Sandcastle

Review

I jumped into this demo because the game just looked cozy. Right from the start, I found the visuals really appealing, especially how objects move when I hover over them. It has a soothing quality that I genuinely liked, though I spent a good chunk of my time feeling like a complete idiot in the rest of the process.

The gameplay is essentially a sandbox experience on a beach. Players can build structures like towers and walls using tools such as shovels and rakes, which is pretty cool. I spent tons of time collecting various items that wash up on the shore, including seashells, sea glass, and starfish. Some of these collectibles actually unlock beach customizations or provide craftable items.

Despite the charm, I ran into some frustrating moments. For one, my recording software blocked the objective panel, which made me feel stuck for a while. This was not the game at fault, it was actually the game bar recording that was the culprit. However, even once I could see the goals, like building four towers or finding a toy, I felt there was a lack of guidance. I eventually found a beach ball and decided that counted as a toy (which the game disagreed on), so the process felt pretty aimless. Later, after recording the video, I found out that the toy not appearing was actually a bug. Good thing I didn't wait for it.

I also noticed that more objectives depend on items spawning naturally. For example, I had to wait for nice sticks to arrive to finish a task. This part of the experience felt like a waiting game, which is annoying because it is something I cannot control. I really want to like this game, but I am not entirely sure what the point of it is yet.

On the technical side, the game runs smoothly on my laptop with an RTX 2060 and the animations are high quality. There is even a photo mode and a console for advanced customization. While I think the essence of the game is good, there is definitely still work to be done regarding player guidance. It is a relaxing experience, until it is not. In the end... we shouldn't forget that this is still a demo and the game is still in development. So for now I'll give it a thumbs up.