A user-created sandbox in the video game The Powder Toy

A falling-sand game is a genre of video game and subgenre of sandbox games using a two-dimensional particle game engine or a cellular automaton.

In falling-sand games, the user can interact with (e.g. place and remove) particles on a canvas which can interact with other particles in various ways, which can lead to complex emergent behaviour.[1] As sandbox games, they generally have an emphasis on free-form gameplay, relaxed rules, and minimal goals.[2]

Despite the name, falling-sand games typically contain a multitude of materials besides sand, often called "elements".

History

Title Year Platform Details
Falling sand game 2005 Java Also called "Hell of Sand" or "World of sand". May be the first game of its type[3][4][5][6]
wxSand 2006 Windows The first standalone version[7]
Powder Game 2007 Java, HTML5, Android, iOS Multi-platform with liquid simulation[8]
This is Sand 2008 Flash Added changing the colour of the sand[9]
The Powder Toy 2010 Windows, Linux, OS X, Android Has liquid simulation and Newtonian gravity[10][8]
Powder Game 2 2011 HTML5 Sequel to Powder Game, rewritten to include many new elements
The Sandbox 2012 Flash, Windows, Android, iOS A series of games, including some 3D versions[11][12]
Sandspiel 2019 HTML5 Popular web-based version[13]
Noita 2020 Windows A hybrid of "falling sand" style game with a Roguelike[8][14]

The first known popular example in the "falling-sand" genre was a web-based Java applet on the Japanese Dofi-Blog in 2005[3][4] which was later expanded and rehosted as the "Falling sand game",[4] which kick-started the genre as a trend and gave it its name.[15][5]

The genre is not limited to free play canvas-style games; games such as the Powder Game contain additional mechanics, such as pressure based fluid simulation allowing for example water equalisation, and RPG elements such as controllable characters.

Noita blends the traditional sandbox physics with Roguelike RPG mechanics, with sophisticated playable characters and enemies.[16][17][14]

References

  1. ↑ bittker, max. "making sandspiel". maxbittker.com. Archived from the original on 2020-11-07. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  2. ↑ "The History and Theory of Sandbox Gameplay". www.gamasutra.com. 16 July 2009. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  3. 1 2 "DOFI-BLOG どふぃぶろぐ". ishi.blog2.fc2.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-20. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
  4. 1 2 3 "Overview". Falling Sand Game. Archived from the original on 2009-04-23.
  5. 1 2 "Falling Sand Game". boredhumans.com. Archived from the original on 2020-11-18. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  6. ↑ Carless, Simon (2005-12-24). "Welcome to the World of Sand". GameSetWatch. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
  7. ↑ Quilty-Harper, Conrad (2006-02-15). "Falling Sand: The Sequel". Joystiq. Archived from the original on 2021-01-08. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
  8. 1 2 3 Cox, Matt (10 October 2019). "From falling sand to Falling Everything: the simulation games that inspired Noita". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  9. ↑ Donahoo, Daniel. "Digital Play: This Is Sand". Wired. Archived from the original on 2021-01-09. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  10. ↑ "Explosive fun for students". edgalaxy.com. 3 September 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-01-07. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  11. ↑ "the sandbox". metacritic.com. Archived from the original on 2022-09-23. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  12. ↑ "The Sandbox gaming platform receives $2.5m investment". finance.yahoo.com. 28 May 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-10-06. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  13. ↑ "SandSpiel by max bittker - Experiments with Google". experiments.withgoogle.com. Archived from the original on 2022-05-30. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  14. 1 2 "Sand Physics Go Wild in Noita". techraptor.net. 14 December 2019. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  15. ↑ "Time Killer: The Sand Game (It's Great Fun)". PC World. Archived from the original on 2008-10-28.
  16. ↑ "Noita: a Game Based on Falling Sand Simulation". 80.lv. 5 April 2019. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  17. ↑ "Noita wiki - Falling Sand Game". gamepedia.com. Archived from the original on 2021-01-09. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
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