The Sandbox
- June 29, 2015
- PIXOWL INC.
- 60h median play time
Get on Steam"The Sandbox" is a PC game that offers a unique world-building experience with a mission-based approach. Players can create vast worlds using elements presented in 2D pixel blocks that interact with each other. The game boasts over 16 million players on mobile and tablet versions, and the PC version allows for even bigger worlds with immediate access to all elements. Craft, play, and share your creations in this immersive game!
iPad
iPhone
PC
Phone
Windows
Android
Mobile Platform
Tablet
Reviews
- The game offers a fun and creative sandbox experience, allowing players to create and destroy at will.
- Many players appreciate the nostalgia factor, recalling fond memories of the mobile version.
- The game has a variety of elements and mechanics that can lead to interesting interactions and gameplay.
- The game is plagued by constant crashes and bugs, making it frustrating and often unplayable.
- It is criticized for being a poorly executed port of the mobile version, lacking updates and features present in the original.
- Many players feel that the game is overpriced for the limited content and frequent technical issues.
- story19 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The game's story mode is described as extensive and engaging, offering a variety of missions that require strategic thinking, though some players find the mission design inconsistent, with issues ranging from overly simplistic to frustratingly difficult. While the sandbox mode provides additional content, players express frustration with bugs and the ability to skip missions for in-game currency, which undermines the challenge. Overall, the story aspect is seen as a mixed bag, with potential for fun but marred by technical issues and design flaws.
“It's pretty fun; it's got lots of content and has a fleshed-out story mode, so you won't run out of content. If you run out of story mode, you have the sandbox, which I'm not into yet, but I might learn how to use it later.”
“There are a lot of missions to go through, with most of them requiring you to think them through.”
“There are quite a lot of missions in total, plus a user gallery which is already quite full since this has been released on iOS for a while.”
“Constant bugs in the game and on Steam; missions were badly designed and ranged from too easy to impossible (actually, some were too broken to complete).”
“And there are literally so many bugs that it somehow managed to show a quest that was further ahead, and it wouldn't let me pass when I did the correct items.”
“This game is supposed to be a sandbox after all, so I would like to have more freedom in what I want to do, instead of being forced to do certain tasks and quests just to buy a pine tree to grow.”
- graphics13 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users criticizing the lack of resolution options and the scaling of tablet graphics to a PC format, resulting in a visually unappealing experience. While some appreciate the artistic design, the overall execution feels like a mere update of older games rather than a true enhancement, leading to frustration during gameplay. Users suggest that addressing these graphical issues could significantly improve their overall enjoyment of the game.
“Also, the graphics/art are amazingly done; however, the resolution has not been edited in a single way, so you're basically just playing a resized/larger pixel version of the iPad game.”
“Graphics: 8/10 (9/10 if it wasn't for the mentioned scaling/no resolution situation).”
“You fix/address these issues and I'll probably give this a good review, considering the graphics and future updates look/sound really good.”
“Not a single graphical option, no windowed mode settings, and just completely disjointed from its counterpart, which I may mention is free on the iPad.”
“It promises HD graphics, but all I saw was a tablet game pretending to be a PC game, complete with a bordered 'HD' fullscreen mode.”
“Play it for about 5 hours then get bored because the graphics aren't visually appealing.”
- music9 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with users noting frequent glitches and an inconsistent track selection that changes with button presses, which can be annoying. While some find the music to be subpar, others appreciate the creative potential it offers, rating it around 4/10. Overall, the music aspect seems to detract from the experience, but players still recommend the game for its fun gameplay.
“There are many things you can make in this game, such as making pictures, making music, or learning science.”
“It is 2D and you can go creative and do pixel art, music art, or simply watch the theory of evolution take place.”
“The music sometimes breaks in this game.”
“I do recommend this game, though it gets annoying because it can't stick to one song. Every time I click a button, it changes, and I don't like that.”
“The music isn't the best, but it isn't bad either.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent bugs, crashes, and glitches that hinder gameplay. Many users report that it is unplayable due to freezing and lag, making it a frustrating experience overall.
“Interesting concept, but unfortunately is buggy and tends to crash.”
“The game is buggy and boring and has no place on Steam.”
“It's unplayable; every time I start the game, it throws me into a mission to make a lagoon and then freezes.”
- gameplay3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with users noting the presence of numerous bugs that detract from the experience, resulting in a low score of 2/10. However, some players appreciate the cool mechanics that the game offers.
“Cool mechanics, though!”
“Bugs are everywhere and the gameplay is all right.”
“Gameplay: 2/10”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate that the game minimizes the need for extensive grinding, particularly for resources like mana, allowing for a more enjoyable experience focused on fun activities such as farming, building, and engaging with aliens.
“The only reason I bought it is that you didn't have to spend years grinding mana for elements.”
“It's all sorts of fun with aliens, farming, building, and destroying.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is mixed, with some users reporting good performance while others criticize it for being poorly optimized.
“The performance is good.”
“The game is poorly optimized!”
“I experienced significant frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
“The loading times are excessively long, making it frustrating to get into the action.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy for the game remains largely unchanged, with all elements available for free to avoid backlash over in-app purchases. However, players should be cautious of the presence of "mana," an in-game currency that suggests the potential for microtransactions.
“The in-game currency 'mana' is still present, so be cautious of microtransactions.”
“No changes apart from the HD mode, which is not that important, and they would face too much criticism for making this have in-app purchases, so all elements are free.”
“"Mana" (in-game currency) not removed; microtransactions beware.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users feel that while the game has a good concept in terms of variety and reactivity, it falls short in size and overall replayability, suggesting that it may not offer enough content or incentives for multiple playthroughs.
“The game offers a fantastic variety of choices that keep each playthrough fresh and engaging.”
“I love how the different paths and outcomes encourage me to replay the game multiple times.”
“Each run feels unique due to the dynamic elements, making it hard to put down!”
“The game has the right idea in terms of variety and reactivity, but it falls short in size and replayability.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to dive back in.”
“The lack of meaningful choices and consequences makes replaying the game feel pointless.”
