Sand Tetris game’s expansion Sandtrix+ to be released on Steam on September 1st

Developer mslivo announced the puzzle game Sandtrix+ on August 8. As of today, August 16th, the official Steam page for the game has been opened, and it has been revealed that the title will be available for PC (Steam) on September 1st.

Sandtrix+ is an expansion of the puzzle game Sandtrix, also known as “the sand Tetris game.” The original version of the game was released for free in May of this year, garnering attention for its unique gameplay that combines the classic puzzle mechanics of Tetris with the characteristics of sand.

In this game, Tetris-like blocks fall down a vertical field and get stacked on top of each other in a similar way they would in Tetris. However, a significant feature of the game is that when blocks land on the ground, they collapse smoothly like sand. The blocks are color-coded, and when blocks of the same color connect from one side of the screen to the other forming a line, the blocks disappear and points are added to the player’s score.

The stacked blocks naturally change into sand, crumbling downward if piled diagonally. While reminiscent of the original Tetris, the gameplay that involves creating layers of sand of the same color requires a different way of thinking. If the sand accumulates all the way to the top of the field, it’s game over.

In the expanded version, there will apparently be game modes in which the player aims for high scores or to clear a specified number of lines, as well as modes that feature two-colored blocks and blocks that turn white when stacked. A creative sandbox mode will also be included, in which players will be able to freely place water, lava, fire, and other elements alongside sand to observe their interactions, utilizing the game’s physics system. Moreover, there will be 12 unlockable themes for the game screen.

Incidentally, the original version of the game was initially released under the title Setris. However, a copyright infringement claim was raised by the rights holder of Tetris, leading to a temporary suspension of distribution of the game. Following this, the game was rebranded with the current title and has managed to resume distribution after swapping out the Russian folk song that had been deemed a copyright infringement (Related article). It seems that all issues surrounding the title have been resolved for now.

Sandtrix+ is set to be released for PC (Steam) on September 1st. The original + Sandtrix can be played on the official website and itch.io.

Written by. Remi Morisawa based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2023-08-16 12:01 JST)