White Sands

About

In "White Sands," player's command the Union to aid in Earth's recovery after a catastrophic solar superstorm. Navigate dangerous surfaces, mutants, and gangs to establish human settlements and rebuild using advanced military technology. This single player RTS takes place in a future where life on Earth is on the brink of extinction.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

46%

Audience ScoreBased on 52 reviews

gameplay4 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game has a unique concept and setting, offering a fresh take on the RTS genre with engaging gameplay mechanics.
The developers maintain excellent communication with the community and are actively working on updates and improvements.
There is a large map to explore, a variety of units, and interesting random events that enhance the gameplay experience.

The user interface is poorly designed, making it difficult to identify units and issue commands, leading to a frustrating experience.
The game suffers from significant performance issues, including lag and bugs that detract from the overall gameplay.
The tutorial is inadequate, failing to provide clear instructions on controls and gameplay mechanics, which can leave players confused.

story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
72%
17%
The game's storyline is engaging and serves as a strong draw for players, even in its early access stage. However, the overwhelming number of missions and frequent "failed mission" pop-ups due to troop shortages can detract from the overall enjoyment, making it feel unmanageable. While the option to tackle multiple missions simultaneously is praised, the clutter of mission notifications and tutorial windows complicates the experience.
- “+ Not limiting players to a single mission at a time is a brilliant choice for such a game.”
- “- Support abilities feel overpowered, and I could complete several missions without the need for ground troops.”
- “Missions are very pick and choose, which is fine, but it becomes an overwhelming task to do 2 of the 20 plus missions popping up. This makes the game entirely unfun when you get a horde of pop-ups saying 'failed mission' because you constantly lack troops.”
- “As a quality of life problem, it is hard to work around the tutorial window to read mission pop-ups.”
- “The storyline, even at this early access stage, is already what draws you in.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The graphics of the game have received largely negative feedback, with players noting issues such as extreme lag, blurriness, and difficulty in distinguishing units and interface elements, despite some praise for the artwork. Many users feel that the graphical quality resembles outdated PS1 visuals, leading to frustration and a lack of clarity in gameplay. Overall, the graphical experience is described as a janky mess that detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “+ brilliant artwork”
- “It's a jank mess that will be filled with extreme lag the likes of which I've not seen in a game with pixelated PS1 graphics.”
- “Even though my graphics are maxed out, everything is blurry, so picking out the tiny buttons on the map is rough.”
- “Early access or not... when you don't know what to do, don't see the units you're supposed to command, clicking on targets does nothing and graphically you can't really tell what is what... you just switch it off and ask for your money back.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
49%
38%
The optimization of the game has received negative feedback, with users reporting significant performance issues even on systems that exceed the recommended specifications. Many reviewers suggest waiting for patches to address these technical problems before considering a purchase.
- “I had a decent performance on:”
- “Performance isn't great (and my PC exceeds the listed requirements by quite a bit).”
- “Performance issues.”
- “Only once patches are released to improve performance and correct technical issues would I recommend purchasing.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The gameplay is engaging and allows for dynamic decision-making through support abilities, despite some minor bugs typical of early access titles. The game introduces a fun new theme while maintaining familiar mechanics, suggesting promising potential for future development.
- “+ support abilities allow for on-the-fly gameplay decisions.”
- “Fun new theme with similar mechanics to its previous type.”
- “All in all, this mechanic offers great future potential.”
- “The game has some bugs, like any other fresh early access game, but they don't significantly impact gameplay.”
- “Support abilities allow for on-the-fly gameplay decisions.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The music in the game has been positively received, with players particularly enjoying its John Carpenter-inspired style, which adds to the overall atmosphere. Many users suggest that listening to music while playing enhances the experience, especially when navigating the game's challenges. Overall, the soundtrack contributes to the game's fun and engaging potential.
- “I really dig the John Carpenter style music.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report frequent temporary freezes occurring whenever new units are hired or when units move in and out of bases, indicating significant stability issues in these scenarios.
- “It freezes temporarily every single time you hire more units, or units enter or leave one of your bases.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's atmosphere is consistently described as dark, effectively complementing its post-apocalyptic setting, which many players appreciate.
- “The atmosphere of the game is quite dark, which I personally like a lot and think it fits the post-apocalyptic setting.”