Where Stardew Valley asks you to build a farm, Deiland, an upcoming sandbox RPG from developer Chibig, asks you to build a planet. Its Kickstarter ends tomorrow, and has already raised more than double its $10,000 goal.
Deiland stars Arco, a 10-year-old boy sent to live on the small planet of Deiland—and not just survive, but thrive by keeping himself and the planet healthy. As Arco, you can build and upgrade structures, craft and improve tools, farm crops, and plenty of other things you'd expect from a game citing Stardew Valley, Final Fantasy and Harvest Moon as key inspirations.
That said, Deiland's planetary setting gives it some flare of its own, like a pronounced day/night cycle and space weather like meteor showers and falling stars. With the help of your spaceship, you can visit other nearby planets to meet new characters. Exploration is also integral to completing Deiland's 100 quests.
Interestingly, Deiland was largely inspired by The Little Prince, a French novella originally published in 1943, which helps explain its infectiously cozy atmosphere and art. But while Deiland is ostensibly "a calm game," it's not without its challenges.
Arco is susceptible to hunger and fatigue, as most 10-year-olds are, so you have to keep track of your food and energy as well as your health. There are also light RPG elements to Deiland, namely skills and magic which fuel a simple combat system.
Like Re:Legend, another promising sandbox RPG partly inspired by Stardew Valley, Deiland was successful on both Kickstarter and the Square Enix Collective, the publisher's indie incubator.
With its Kickstarter more than funded, Deiland is slated to release on PC mid-2018.
