15 to +30 AP).

4. Complete any active profession quests involving that NPC (+50 AP) when available.

With the daily +20 AP routine alone, you can reach each heart level in roughly this many days:

Early Access Limitations

As of Early Access (March 2026):

• No traditional heart events (story cutscenes at specific thresholds).

• No marriage ceremony. Cohabitation at Level 5 is the final milestone.

• 2 to 4 additional romanceable characters are planned during Early Access.

• More dating activities and relationship events are expected in future updates.

Tips

• Prioritize reaching Level 3 with multiple NPCs. The weekly refresh chests provide a steady stream of useful items and materials.

• Keep a stockpile of each NPC's loved gift in a chest near your home. This saves time on daily gifting runs.

• Disliked and hated gifts give 0 AP but do not reduce your affection. There is no penalty for giving the wrong gift, only wasted opportunity.

• Lost items appear randomly on the map. Return them to the owner for an easy +20 AP boost. Check the item description to see who it belongs to.

• The Bulletin Board is one of the fastest ways to build affection. Hard requests can give +25 to +30 AP per completion, which is more than a day's worth of conversation plus gifting.

• Higher-quality gifts may provide a small bonus to affection points. If you have gold-star versions of an NPC's loved item, use those for maximum effect.

Related Articles

• Characters

• Cohabitation

• Bulletin Board

• Professions

• Photo Mode

• Item Quality System