Sandmason

Nice indie game that's a creative mix of the FPS and puzzle genres where you complete cave levels by modifying and interacting with your environment. There's even a bit of RPG style character building mixed in in the form of skill points that you can use to boost your abilities after completing levels, but the main focus of the single player mode is on solving puzzles.
The game rewards creative thinking and patience in exploring your surroundings, and there are plenty of hidden areas and bonus items to uncover. It also doesn't hold your hand too much, which is great for people who like a challenge. The tutorial levels show you the basics and you get the occasional tips and pointers, but the game doesn't give anything away for free so to say.
A special mention goes to the music, which has an old-school tracker sensibility with some spacy acoustic guitar parts mixed in. The multiplayer mode is also great for some good old team deathmatch games with the ability to build and dig ground and a variety of weapons that are actually different from each other.
Writing at the time of release, there is still the occasional crash but it seems the developer is actively working on fixing those. Overall I'd say this game is easily worth the price if you like puzzle and/or FPS games.

Sandmason is a simple but effective FPS puzzle adventure, about diggin caves, building bridges, ramps, or any possible form to avoid danger and reach our path to the exit.
We are given a Mining tool, used mainly to storage sand, and deploy it in the form or bridges,
pillars, walls, ramps, or anything needed to overcome the levels.
It also has a force field function to build platforms.
Flares are unlimited, very useful for those dark zones where our eyes cant reach.
Theres a Skill points system that allow us to modify both character and mining tool stats.
Every skill point is earned via collectibles, power spheres (Treasures).
Theres also Minor Skill points, that are scattered all over the levels in the form of minerals.
However, Skill points are optional, with them we can modify stats such as health, jump distance, etc, very useful for the latest levels where we might encounter some trouble, but if you are going for a challenge, and Master achievement, you should be able to beat the game without using a single skill point.
There are 31 levels, the variety is good, from simple puzzles using the physics, to hardcore digging. It also includes a Final Boss and a Bonus level where we get a special addition.
We can use this extra feature to replay any level.
It also includes a Multiplayer Deathmatch oriented.
Graphically isnt very appealing, but the strenght of the game resides in the mechanics.
The music is decent, some tracks are really good, some others are slightly out of place.
Overall, a really entertaining puzzle game, with a cool gameplay system.
Highly recommended to anyone that enjoys games like Portal, Q.U.B.E. or Quantum Conundrum.

This game feels like one of those you would buy at the supermarket in 2007 its really fun though its like that hidden gem people will overlook.

Sandmason is a first person puzzle game much like the Portal games, but instead of a portal gun you have a sand castle gun?
The game is pretty straight forward, you are a miner stuck deep inside a cave and must use your fancy pants mining tools to work your way through puzzles.
Using your mining tools you must dig through sand and avoid weird amorphous blob monsters. The catch is your mining gear has a reverse button. As you mine the sand you're actually collecting it. You then use your sand castle gun (or glove? I'm not sure. It could be like a Nintendo Sandcastle Power Glove) to creature beautiful sandcastles. Okay, not actually sandcastles. Though, you could make a sand mountain. You use the sand you've collected to build bridges, reach ledges, and flip some switches.
As you clear away the sand you will also find experience nodes that allow you to level up your abilities. So yay? I don't really see the point of the rpg elements in what is a pretty straight forward first person puzzle game. It's kind of pointless if you ask me, although I did only play about an hour of this game, so who knows. Maybe adding those extra points into mining speed and movement speed become super relevant? I doubt it.
Overall, the game takes a new look at what Portal did with the genre by adding it's own puzzle mechanic in a unique way. It's enjoyable, challenging and the exploration is nice.
I'll update this review with a video if I get the chance, the one I made originally had some problems =/
For more reviews and podcast check out - EarlyAccessMedia.com, EarlyAccessPodcast.com and YouTube.com/EarlyAccessPodcast

I'm very impressed with the game so far. Interesting, fun game play and soundtracks are great as well. This game is easily worth 4 dollars. Was a ABSOLUTE bargain for .79 cents... go on....BUY IT !

Introduction
You are a mine worker, stuck deep in an underground cave system. All you have are your hi-tech mining tools. In order to get out of the caves, you will have to shape the dynamic environment to your advantage. You can also create force fields for different purposes.
What I think about this game
Game creates a unique sense of isolation. You are alone in an underground cave system taked with finding a way out by mining materials, building bridges with said material, and solving various other puzzles.
The game shows you what to do with the tutorial, but then throws you out in the cave system with essentailly no hints as what to do. You really have to think outside the box in this game.
The game has some outdated graphics. This may turn some people off, but I find the game to still be enjoyable despite it having older graphics.
Interesting character skill point upgrade system. You can modify your mining tool stats (max capacity of materials, max mine radius, jumping distance, health, ect.). These are sort of optional, they do effect the gameplay, but you can do just fine without them.
Did I mention, force fields?! That's right, your mine-tool thingy also serves as a force field gun!
Soundtrack: hit or miss. Some of them are pretty good, others... not so much.
Also features multiplayer
Very enjoyable first person puzzle game
Highly recommended for people who want to enjoy a good puzzle game that makes you think outside the box. Worth the $4 that it costs. Final score: 8/10

It's a fun game, with a lot more content than I expected! Your main tool lets you modify terrain, both digging and building, a little like the Geomod system from the original Red Faction long ago. The game is mostly about figuring out how to find and get to the end of each level, usually with extra collectibles hidden inside, and you get a number of other tools and abilities as you progress. The plot is straightforward but enjoyable. Occasionally the level layouts got too confusing, I went through most of the game not knowing how to use the 'shockwave' and 'scanner' abilities (they're listed in controls but I don't think they ever come up in-game), and occasionally the physics and collision worked unexpectedly (particularly with some enemies and moving platforms), but I never ran into any real problems.