| Hot Air | ← | Sandman | → | [[:Chick Flick|Chick Flick]] |
Sandman is Nitrome's second Flash game to be published under their name, released in 2006. In the game, the player must guide a group of sleepwalkers through the land of nod using sand.
Controls
Mouse - Click to pour sand
Levels
The menu
Sandman has fifteen levels, each with their own individual names. In Sandman, the player has to guide sleepwalkers to a portal located at the end of the level. A certain number of sleepwalkers will be spawned at the start, and the player has to get at least one to the end. If the player gets more than one to the end, they are rewarded with extra points. Hazards will instantly kill a sleepwalker. The player has to sometimes interact with wooden structures to complete the level.
01: Stairway to Heaven
The player has to pour sand until the sand reaches the edge of the platforms so the sleepwalkers can get to the portal.
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02: Road Block
The player has to pour sand at the edges of two platforms so the sleepwalkers can walk up, then, get the sleepwalkers out of the cave, then cover the entrance to the cave, then pour sand so the sleepwalkers can get to the above platform.
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03: Tap Dance
The player should first pour sand at the edge of the platform to get the sleepwalkers out of pit. Then, pour sand above the glass in a certain area to get the sleepwalkers out. Now, when they get into the third pit, pour sand close to the right side of the glass until the sleepwalkers can get out of the pit and into the portal.
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04: Pit Stop
Pour some sand in the first, small pit the sleepwalkers are going to walk in, so that when they fall, they don't die. Next, fill up the pit close to Hot Air all the way to the top. Now, pour some sand in the second pit so the sleepwalkers can get out.
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05: Walking in the Air
First, pour sand on the six invisible blocks closest to the sleepwalkers. Now pour sand on only two of the other six invisible blocks connected to the same platform as the other invisible blocks with sand on them are. Now, pour sand on the three blocks underneath the other two invisible blocks that have sand on them.
Now, underneath the other three invisible blocks are five invisible blocks, pour sand on all of those. Now there are five invisible blocks in a horizontal way closest to the portal, and these blocks have no sand on them, pour sand on all five blocks. Now, pour sand in the area the sleepwalkers are in to let them out of the small pit, and let them walk to the portal.
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06: Two of a Kind
In this level, the left side of the level is the same as the right. First, pour some sand on the invisible blocks so the sleepwalkers don't fall to their deaths, but leave a gap somewhere so the sleepwalkers can get to the platform that looks like a sideways "L".
Second, let the sleepwalkers walk on to the small platform, then, cover up all the invisible blocks with sand, then, pour some sand where the sleepwalkers are going to fall so they don't die. Third, pour some sand on the invisible blocks, and where the sleepwalkers are going to fall, drop some sand so they don't die. Repeat this for both sides to get all the sleepwalkers to the end.
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07: Hold Up
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Nightmares are the player's only rival in the game. They turn around when meeting a wall and their only death is water. If a nightmare touches a sleepwalker the nightmare will devour him, nightmares can be stopped by invisible blocks. At the end of level 7, stop the enemies by blocking them by invisible blocks.
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08: Deals on Wheels
In this short level, the sleepwalkers need to cross an area with water in it. The player needs to move the sleepwalkers onto the wooden platform, then pour sand on the wheel to make the platform move, to safety get across the water.
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09: Access Denied
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This is a difficult and tedious level. The player cannot pour over glass, so they have to start at the top of the screen and pour sand down a maze to get to the bottom. It's very easy to make a mistake here.
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10: Wild Goose Chase
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A very short level. The sleepwalkers are the right side and the nightmares are on the left side of the level. Quick timing is important so that the sleepwalkers don't fall off the wrong side of the platforms. The nightmare should not pose a threat.
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11: The Great Escape
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Another level in which the player has to navigate the sleepwalkers while holding off the nightmares. At one point the player needs to turn a wheel so a barrier would open and allow the sleepwalkers to pass through. Keep turning the wheel and don't let the barrier fall or it will crush a sleepwalker.
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12: Make A Splash
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Quick thinking is required in the beginning of the level in which the player has to quickly use sand to build a path across water while blocking the sleepwalkers from falling into the water. Then the player has to use sand to build a path to get onto the platform, and use the wheel to move the platform to get to the exit on the other side.
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13: Bridge The Gap
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Good timing is critical on this level. The wooden platforms move by themselves so the player must know when to get the sleepwalkers onto the wooden platform.
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14: Long Way Round
The player has to navigate through a maze for a round trip and eventually reach the exit. However, there is a shortcut. Because the exit is on the platform right next to the player;s beginning platform, the player could pour a lot of sand to fill the gap between the beginning and end platforms so the sleepwalkers could just walk through that gap, to complete the level the easy way.
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15: Don't Look Down
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In this level, the sleepwalkers continuously drop down from a higher to a lower platform. The player must be careful that the sleepwalkers are dropping down to the correct platform and that they don't drop off too much and die. The end portal is on the same line as the nightmares portal so the player has to use sand to block off the nightmares at the end.
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Ending
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 The ending depicts, on a faintly starry purple sky, the sleepers sleeping in a large bed while beneath a few bright eyes, possibly of nightmares, visible peering out of the darkness. White, partly curlicued, text above reads "Congratulations". Identical text is present below the bed reading "You managed to get the sleepwalkers back from the Land of Nod! As a reward you have the power of mutlicoloured sand!" with "multicoloured" being written in variously coloured text. | |
Interactive objects
Things the sleepwalkers can interact with.
- Portal - Transports sleepwalkers through the Land of Nod, to the different stages of the level.
- Dark portal - Nightmares are spawned out of these on certain levels.
- Glass - The player cannot pour sand through the glass.
- Invisible blocks - Any sand poured on top will stay on these blocks.
- Wooden water wheel - Pouring sand on this moves a wooden beam or platform.
- Wooden beam - Helps transport sleepwalkers across gaps. It may be controlled manually or move on its own.
- Wooden beam - They may cover an opening or be used as a bridge to cross gaps, depending on their position.
Hazards
These objects will kill a sleepwalker.
- Water - Will drown a sleepwalker if one walks into it.
- Nightmares - The only enemies present in Sandman. They will kill a sleepwalker on contact.
Inspiration
Mat Annal, while being interviewed by gotoAndPlay, stated that the inspiration for Sandman came when "trying to build a sand art application and wondering how we [Nitrome] could make a game out of it"[2].
Trivia
- Hot Air from Hot Air appears in some levels.
- In level 06, the red squirrel, grey squirrel, and a chick appear on two trees at the bottom right side of the level.
- If the player confines the sleepwalker in a small space using their sand, they may end up killing the sleepwalker.
- The music that plays in the levels is a remix of the song "Mr. Sandman".[citation needed]
- Lee Nicklen, the game's composer, made 2 alpha songs for the game but they were not used in the finished product.[citation needed]
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| Sandman is the first Nitrome browser game with epilogue and also the first game, where player is rewarded with a bonus feature after beating the game. |
References
- ↑ Nitrome.com October 4th 2006 - News: 17-02-06 - Sandman [Date is written in Day/Month/Year format]
- ↑ gotoAndPlay - Spotlight: Nitrome
Q: What are the games that influenced you the most in your work?
A: ...Even client briefs can have an influence [on game ideas]…..Sandman [game idea] came from trying to build a sand art application and wondering how we could make a game out of it.
| v • d • eSandman | |
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| General | Sandman • Sand • Sleepwalkers • Land of Nod |
| Hazards | Water • Nightmares |
| Interactive objects | Portals • Dark portals • Glass • Invisible blocks |
| Wooden objects | Wooden water wheel • Wooden beams |
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