Chains on Sand

Chains on Sand is a tactical roguelike in which you play a gladiator condemned to fight for survival. Build your reputation in the arena and work toward freedom, or die trying. Victories earn loot, gold and experience, but death is permanent and the crowd is always watching.

Tactical combat

Fights use turn-based grid combat, where positioning and decisions matter. You can target hit locations, dodge, parry or block, flank opponents, knock them down and inflict limb damage. Enemies include procedurally generated challengers with varied archetypes, tactics, gear and personalities, so battles differ from one another.

Build your gladiator

Create a fighter with a point-buy system, choosing stats, skills and traits that shape your fighting style. Between fights, spend downtime on upgrades, sell loot, heal wounds or reduce your debt to your owner if you are still a slave.

Gear and magic

Equip melee weapons, shields and armor with different qualities, durability and weight. You can take everything an opponent wears if you kill them. The equipment includes 21 armor sets, four shield types and 21 weapons, with five quality levels for each item. Master one or more of four spell schools—Body, Heal, Protection and Elemental—to use their tactical spells and effects.

Opponents and legacy

Face eight handcrafted bosses, an endless stream of procedurally generated challengers and, if you survive long enough, powerful champions with legendary weapons and armor. Defeating champions is the only way to claim the rarest gear. Your actions shape the audience’s affection or hatred, and the crowd may demand mercy or death; disobeying it puts you at risk.

Death is final, but opponents who defeat you may return in future runs as dangerous adversaries. You can also retire your most successful gladiators and face them again from the other side of the sand.