Line #98 VideoGame/TheSandman2014


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sandman_3.jpg]]
2	%% [[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]
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4	The second installment of Creator/{{Uri}}'s ''VideoGame/StrangeMenSeries'', set in the same world as ''VideoGame/TheCrookedMan'' after the game's events. The game is then followed by ''VideoGame/TheBoogieMan'' and ''VideoGame/TheHangedMan''. Uri also created ''VideoGame/{{Paranoiac}}'' and ''VideoGame/MermaidSwamp''.
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6	Sophie Grundler is a model student. Too bad her life isn't quite as lovely as her work. Her father's too busy with work to notice any issues she's been having, like dealing with Regan's constant bullying and her recent struggles with insomnia. For several days now, she hasn't been able to sleep at all.
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8	Still, she quietly endures... until one night, the clock in her room suddenly stops ticking. Sophie learns that everyone in the world has fallen asleep due to [[BigBad the Sandman]] putting everyone to sleep; it is up to her to stop him and save everyone.
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10	Those interested can pick up the game on vgperson's page [[http://vgperson.com/games/sandman.htm over here]]. Please note that when it comes to usage of footage from the game, Uri has said videos are allowed, livestreams are allowed, Website/YouTube monetization is allowed, but any other means of profiting off the game are not.
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12	Not to be confused with the [[ComicBook/TheSandman1989 1989 DC Comics comic book]] or the [[Literature/TheSandman1816 1816 novel]] by the same name.
13	-----
14	!!''The Sand Man'' contains examples of:
15	* AllLowercaseLetters: [[spoiler:The Dust]] speak this way.
16	* AlphaBitch: Regan, who spends her time bullying Sophie, as well as coming from an affluent (if dysfunctional) family.
17	* AnotherSideAnotherStory: [[spoiler:The bonus chapter follows the Sandman. This explains why he did certain things and why he chased after Sophie.]]
18	* BackstabbingTheAlphaBitch: When [[spoiler:Sophie turns the tables and insults Regan's hair]], Regan's GirlPosse laughs at her.
19	* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: [[spoiler:It turns out that the reason why Regan, Anne, and Sophie's father suffered the way they did was because those were Sophie's darkest wishes. Lullaby wanted to make her wishes come true so that she could sleep. He even took on the form of David to grant her romantic wish.]]
20	* BerserkButton:
21	** The Sandman goes absolutely ''nuts'' upon [[spoiler:realizing the Unicorn has Sophie's pink jewel]].
22	** In the good ending, [[spoiler:Sophie demands that Regan never make fun of her mother's bright red hair]].
23	* BigBad: The [[AntagonistTitle titular]] Sandman is the one who puts everyone in the world into an eternal sleep, forcing Sophie Grundler to stop him. [[spoiler:It later turns out that he is an AntiVillain who is tired from having to stay up to put everyone to sleep, and just wants some sleep himself.]]
24	* BlatantLies: Used for the Liar Puzzle, where Sophie's tormentors lie to her face about [[spoiler:where Anne is]].
25	* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: [[spoiler:The fight with Sophie in the bonus scenario. She can pull out bursts of extra speed that the Sandman can't match near-constantly -- making just staying out of her reach at all difficult, let alone hitting her without her retaliating immediately or swiping at you as you try to get back around her -- and wins when she gets you to 10 HP, while you win when you get her to zero.]]
26	* TheConfidant: David and Sophie's friendship is founded on the fact that he listens to her, and is the only one she feels she can really talk to about her problems.
27	* ContinuityNod: During the Good Ending, [[spoiler:David tells Shirley that he fell asleep while watching TV and now his neck hurts. She answers [[VideoGame/TheCrookedMan "No wonder your neck looks crooked."]]]]
28	* EarlyBirdCameo: When Sophie is hiding from the Sandman in a closet, she meets [[VideoGame/TheBoogieMan the Boogie Man]].
29	* EarnYourBadEnding: Bad Ending 4, which requires you to beat the difficult TrueFinalBoss in a bonus chapter unlocked after beating the game once. You actually get the chapter's good ending by ''losing'' the fight.
30	* EmpathicShapeshifter: [[spoiler:Lullaby. Its sole purpose is to make people fall asleep by being whomever or whatever people want it to be. For Sophie, it took on the form of David and showed her images of people in her life suffering.]] After Sophie takes care of the Sandman, [[spoiler:it turns into her mother and eases her into sleep]].
31	* EvenEvilHasStandards: The Unicorn may be a {{Jerkass}}, but [[spoiler:when he learns Sophie made the jewel from her own soul, he realizes, that he went too far and urges her to take the jewel back]].
32	* EvilCostumeSwitch: [[spoiler:Sophie, upon becoming the Queen of the Night, is seen wearing a rather flattering black dress.]]
33	* EyeScream: According to a scary story, The Sandman inflicts this on naughty children who won't sleep.
34	* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:The 'Queen of the Night' ending, in which Sophie watches the world's eternal slumber with joy.]]
35	* FailedASpotCheck: While at the Blumberg Mall, Sophie can [[spoiler:sneak right behind the commander and his guards to cut Regan loose]].
36	* FiringSquad: [[spoiler:Regan]] faces this potential fate.
37	* GeniusDitz: The Sandman is reportedly smart enough to study the human world and invent his own language, and yet he doesn't know or forgets that [[spoiler:fairy food is poisonous to humans. Of course being horribly sleep deprived might explain his lacking judgement]].
38	* GenreShift: The first part of the game plays like a horror mystery very similar to ''The Crooked Man'', but after [[spoiler:Sophie enters the Sandman's world, the horror/mystery elements are drastically toned down and the tone becomes more reminiscent of an ''Alice in Wonderland''-like story with the seemingly terrifying villain turning out to be not so villainous after all]].
39	* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: The shadows at the school are fairly standard, expected opponents if you're used to Uri's work or similar indie J-Horror games. The soldiers are a bit weirder, but are foreshadowed by one of the movie posters. Then, finally, you face a ''giant fire-breathing dragon''. [[spoiler:Even when Lullaby explains what was actually going on when you faced these opponents, it's not clear why Sophie's wish for her father manifested as a huge dragon.]]
40	* GirlPosse: Regan's two followers are her mean-girl posse.
41	* GodsNeedPrayerBadly: [[spoiler:The Tooth Fairy]] berates Sophie for voicing her disbelief about their existence, declaring that every time somebody says that [[spoiler:fairies aren't real, a fairy dies]].
42	* GrewASpine: [[spoiler:Sophie's CharacterDevelopment in the best ending. She finally stands up to Regan, calls out Anne for never standing up for her when Regan bullies her, and tells her father how she really feels.]]
43	* HeroicBSOD: Sophie goes into one after [[spoiler:failing to rescue her father]].
44	* HiddenEyes: When giggling among themselves, the upper parts of Regan and her friends' faces fall into shadows. Characters in emotional distress get the same effect.
45	* HighPressureEmotion: The Sandman has this a couple of times. The first one happened when [[spoiler:people continued waking up, thus making him think about making the eternal sleep powder]]. The second time after Sophie [[spoiler:gave her pink jewel to the Unicorn. He ran after the Unicorn and demanded that he give it back]].
46	* IChooseToStay: Appears in [[spoiler:some of the bad endings]].
47	* InnocentInaccurate: In a {{Flashback}}, the much younger Sophie explains that her mother died because [[spoiler:"she was shot by Ban Crobber, or something..."]]
48	* ItsQuietTooQuiet: One of the first unsettling things Sophie notices after the clock stops ticking is how unnaturally quiet it's gotten.
49	* KarmaHoudini: The Unicorn suffers no retribution for doing nasty pranks to other fairies.
50	* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: In the good endings, Sophie smiles and flashes a VSign at [[spoiler:the Sandman through his telescope]].
51	* LetsSplitUpGang: Despite David repeatedly suggesting they should stick together after they meet up, Sophie keeps finding reasons to split off from him.
52	* LighterAndSofter: Compared to Uri's [[VideoGame/{{Paranoiac}} previous]] [[VideoGame/MermaidSwamp works]], including the first entry in the ''Strange Men Series'', ''VideoGame/TheCrookedMan''. That said, the bad endings are still [[DownerEnding incredibly depressing]].
53	* LoopholeAbuse: Exploited by [[spoiler:Lullaby]]. While they can't directly defy their creator, they were assigned to [[spoiler:make Sophie's wishes come true]]. Therefore, they can use that to their advantage.
54	* MayflyDecemberRomance: [[spoiler:Apparently, in the bonus chapter, once Sophie puts the Sandman to sleep, he develops feelings for Sophie. Obviously, he's unaware that she's a girl in high school and he's a fairy that's centuries old.]]
55	* MissingMom: Sophie's mother died when she was very young.
56	* [[MommasBoy Momma's Girl]]: Regan thinks so highly of her mother that she's convinced [[spoiler:she'll come and save her]].
57	* MonochromePast: Sophie's {{Flashback}}s have a slight [[ColorWash sepia tint]].
58	* MultipleEndings: There are four, based on two decisions Sophie makes: whether she [[spoiler:takes the pink jewel or lets Unicorn keep it]], and how she chooses to handle [[spoiler:the Sandman]].
59	** If Sophie [[spoiler:lets Unicorn keep the jewel]] and [[spoiler:accidentally kills the Sandman]], she gets [[spoiler:Bad End 1: Queen of the Night]]. [[spoiler:Though guilt-ridden by her AccidentalMurder, Sophie decides it was ''his'' fault for making everyone fall asleep forever. Remaining in the fairy realm, she [[FaceHeelTurn becomes the Queen of the Night, gleefully watching the eternally slumbering world.]]]]
60	** If she [[spoiler:takes the jewel]] and [[spoiler:kills the Sandman]], she obtains [[spoiler:Bad End 2: Sleep With One Eye Open]]. [[spoiler:Upon returning home, she discovers that killing the Sandman didn't fix anything: time's still frozen, and she's the only one left awake in this eternally slumbering world. Paranoia keeps her from being able to sleep herself, jumping at shadows and bumps in the night like a frightened child.]]
61	** If she chooses to [[spoiler:take the jewel and puts the Sandman to sleep]], she gets [[spoiler:Bad End 3: Invisible Sweet Heart]]. [[spoiler:Rather than return to her miserable life, Sophie gives up her humanity so she can stay in the fairies' world, becoming a Glimmer.]]
62	** Finally, if Sophie decides to [[spoiler:let Unicorn keep the jewel and puts the Sandman to sleep]], she earns [[spoiler:Happy End: Don't Stay Up Late at Night]]. [[spoiler:After falling asleep, she wakes up at the same time as everyone else and starts standing up for herself, even when it gets her into trouble. Facing her problems head-on causes some problems, but she winds up much happier than she was before, and even befriends David's fiancée, Shirley.]]
63	** In addition, two more endings are accessible in [[spoiler:the bonus chapter]]:
64	** If you [[spoiler:beat Sophie]], you get [[spoiler:Bad End 4: See You In Bad Dream]]. [[spoiler:After struggling in vain to stay awake, Sophie falls into an endless nightmare. The guilt brings the Sandman himself to tears...]]
65	** If you [[spoiler:lose instead]], you earn [[spoiler:the good ending: Welcome Back, Insomnia]]! [[spoiler:After getting some rest and seeing Sophie enjoying her life again, the Sandman remembers why he worked so hard in the first place. ...On top of that, he's got a crush. On Sophie.]]
66	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
67	** In the first bad ending, [[spoiler:Sophie accidentally kills the Sandman and breaks down upon realizing it]].
68	** In the last bad ending, [[spoiler:the Sandman successfully puts Sophie to sleep, only to accidentally trap her in an endless nightmare]]. They don't take it well.
69	** [[spoiler:When Dwarf has a chat with the Sandman in the bonus scenario, Sandman is horrified that he could have accidentally killed Sophie with the food he offered her. He didn't understand at first since he forgot fairy food is poisonous to humans.]]
70	* NeverMyFault: [[spoiler:Sophie decides this in the [[FaceHeelTurn 'Queen of the Night' ending]], blaming everyone else for all her problems.]]
71	* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
72	** Why is Sophie such a StepfordSmiler? Because [[spoiler:after her father collapsed from overwork, her aunt told her he'd get better if she behaved. So she bottles everything up and tries to deal with her problems all by herself rather than confront the issues head-on, not wanting to burden anyone with her problems]].
73	** Also, [[spoiler:Sophie will die if she eats the food the Sandman offers her or gives Unicorn the 'pink' jewel that's actually a painted clear jewel]]. [[spoiler:If you play through the bonus chapter where you see the story's events from the Sandman's perspective, you'll learn that the Sandman just wanted to give Sophie a nice meal and honestly had no idea that fairy food was poisonous to humans. He also painted the clear jewel pink to help Sophie with Unicorn's demand, not thinking that Unicorn would be clever enough to notice the difference.]]
74	* NoSympathy: One sign that you're en route to a bad ending is if [[spoiler:Sophie reacts poorly to the Sandman's diary]].
75	* NotEvilJustMisunderstood: [[spoiler:The Sandman just wants to be able to sleep himself. Since Sophie couldn't understand the Sandman's speech, she had no idea he was friendly and thought he was helping her with her insomnia.]]
76	* NotQuiteTheRightThing: Given what [[spoiler:Unicorn]] says after you give them [[spoiler:the pink jewel]], it's pretty clearly important. However, if Sophie [[spoiler:takes back the jewel]], you're locked into a bad ending no matter what.
77	* NowWhereWasIGoingAgain: In [[spoiler:the Sandman's scenario]], the player can consult some in-game notes to figure out what their next move is.
78	* OneGenderSchool: Loren Catholic School is a private, all-girls academy.
79	* {{Pajama Clad Hero}}ine: Since Sophie was trying to sleep, she spends her adventure dressed in her nightgown.
80	* PoorCommunicationKills: A lot of problems would be resolved much quicker if [[spoiler:Sophie could understand what the Sandman was saying. The Sand Man's scenario reveals he can't understand her, either. Once he brushes up on his language skills, her dialogue in the climax is readable]].
81	* ThePrankster: [[spoiler:The Unicorn]] enjoys rileing up other fairies but especially the Sandman in any way he can. This rightfully earns him their disdain.
82	* PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo: [[VideoGame/TheCrookedMan David]] appears early on.
83	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
84	** At the Blumberg Mall, Sophie tries giving one in order to get [[spoiler:Regan]] up and moving by calling them a crybaby. [[spoiler:Regan]] turns right around and snaps back at her.
85	** In one ending, Sophie [[spoiler:unleashes a series of these, having decided she's no longer going to passively put up with everything anymore]].
86	* TheReveal: [[spoiler:The David that Sophie has been talking to is Lullaby. The real David is asleep at Shirley's apartment.]]
87	* RipVanWinkle: At both good endings of the game, [[spoiler:the Sandman awakens and he takes Sophie home before time starts running again. While everything was still the same, it's heavily implied that everyone slept for ''a couple of centuries'']].
88	* SequelHook:
89	** Sophie has a brief encounter with [[spoiler:the Boogieman]], who will appear in the next game in the ''Strange Men Series''.
90	** After beating [[spoiler:the Sandman's chapter]], the player can access teaser trailers for two other projects.
91	%%* ShrinkingViolet: Anne Flanagan.
92	* ShoutOut:
93	** The entire game has Shout Outs to the lyrics of [[Music/{{Metallica}} Enter Sandman]] scattered all over:
94	*** In the city, Sophie dreams of war (the soldiers in the mall), dreams of liars (the spirits in the school), and dreams of dragon's fire (the dragon in the office building).
95	*** Lullaby also asks her to take his hand before taking her to the fairy realm.
96	*** One of the bad endings is named "Sleep with one eye open".
97	*** Sophie is reminded to say her prayers before sleeping. [[spoiler:Lullaby takes the form of her mother and reminds her again in the True ending.]]
98	** The StealthBasedMission requires Sophie to [[VideoGame/MetalGear hide and move around in a cardboard box]].
99	* SlasherSmile: Seen on [[spoiler:the shadow girls, as their only discernable feature]].
100	* SpeakingSimlish: The Sandman makes strange, indescipherable babbling noises. [[spoiler:In his scenario, Sophie has a higher-pitched voice.]]
101	* StealthBasedMission: One appears in [[spoiler:the Blumberg Mall]] when Sophie has to get past the [[spoiler:soldiers to cut Regan loose]].
102	* StepfordSmiler: Sophie tends to hide and repress how she feels, insisting that she can deal with her problems by herself.
103	* StrongFamilyResemblance: Based off of the illustration in the Good End, Sophie looks just like her mother.
104	* TimeStandsStill: In the still, silent world, time doesn't pass for anyone.
105	* TimedMission: At Loren, Sophie has just three minutes to [[spoiler:find Anne before she's killed by the shadow girls]].
106	* TheToothHurts: [[spoiler:Poor Sophie]] loses a tooth from being [[spoiler:blown through the doors and out of a building]].
107	* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]]. Flashbacks show that even back in kindergarten, [[spoiler:little Sophie]] looked down on 'crybabies', even when they were upset over [[spoiler:their parents constantly fighting]]. This attitude contributed to later issues.
108	* TrueFinalBoss: The bonus scenario ends in a fight against [[spoiler:[[TheProtagonist Sophie]] herself. She's significantly faster than the Sandman, and only has to get him down to 10 HP, while he has to get her down to zero. You're actually expected to lose to her, and it nets you the good ending for the bonus scenario, but you need to beat her if you want to see all the endings, and it's not easy.]]
109	* UnrequitedLove: Sophie has this for David, despite him being with Shirley. [[spoiler:In the best ending, she decides to abandon her feelings for him and be friends with him and Shirley.]]
110	* UsedToBeASweetKid: Having to deal with [[spoiler:her abusive father always tormenting her and her mother]] really took its toll on [[spoiler:Reagan]].
111	* VomitDiscretionShot: If Sophie eats the eyeball soup, the window cuts to black before barfing sounds are heard.
112	* WeirdWorldWeirdFood: [[spoiler:The foods made by the Sandman are pretty disgusting by their descriptions: red soup with what appears to be eyeballs and a metallic scent, large, striped caterpillars, meat with little white worms crawling on it... and they're poisonous to humans to boot! However, among fairies, the Sandman's cooking is considered a delicacy.]]
113	* WeUsedToBeFriends: [[spoiler:Regan and Sophie. This is part of why Sophie puts up with her bullying; she knows about her old friend's family troubles.]]
114	* WhenSheSmiles: Sophie's described as having 'the smile of a goddess' when she's honestly happy.
115	* WhenYouComingHomeDad: Sophie's father Richard honestly cares about her; his job at JP Gordon & Chase just keeps devouring all of his time.
116	* {{Workaholic}}: Richard Grundler. [[spoiler:All of the fairies]] have this same problem.
117	* YouBastard: Beating the TrueFinalBoss will ''not'' feel satisfying, as [[spoiler:you've just defeated tormented protagonist Sophie; she's last shown ''crying herself to sleep'']]. [[spoiler:[[MyGodWhatHaveIDone The Sandman then does the same.]]]]

Context VideoGame / TheSandman2014