''Sandy Beach'' is a

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

developed by

Frozen Codebase Frozen Codebase was an American independent video game developer founded in 2006 by Ben Geisler. The company developed games for Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Wii and WiiWare. History On May 16, 2008, Frozen Codebase and the Women' ...

and published by

Konami , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...

for the

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...

WiiWare WiiWare was a digital media entertainment service operated by Nintendo that allowed the download of games and applications developed for the Wii video game console. These games and applications could only be purchased and downloaded from the W ...

digital distribution service. It has been released in North America, Japan and the PAL region.

Gameplay

''Sandy Beach'' contains two distinct game modes: a freeform

sandbox A sandbox is a sandpit, a wide, shallow playground construction to hold sand, often made of wood or plastic. Sandbox or sand box may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Sandbox (band), a Canadian rock music group * Sandbox (Gu ...

mode where the player (and a friend with a second controller) is able to build a sandcastle on a beach without distraction, and a

tower defense Tower defense (TD) is a Video game genre, subgenre of Strategy video game, strategy games where the goal is to defend a player's territories or possessions by obstructing the enemy attackers or by stopping enemies from reaching the exits, usual ...

-inspired "Crab Battle" mode where a single player must defend a sandcastle from waves of attacking

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura (meaning "short tailed" in Greek language, Greek), which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen#Arthropoda, abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the Thorax (arthropo ...

s, repairing it after each attack. The Crab Battle mode sees players using the

motion controls In computing, a motion controller is a type of input device that uses accelerometers, gyroscopes, cameras, or other sensors to track motion. Motion controllers see use as game controllers, for virtual reality and other simulation purposes, and ...

of the

Wii Remote The Wii Remote, colloquially known as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with an ...

to slap them away, while they can also place defensive walls and cannons around the castle to create further obstacles.

Reception

''WiiWare World'' thought that ''Sandy Beach'' "looks and plays like a hastily thrown together game" and gave it a 4/10, feeling that while both modes offered something for all players, ultimately they were both unsatisfying – being too simple, lacking in replay value and suffering from "unforgivably clumsy controls". ''

1UP.com ''1Up.com'' was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, ''1Up.com'' provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused conte ...

'' called it "little more than a tossed-off curiosity", citing shallow gameplay and imprecise controls, giving the game a D grade.

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

gave it 5/10, finding the concept interesting, especially for younger players, but thought the game looked and played like a "rudimentary 3D Flash game". ''

Official Nintendo Magazine ''Official Nintendo Magazine'', or ''ONM'', was a British Video game journalism, video game magazine that ran from 2006 to 2014 that covered the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, and Wii U video game consoles released by Nintendo. Originally p ...

'' called the game "fun for an hour or so", and ''

GamesMaster ''GamesMaster'' was a British television programme which originally aired on Channel 4 from 1992 to 1998. In 2021, it returned for a new series on YouTube and E4. It was the first UK television programme dedicated to video games. Dominik Di ...

'' called it: "Every bit as dull as it sounds, and with sloppy controls to boot." ''

Joystiq ''Joystiq'' was a video gaming blog which was part of the Weblogs, Inc. family later owned by AOL. It was active from 2004 to 2015, acting as the primary video game blog for the group, and operating alongside ''Engadget'' and sister blogs such ...

'' gave the game a 2/10, calling it "irritating" and "baffling".

References

{{reflist 2009 video games Frozen Codebase games Konami games Multiplayer and single-player video games Tower defense video games Video games developed in the United States Wii games Wii-only games WiiWare games