Gods of Sand

About

Gods of Sand is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Achenar Studios and was released on February 7, 2022. It received positive reviews from players.

"Gods of Sand" is a gladiator manager game with turn-based combat, inspired by the Swords and Sandals series in a darker setting. Run a ludus, manage gladiator economics, and fight in various arenas for money and prizes. Customize gladiator builds with any skill, armor, or weapon for multiple possibilities.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 221 reviews

gameplay6 positive mentions

grinding13 negative mentions

The game offers a fun and engaging gladiator management experience, reminiscent of classics like Swords and Sandals.
Combat mechanics are enjoyable, with a variety of skills and strategies available for players to explore.
The developer is active in the community and responsive to feedback, showing promise for future updates and improvements.

The game has been criticized for its lack of content and slow development pace, leading some to believe it may be abandoned.
Many players find the gameplay repetitive and simplistic, with balance issues that detract from the overall experience.
There are numerous bugs and technical issues that hinder gameplay, making it feel unfinished in its current state.

gameplay
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
43%
19%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its repetitive and simplistic mechanics, particularly in combat, which lacks depth and strategy. While some find enjoyment in the basic gameplay loop and nostalgic elements, others criticize the unskippable tutorial and the overall lack of content, suggesting that the game is still in need of significant development and refinement. Despite these issues, there are glimpses of potential, especially in the engaging championship bouts and the satisfaction of gearing up gladiators.
- “Even though it's still in under final development and debugging process, it already has a handful of decent hours of fun gameplay.”
- “You basically train gladiators, but you get choices that can really decide what happens next. It has some really nice mechanics and a sound basic gameplay loop.”
- “Very cool gameplay loop, shows a lot of promise!”
- “The gameplay is extremely repetitive and rudimentary, especially the combat, and there's not much strategy to the combat so far.”
- “The gameplay is quite repetitive.”
- “That is the worst gameplay loop ever.”
grinding
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be both tedious and essential, as it often requires significant time investment to progress, particularly in arena battles. While some enjoy the challenge of building and experimenting with new gladiators, many feel that the rewards for side jobs are insufficient compared to arena grinding, leading to frustration. Suggestions for improvement include streamlining the grinding process, enhancing side job rewards, and adding features like auto-completion for previously cleared arenas.
- “I believe that even when completed, the game will be short, if not for being a little grindy.”
- “Until then, I can recommend to anyone that if you already know you're going to lose the fight to the boss, just alt-f4 the game before they kill you to try again, because grinding for 4 hours to get to the minotaur and then just losing because half your abilities don't work is not fun.”
- “Whereas the 'side jobs' you get nothing for days, no stat increase, no renown, and about 1/8 of the gold you would get from grinding in the arenas, and on top of that there is a chance you could fail the 'side job' and get nothing but your gladiators' wasted time.”
story
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The story aspect of the game is seen as lacking depth and substance, with quests often feeling underwhelming and not rewarding enough compared to arena fights. Players express a desire for more meaningful narrative elements and character development, as the current missions do not evoke strong emotional connections or significant stakes. While there are enjoyable mini-stories and character interactions, the overall narrative experience is considered to need improvement.
- “I like the different combinations you can make with spells and items on your gladiator and the different mini story parts.”
- “Story time: I stuck with my first gladiator and kept training him, even purchasing him the best equipment I could afford; he was like a son to me.”
- “We would continue to live our days happily; I even adopted more gladiators who would complete missions and earn us much-needed money.”
- “There is no such unlock or story element to make you feel for the opponent (you know, like Rocky).”
- “- story is okay but needs more substance to be good.”
- “- quests aren't worth it at all right now.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their smooth animations and appealing pixel art style, reminiscent of early 90s games, with some users noting the presence of charming details. However, the cartoony visuals may detract from the intended dark atmosphere, and while the graphics are modernized to a 32-bit aesthetic, some players desire a more visceral experience akin to other titles in the genre. Overall, the visuals are considered good, though opinions vary on their effectiveness in conveying the game's tone.
- “Animation is smooth and pixel graphics look great; upgrades in the shop are definitely worth it, besides the second and third recovery upgrades which are pretty pointless unless you find your gladiators losing frequently.”
- “The graphics, even though heavily stylized to look like the game was made in the early 90s, look good and have nifty little details.”
- “This is similar; the graphics are a bit more modern, I would say more like a 32-bit compared to 16-bit, I guess.”
- “First of all, anything pixelated with cartoony visuals will have a hard time presenting itself as 'dark and unforgiving', and Gods of Sand visually looks like a pleasant vacation being undertaken with a few sort of brutal fights every now and then.”
- “I'd love the game to be more visceral. One of the satisfying things about Domina and Swords and Sandals is the gore (maybe I've yet to see it or it's the pixel graphic style).”
- “The graphics are a bit more modern; I would say they are more like 32-bit compared to 16-bit, I guess.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as dry and lacking in content, with some nostalgic sound effects that evoke laughter. While it attempts to fill a gap left by other titles, it may not resonate with all players; however, a recommended YouTube video offers a more entertaining and ironic take on the game.
- “The sound quality is there as well, even having some sound effects from the original S&S, as well as at least one portal reference, which made me laugh and reminisce.”
- “If you are considering this game but do not want to buy it yet, I recommend watching the DangerouslyFunny video on YouTube regarding this game.”
- “It is more hilarious and ironic than dark and unforgiving.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous bugs and glitches impacting gameplay, including non-functional abilities and AI issues. Many players feel it is unfinished and not ready for release, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from its potential. Overall, significant polishing is needed to improve stability and functionality.
- “It's buggy as hell, skills are useless, there is 0 depth to the combat and events.”
- “Good intentions but it's buggy and exploitable; the weapon given after the tutorial ends up being the best due to having twice the range, but the AI doesn't know that, so it does dumb things.”
- “Buggy mess at the moment; great game desperately needs polishing. A lot of abilities don't work, and one time I had to use Alt+Control+Delete just to have all my gladiators wiped. It is unfinished and nowhere near ready for release.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game's atmosphere is noted for its attempt to capture the essence of gladiatorial combat, but it falls short compared to similar titles like Domina, particularly in conveying a dark and unforgiving environment. Players feel a lack of immersion due to insufficient context about the opponents, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “The idea and premise are great, and the atmosphere of gladiatorial fights is captured perfectly.”
- “This game doesn't come close to Domina's atmosphere and brutal kills. Honestly, I was looking for an alternative when Domina's developer managed to get himself banned.”
- “It's hard to feel the dark and unforgiving atmosphere when the game doesn't even tell you who you're fighting.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game features repetitive tracks across several arenas, which some players feel limits the overall experience. While the existing music is not considered bad, there is a desire for more diverse compositions to enhance the gameplay atmosphere.
- “The music in several arenas is the same, which isn't bad; it's just an opportunity for more music if it gets composed.”
- “The music in several arenas is the same, which isn't bad, just an opportunity for more music if it gets composed.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players note that while there are multiple builds available for replayability, not all are well-balanced or fully developed, leading to a disparity in power levels that may affect the overall experience.
- “In its current state, several builds are playable, but not all of them feel fully thought out, and obviously some are significantly more powerful than others.”
- “The lack of diverse strategies makes replaying the game feel repetitive and uninspired.”
- “Once you've experienced the main storyline, there isn't much incentive to go back and play through it again.”