You’ve waited for it, and now it’s here: The Sandbox Review.
The Sandbox is a play-to-earn 3-Dimensional game built on the Ethereum Blockchain that allows players to contribute to developing a virtual universe. It’s one of the world’s most popular blockchain-based virtual reality games.
The game integrates the concepts of Decentralized Finance (DeFi) and Non-Fungible-Tokens (NFTs) to offer unique experiences to players and grant them ownership of the virtual in-game assets.
Just like the famous crypto-game Decentraland, The Sandbox encourages gamers to design content they can monetize and use to earn rewards.
The Sandbox game started as a 2-Dimensional sandbox game developed by Pixowl Studio and released on May 15, 2012, for mobile (iOS and Android). The PC version was released on Steam on June 29, 2015.
Later in 2018, Animoca Brands acquired The Sandbox and rebranded it. The Sandbox was rebranded to a blockchain-based 3D virtual world game and was launched on November 29, 2021.
Since the release of the first Sandbox game, according to the game’s Developer, The Sandbox franchise has over 40,000,000 downloads.
On the latest version, over 70,000,000 worlds have been created. The game has over 1,200,000 Monthly Active Users (MAU), reaching about 2,600,000 MAU at its peak.
Today, we will review this game under various metrics and assess the game under each metric. So, let’s begin!
Graphics & Design
The graphics and design of The Sandbox are based entirely on 3 main components: a Voxel Editor (VoxEdit), a Marketplace, and the game itself.
To appreciate the game’s graphics and design, you need to understand the meaning of the term “Voxel.”
A voxel is a unit of visual information that defines a point in 3-dimensional space. Voxel is different from a pixel (Picture element); a pixel defines a point in two-dimensional space with its X and Y coordinates.
For a voxel, a third (Z) coordinate is needed to create the 3D space, and each coordinate is defined in terms of its position, color, and density.
Voxels have been widely used in video games. This is mainly because they provide developers with the perfect solutions to create procedurally generated worlds and destructible environments.
Video games like Minecraft, Roblox, Teardown, 7 Days to Die, and PixART all use voxels in their game design and graphics.
Voxel Editor, or VoxEdit in short, is the in-game voxel editing tool in The Sandbox. This tool enables players to design and create voxel assets that can be used in The Sandbox’s metaverse.
In the game, players can make different assets such as static decorations, non-playable characters (NPCs), intractable objects, enemies, avatars and their equipment, animations, etc.
Also, because The Sandbox is decentralized and user-centric (Giving players full credit for their work), players can create or import their voxel designs, animate them and turn them into NFTs. This is unlike most centralized voxel-based games that don’t allow players to receive full credit for their work.
By giving players this direct influence and autonomy on the game’s design and graphics, The Sandbox has been able to attract some of the best in-game graphics and designs we have seen in a game. In my assessment, this game deserves an 8 out of 10.
The Sandbox Review: Gameplay
In the literal sense, Sandbox means a children’s play area consisting of a box filled with sand that allows them to create anything they want. This is similar to the concept or notion upon which sandbox games are built.
A sandbox game is any video game that gives players a great degree of creativity, where they interact without any predetermined goal or, alternatively, with a goal that players set for themselves.
All sandbox games are often associated with an open universe concept that gives players freedom of movement and progression in the game’s universe.
In The Sandbox game, players can purchase, sell, and exchange digital goods like Land, decorations, customized characters, and more, through the game’s marketplace.
Each asset traded, bought, or sold on the marketplace is an NFT stored on the blockchain with its unique identifier.
The Sandbox has its metaverse, and it’s made up of ownable pieces of land, about 166,000+ plots in various sizes. This land can be populated by assets or User-Generated Content (UGC).
Plot owners can have personalized creations on each plot. These creations can be a game, social hub, art gallery, or whatever the creators wants to build.
Given that The Sandbox game is voxel-based, assets in the game there are individual voxel objects which can be created using the in-game Voxel Editor (VoxEdit).
The assets can also be made on external Voxel Editors, but then they will need to be exported from those external editors into the game itself.
Furthermore, The Sandbox gameplay features what is called The Sandbox Game Maker, which is built on Unity. Unity is a multi-platform game engine developed by Unity Technologies.
This engine is used to create three-dimensional (3D) and two-dimensional (2D) games and other interactive experiences and simulations. Unity has been used in many games like Pokémon Go, Rust, Cuphead, etc.
Besides games, Unity has also been used in other industries such as engineering, film, construction, and even the United States Armed forces.
By using Unity, The Sandbox Game Maker gives creators a unique opportunity to create something special.
We’ve seen a wide range of games, such as Role-Playing games (RPGs), side scrollers like Mario, dance games, etc., created with Unity. Players can play any of these games via the Sandbox Game Maker.
Also, The Sandbox has a Marketplace. This is the game’s hub for trading, where players buy and sell in-game assets in the universe.
Players can rent out or sell their LAND in the marketplace. All transactions are done with the SAND token in The Sandbox marketplace.
Ever since the first Sandbox franchise was launched, the gameplay has always been exciting and unique. Perhaps this is why the franchise has a huge fan base.
On gameplay, I give The Sandbox a deserving 9/10.
Story
As I said earlier, the literal meaning of a Sandbox is a place filled with sand for children to play. Children playing in this Sandbox can use their creativity to craft their world from the sand.
This is precisely the idea in The Sandbox gameplay (and other Sandbox-styled games): players are provided with the necessary tools and freedom to create their virtual universe in the game.
Although this concept is great, it is based on the assumption that players have unlimited imaginations and creativity. However, this is not always true and can be misleading.
As it has been noted in some quarters, leveraging players’ imagination is quite ambitious and risky: it can sometimes serve as an excuse for “less” investment in games, especially high-level games.
There is also the notion that by adopting the sandbox mode of playing, most games have failed to reach their full potential.
Note that The Sandbox has rebranded to be a Blockchain-based game, and with this, I believe the game has taken this sandbox approach to the next level.
On the metric of the game story, I give this game 7 out of 10.
Music
As mentioned earlier, The Sandbox is a blockchain-based game that allows players to build their worlds and share them with other players. In this virtual world, players can also create music for other players in the metaverse.
Although there’s default in-game music in The Sandbox – A mix of ambient soundscapes and energetic riffs, the ambient sounds are meant to immerse you in the virtual world without overpowering your senses.
On July 23, 2021, The Sandbox launched a series of NFTs called the “Music Festival Collection NFT,” created by different artists.
These NFTs were made available in the marketplace for players to purchase. Players can buy these NFTs and incorporate them as they desire in their personalized virtual world.
Since players can create music on The Sandbox, metaverse artists have created several soundtracks, which can be enjoyed in the game’s virtual universe.
On game music, The Sandbox is a good 7 out of 10.
Tokenomics
The Sandbox features 5 primary tokens. Out of the five, one utility token called “SAND” is used throughout The Sandbox ecosystem.
SAND
SAND is an ERC-20 utility token built on the Ethereum Blockchain and is now available on both Ethereum and Polygon Mainnet.
SAND is available on centralized and decentralized exchanges like Binance and Uniswap. It has a maximum supply of 3,000,000,000, with around 1,500,000,000 supply already in circulation.
Gamers, developers, and publishers use the token throughout The Sandbox ecosystem. This allows a seamless exchange of in-game assets between creators and players.
Currently, SAND has a total Market Cap of over $1,100,000,000 and a Fully Diluted Valuation of over $2,300,000,000. The trading volume is around $176,000,000. It reached its all-time high price (ATH) of $8.4 on November 25, 2021, and its all-time low price (ATL) of $0.028 on November 4, 2020. SAND is currently trading at $0.78.
There is also a staking reward on SAND, which is on the Polygon network. Users that stake SAND (mSAND on Polygon) will receive regular rewards on the amount staked.
LAND
The second token is LAND. LAND is an ERC-721 Token (NFT). It’s the digital land in The Sandbox ecosystem, and there are about 166,464 pieces of land in the game.
Without LAND, players cannot publish their game on The Sandbox using the Sandbox Game maker.
These LANDs can be merged to form ESTATES. ESTATES are several pieces of land combined for teams of creators to work on in the metaverse. Estates can be made into DISTRICTS if it’s up to 576 LANDs owned by several people.
LAND owners can rent their land to other users to create gaming experiences, organize events, and interact socially.
There are also Premium LANDs, which are close to social hubs or hot spots in the metaverse. They are regarded as premium because they have more traffic than ordinary LAND, and more traffic means more potential rewards from that particular LAND.
Premium LANDs are more expensive than regular LANDs. LANDs can be purchased from official public LAND sales on The Sandbox website.
Out of the 166,464 LANDs in The Sandbox Metaverse, The Sandbox holds 16,704 LANDs (Representing about 10%) for hosting special events.
25,920 LANDs representing 16%, are held in reserve and distributed as rewards to creators, gamers, and partners.
A total of 123,840 LANDs are available for users. And as of July 2022, a total of 31,581 parcels of LANDs are available on the secondary Marketplace, OpenSea. Currently, the cheapest parcel goes for about 1.648 ETH ($4,773).
Other tokens in The Sandbox include:
- ASSETS: An NFT Voxel model created by players which can be traded in Sandbox Marketplace. It is both an ERC-721 and ERC-1155 token.
- GEMS: These are ERC-20 tokens used to make in-game purchases and burnt to give attributes to assets.
- CATALYSTS: Also, an ERC-20 token burnt to mint assets.
On tokenomics, The Sandbox is quite unique from most token economics we’ve seen in other blockchain-based games. Based on this, I give it an 8 out of 10.
Community
A vast community is pivotal for the success of any Blockchain project. The Sandbox and other crypto games are aware of this fact, so they always strive to invest heavily in their community to boost their game’s adaptation.
Before it was rebranded into a blockchain-based game, The Sandbox franchise enjoyed a huge community backing, and the success has been carried into this new evolution of the game.
With almost 300,000 members on discord and over 1,000,000 followers on Twitter, the unique gameplay of The Sandbox is already a massive hit among enthusiasts.
Due to the environment and the rewarding nature of its gameplay, Sandbox has attracted crypto and non-crypto gamers.
Aside from this, the project is supported by celebrities, and brands like Paris Hilton, Snoop Dogg, CoinMarketCap, Absolute Vodka, The Walking Dead, and The Smurfs – These heavyweights have partnered with The Sandbox.
On the community side, The Sandbox gets an 8 out of 10.
Earning Ability
Currently, The Sandbox does not have solid play-to-earn opportunities. The developers are yet to fully implement proper monetization tools.
However, the opportunity will be enormous when these tools are fully implemented. It will give players the freedom to create their earning mechanics in the game – which can be through token rewards, NFTs, or other means.
For its alpha testing, Sandbox has run special events that allow players to experience some selected Sandbox games built by its partners.
Three of these Alpha seasons have been held, and the third one took place recently on August 24, 2022. Most players from those events received Alpha passing, i.e., the reward voucher used to claim rewards in SAND tokens.
When all these mechanics are fully implemented, The Sandbox’s earnings potential will increase significantly.
As of now, on earnings ability, I give The Sandbox 6 out of 10.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SAND?
SAND is one of the native tokens of The Sandbox game.
How can I buy SAND?
SAND is available in both Decentralized and Centralized exchange platforms. It can be purchased using another cryptocurrency like ETH.
What is LAND?
LAND is the NFT token in The Sandbox that grants players ownership of a 96×96 meters plot of land.
How can I buy LAND?
You can buy LAND from the popular NFT Marketplace, OpenSea, or public sales organized by The Sandbox team.
What is The Sandbox?
The Sandbox is a play-to-earn cryptocurrency game built on the Ethereum Network. It’s a virtual reality world game where players buy plots of land and personalize them.
The Sandbox Review: Conclusion
Sandbox is a metaverse game that enables users to produce gaming content and assets and monetize them by selling them on the game’s marketplace.
Gaming events also take place on LANDS. LANDS can be purchased through a LAND open auction.
Sandbox is one of the market leaders in the crypto and metaverse gaming ecosystem.
This game can lead the way into uncharted territory in the gaming and virtual reality worlds. But great games require a devoted user base and continuous attention from the developers.
Sandbox cannot afford to be complacent if the game wants to be a success in the emerging technologies of gaming.
Vova Feldman
Entrepreneur, inventor, investor, crypto believer. Always trust the process, persist, and don't let the a-holes get you down.
