Sandwalkers

Sandwalkers is an indie strategy game focused on exploring a dangerous world and participating in turn-based battles. The main characters of the game are anthropomorphic animals whose task is to resurrect the Mother Tree - a creature known as Umama. The game was developed by the French company Goblinz Studio.

Plot

Once every ten years, a caravan of brave souls sent by the Mka tribe sets off for the meteorological chaos known as Phithi. Travelers face bandits, monsters, and climatic anomalies. Their task is to plant new tree cities, which are few safe havens for climate refugees. In the process, they establish relationships with the Uwando tribe, separated by chaos, and seek a way to bring the Mother Tree back to life.

Mechanics

In Sandwalkers, we create a group of four heroes whose actions determine the fate of the expedition. We traverse the land, leading the caravan to subsequent locations on a map divided by a grid of hexagons. Our caravan can gather resources, visit shelters, and establish trade and diplomatic relations with other tribes. Changes to the climate, including heat waves, sand storms and acid rain, have a significant impact on our actions.

The battles are turn-based - we use special abilities of our heroes during each turn. They include both offensive actions (shooting with a bow or slingshot, hitting with a shield) and supportive ones (including healing). Some moves cause additional effects such as slowing down, blinding, or bleeding.

The game provides us with access to a group of anthropomorphic characters that differ both in terms of appearance (including cobras, elephants, mantises, snails, etc.) and professions (including scout, archaeologist, protector or hunter). The characters have different skills and traits that affect their stats. Some of the stat changes are temporary, like dehydration causing reduced endurance.