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A falling-sand game is a genre of video game and a sub-genre of sandbox games which typically utilize a two-dimensional particle or cellular automaton based game engine to simulate various materials interacting in a sandbox environment.

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. As sandbox games, they generally have an emphasis on free-form gameplay, relaxed rules, and minimal goals.

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

History

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

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.

List of falling-sand games

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. ^ "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. ^ "Overview". Falling Sand Game. Archived from the original on 2009-04-23.
5. "Time Killer: The Sand Game (It's Great Fun)". PC World. Archived from the original on 2008-10-28.
6. ^ "Falling Sand Game". boredhumans.com. Archived from the original on 2020-11-18. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
7. "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.
8. "Noita wiki - Falling Sand Game". gamepedia.com. Archived from the original on 2021-01-09. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
9. ^ "Sand Physics Go Wild in Noita". techraptor.net. 14 December 2019. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
10. Atari mania. "Down fall". Retrieved 2024-03-29.
11. Carless, Simon (2005-12-24). "Welcome to the World of Sand". GameSetWatch. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
12. Quilty-Harper, Conrad (2006-02-15). "Falling Sand: The Sequel". Joystiq. Archived from the original on 2021-01-08. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
13. ^ 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.
14. Donahoo, Daniel. "Digital Play: This Is Sand". Wired. Archived from the original on 2021-01-09. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
15. "Explosive fun for students". edgalaxy.com. 3 September 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-01-07. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
16. "the sandbox". metacritic.com. Archived from the original on 2022-09-23. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
17. "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.
18. Corcobado, Miguel Ángel (2018-01-24). "Ciencia divertida a través del móvil". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
19. Hasan, Mehedi (2021-07-17). "10 Best Sandbox Games For Android To Make Your Own Fun". UbuntuPIT. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
20. "みんなペイントマーカーは持ったな！アメリカ発祥のスポーツ「ペイントボール」を体験できるFPS登場―採れたて！本日のSteam注目ゲーム3選【2023年11月27日】". Game*Spark - 国内・海外ゲーム情報サイト (in Japanese). 2023-11-27. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
21. "SandSpiel by max bittker - Experiments with Google". experiments.withgoogle.com. Archived from the original on 2022-05-30. Retrieved 2022-05-22.

v t e Video game genres
List of video game genres
Action	Platformer Endless runner Platform fighter Shooter Arena First-person Hero Light gun Shoot 'em up Bullet hell Rail Twin-stick Tactical Third-person Survival Battle royale Survival horror Other Beat 'em up Hack and slash Fighting Platform fighter Maze Pac-Man clone Snake Stealth
Action-adventure	Grand Theft Auto clone Metroidvania
Adventure	Escape room Graphic adventure Interactive fiction Interactive film Visual novel Walking sim
Digital tabletop	Deck-building Roguelike deck-building Digital collectible card
Puzzle	Hidden object Sokoban Tile-matching
Role-playing	Action role-playing Looter shooter Soulslike Dungeon crawl MMORPG Monster-taming Roguelike Roguelike deck-building Tactical role-playing
Simulation	Life Dating Farming God Social Virtual pet CMS Business City-building Government Sports Fishing Racing Kart racing Sim racing Vehicle Flight simulation Combat Lunar Lander Space Submarine simulator Train simulator Vehicular combat Other Falling-sand Immersive sim
Strategy	4X Auto battler MOBA Real-time strategy Time management Real-time tactics Tactical role-playing Tower defense Turn-based strategy Turn-based tactics Artillery Wargame Grand strategy
Other genres	Cozy Fitness Horror Survival horror Incremental Music Rhythm Non-game Party Photography Programming Typing
Related concepts	Themes Advergame Bishōjo Christian Comedy Educational Girls Licensed Otome Sexual Eroge Nonviolent Personalized Sci-fi Serious Art Climate change News Player modes Multiplayer Co-op MMO PVP Single-player Production AAA Indie Doujin soft Fan game Design Casual Hypercasual Emergent gameplay FMV Gacha Kaizo Masocore Nonlinear gameplay Open world Sandbox Side-scrolling Twitch gameplay Vertically scrolling Other Minigame Toys-to-life Video game clone Video game modding Video game remake

• Online games
• Java platform games
• Flash games
• Simulation video games
• Video game genres
• Cellular automata in video games
• Falling-sand games