The Sandbox Evolution

About

The Sandbox Evolution is a single player simulation game. It was developed by PIXOWL INC. and was released on November 15, 2016. It received neutral reviews from players.

"The Sandbox Evolution" is a pixel art world creation game where players can use godly powers to craft worlds or destroy universes. With over 200 elements, controllable heroes, and various tools, players can create their own games or levels and share them online. The game features HD pixel art graphics, larger world sizes, and the ability to draw original art, compose chiptune melodies, and save progress online.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+21

Skip User Reviews

40%

Audience ScoreBased on 936 reviews

graphics17 positive mentions

stability25 negative mentions

The Sandbox Evolution offers a vast array of creative possibilities, allowing players to build and destroy their own pixel worlds.
The game features a variety of elements and materials, along with a user-friendly level editor that encourages creativity.
Despite its issues, the game can still provide fun and nostalgia for players who enjoyed the original version.

The game is plagued by frequent crashes and bugs, making it nearly unplayable for many users.
The transition to a freemium model has frustrated players, as it limits access to certain features and elements without spending money.
The game has been largely abandoned by its developers, leading to a lack of updates and support for ongoing issues.

graphics
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
59%
6%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the high-resolution visuals, clear artwork, and retro pixel style that enhance gameplay. However, significant issues such as major graphical bugs, crashes, and lack of support for older graphics cards have rendered the game unplayable for others. Overall, while many appreciate the aesthetic improvements and options available, the technical problems detract from the experience for a substantial number of users.
- “The sandbox evolution comes in, with scrollable levels with few new elements and much nicer graphics.”
- “Great graphics!”
- “Graphics are amazing for a pixel game.”
- “Game is unplayable due to major graphic bugs; development and maintaining the PC version is abandoned.”
- “Games dead due to a graphics bug, and the devs are definitely not going to fix it.”
- “The visuals break, the editor doesn't even work, and it even crashes!”
story
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
84%
8%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized, with many users noting the absence of a coherent narrative and the removal of community-created content, which has led to a lack of engaging quests. While there are some story levels available, they no longer provide rewards, and technical issues often hinder players' ability to experience the story. Overall, the feedback suggests that the story is minimal and not a strong point of the game.
- “The game offers a variety of campaigns and daily quests to keep players engaged.”
- “An odd little game with a weird story, unknown currency, and many different things to choose from, but I would like it if they would add more animals for more time periods.”
- “Story levels are pretty good.”
- “☑ no story”
- “The game crashes every time I try to enter a world, like if I create a world, go to the story mode thing.”
- “I load into the first genesis mission and I do everything it tells me, but there is no fish that is placed.”
music
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
69%
9%
The music in the game receives mixed feedback, with some players praising its relaxing quality and the ability to create custom compositions, while others express frustration over technical issues, such as low volume and glitches that disrupt the experience. Many users appreciate the broad range of notes available for music creation and the overall good soundtrack, although some report inconsistencies, like the main menu music playing during level editing. Overall, the game offers a creative platform for music production, but technical shortcomings detract from the enjoyment for some players.
- “Music is just so relaxing, just like the game itself.”
- “Has a very broad range of notes to choose from, allowing you to create all sorts of musical masterpieces!”
- “If you love music, you'll love creating it in this game.”
- “The settings do nothing, the music is at a very low volume, and the whole game is a mess of glitches now.”
- “I used to not try to create a world for it to give me the music, then a bug splat crash report screen.”
- “Wtf is wrong with you? You made a mobile version, not Steam. Hopefully, TotalBiscuit makes a series on this; the music is broken.”
gameplay
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
78%
11%
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with users noting enjoyable sandbox mechanics and a vibrant community, but marred by frequent crashes and technical issues. While the creative modes offer unique experiences and variety, the lack of structured gameplay and the removal of content in the mobile version have disappointed some players. Overall, the game has potential for fun, but its technical shortcomings significantly detract from the experience.
- “I only recommend this game due to the enjoyable gameplay that's hidden among the rest.”
- “So far, this game offers so much variety of gameplay, and browsing players’ creations in the gallery is really mind-blowing what others can make!”
- “Then they added many creation modes, which add different gameplay to this sandbox game, and I found them unique.”
- “Nope, because for some reason the game seems to have killed itself from the inside out and none of the sandbox mechanics in a sandbox game?!”
- “It's a very fun game when it works, but now every single time I try to load any kind of gameplay outside of the menu, it crashes instantly.”
- “Another problem is the mobile version and it's not the gameplay that's the problem, it's premium; they took away 3/4 of the items in the game (the good items especially) and to get them you need to pay a monthly subscription.”
stability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
96%
The game's stability is severely compromised, with numerous users reporting it as "insanely buggy" and "a buggy mess." Many have noted frequent crashes, glitches, and lag, rendering it nearly unplayable, especially for those attempting to create or play levels. Overall, the game's abandonment and lack of updates have led to a disappointing experience for players.
- “It runs great on computers.”
- “The game maintains a smooth performance without any crashes.”
- “I've experienced consistent stability throughout my gameplay sessions.”
- “The game has been abandoned completely (it was even removed from the Play Store) and is insanely buggy.”
- “There are way too many glitches that need to be fixed immediately.”
- “It's so buggy I can't even play it!”
monetization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized as exploitative, with many users labeling it a cash grab that prioritizes profit over player experience. Players express frustration over excessive microtransactions and a shift to a subscription model that restricts access to a significant portion of the game, leading to declining ratings and player dissatisfaction. Overall, the monetization approach is seen as detrimental to the game's community and longevity.
- “Despite all monetization and 'karma' being removed, the 'paid' campaigns are playable without spending money, and the karma symbol still seems to pop up occasionally by mistake.”
- “The game on mobile was one of my favorite games until a recent update introduced a premium subscription model. About 85% or more of the game became premium-only, which led to a significant drop in ratings from almost five stars to 3.4. They need to read the reviews and change this because they are losing many players.”
- “Many players who spent money on in-app purchases never received what they paid for. If the developers continue with this pay-to-play model, they risk losing even more players and revenue.”
- “Microtransactions are scummy.”
- “All it is is a cash grab and a waste of time.”
- “Not as good as the original mobile app, too many in-game purchases.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted for its playful references, such as the inclusion of Pac-Man and Shrek campaigns, which adds a lighthearted touch. Players also appreciate the amusing character mutations, contributing to an overall comedic experience. However, some feel the game tries too hard to emulate others, which can be seen as ironic.
- “It's quite funny that the Pac-Man and Shrek campaigns are still in the game, though.”
- “It is well built, with some funny mutations to the characters sometimes.”
- “This game wants to be Worldbox so bad, it ain't even funny, lol.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players consistently express that the grinding required in the game is excessively time-consuming, suggesting that it feels like a second job or life is necessary to keep up with the demands.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, with users reporting poor performance on PC and a general lack of polish in its technical execution. Many players feel that it requires substantial improvements to run smoothly.
- “It's cool and all, but it has awful optimization.”
- “This game needs optimization for PC.”
- “Clearly not optimized for computer.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
Players find the game offers significant replayability, as paid campaigns can be accessed without spending money, although some elements like the karma symbol still appear unexpectedly. Overall, the game is well-received for its engaging content that encourages multiple playthroughs.
- “Good game, lots of replay value.”
- “The game lacks meaningful choices, making replaying it feel like a chore rather than an adventure.”
- “Once you've completed the main storyline, there's little incentive to dive back in; the side quests feel repetitive and uninspired.”
- “The absence of varied endings or significant changes in gameplay on subsequent playthroughs really diminishes its replay value.”