SYNOPSIS

Black Sands is a bold new visual novel drawing from African, Indian and Middle Eastern mythology, married to an innovative spin on speculation about ancient aliens and precursor races. This is largely unexplored territory for video games as a medium – and Black Sands aims to take it further than any other creative team has managed to date.

Genres: Visual Novel, History, Mythology, Dark Fantasy, Educational

As Ra, the Dark Pharaoh, players must enter into a series of challenging trials posed by their creator, Nun – an emissary from the far-flung world of Nibiru who wants you, as his avatar, to wield godlike power over the ancient world. But before your legend can begin, you have to prove yourself worthy.

In the Black Sands Universe, Nun engineered the beings humanity worship as gods – but his creations betrayed his grand plan, and plunged the Earth into an age of oppression. Rah and his companions are Nun's last-ditch attempt to fix his mistakes – but before he can unleash them on the Earth, he needs to know they're up to the challenge!

You have to manage a team of mythical heroes; nurture their relationships, both with you and each other; explore the sprawling landscape of Nun's secret hideaway, the Rift; study its secrets and its tortured history, and defeat the countless enemies that stand in your way. Only then will Nun grant you your freedom!

UNIQUENESS

Black Sands is more than just comic-book heroics and wild conspiracy theories – it aims to convey a deeper understanding of real-world ancient history and cultural diversity as well. An in-game dictionary with scores of unlockable entries contains an explanation of the research that went into every character and location, giving their historical inspiration alongside their in-game backstories.

Black Sands is also not simply a visual novel, too. Decisions stem from much more than simple emotional dilemmas or "choose your own adventure" branching paths. The story offers players the challenge of exploration, discovery, investigation and stat management over a rich, carefully crafted narrative and multiple side quests of many different types.

Win your companions' respect to open up still more content as their backstories are revealed – or rule them by fear like the god you're destined to become.

Scour the map for a huge number of secrets spread across a detailed, ever-changing world.

Watch the clock! Manage the passing of time correctly, or the odds could end up against you and cause your death!

Study the relics and artifacts to unlock achievements and lore – including the real-world research behind the fiction.

Be entrenched in the development of a stunning production values from a carefully hand-picked team.

A totally unique aesthetic – no other game has used this same material like Black Sands!

Dominant Protagonist

African, Middle Eastern, and Hindu cultures

Competitive love interest

Comic-style Artwork

Multiple Mini-Sagas

Aliens

Mythological Gods and Monsters

Dark Humor

Education

If you cannot download the demo or don't have a strong enough computer, you can watch the demo playthrough below.