Wake the Giant Scarab, outlast the Pharaoh
The sun is setting over the Nile, and a golden cannon waits on a riverboat deck framed by carved pillars. Drag to aim, release, and a stream of stone orbs ricochets between the columns to crack sandstone blocks, clay pots and chests before the cargo slides down to the deck. A kitten in a pharaoh headdress keeps you company from the side panel, and every chapter closes with a creature out of Egyptian legend. Scarab Sands ships as a full HTML5 game template whose readable source goes straight onto any static host.
10 bosses, one at the end of every chapter
Ten bosses wait at the close of the ten chapters, one after each run of five levels. Every one has its own artwork and a health bar, comes with an escort of blocks, and must fall before it reaches the wall. Beating a boss the first time earns 100 coins; each rematch earns 25. The journey opens with the Giant Scarab at Nile Harbor and ends against the Pharaoh in Pharaoh's Treasure:
- Nile Harbor: Giant Scarab
- Palm Oasis: Desert Scorpion
- Sun Temple: Sun Cobra
- Papyrus Marsh: Crocodile Guard
- Lotus Lagoon: Hippo Queen
- Golden Pyramid: The Sphinx
- Tomb of Shadows: The Mummy
- Lapis Mines: Jackal Guardian
- Sandstorm Dunes: Sandstorm Djinn
- Pharaoh's Treasure: The Pharaoh
Fire urns, oil jars and the Bomb
A block's number tells you how many hits it can still take. A fire urn bursts and damages all eight blocks around it, and urns side by side set off chains. An oil jar burns across its entire row, a treasure chest adds two stone orbs to the volley, and obsidian blocks cannot be broken at all, so the win never depends on them. Arm the Bomb before firing and the first orb blasts a 3×3 gap. End shot brings the orbs home early, and the 2× button speeds up long volleys.
Daily challenge, Endless mode, missions and a shop
Stars, boss wins, treasure chests and missions all pay out in coins. Spend them in the shop on three cannon upgrades (Extra ball, Quick fuse, Spyglass) or on six orb skins running from Turquoise to Ghost; every skin can also be unlocked with stars. Each day the Daily challenge deals a fresh 18-row cargo and rewards streaks. Endless sands drops a new row after every volley and asks how far you can go. Reaching 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 stars adds a coin bonus automatically.
14 languages and a narrator with a voice
The interface and the level hints are translated into 14 languages and follow the browser's language on first launch. Spoken lines are recorded in English, Portuguese and Spanish. The soundtrack is the game's own: a menu theme, two level tracks and a boss track, plus 27 sound effects.
What is new compared with RICOPOP
The engine is still RICOPOP, and so is the 50-level structure; a few maps were reworked to fit the new blocks, while the aiming and the bounces stay untouched. What changed is the look, the sound and the extras around the levels:
- An ancient Egypt setting with new art: a riverboat deck on the Nile, ten chapter scenes from the harbor to the Pharaoh's treasure, sandstone, pots and chests
- A pharaoh kitten mascot
- Ten bosses drawn for this edition, each with its own picture, and a dedicated boss music track
- Fresh blocks: treasure chests, oil jars that burn a row and unbreakable obsidian
- Coins and a shop with upgrades and orb skins, plus the Daily challenge, Endless sands, missions and star milestones
- An original soundtrack
Upload and play: ads stay off until you turn them on
Upload the contents of the game folder to a static web host and start playing. Progress, coins, skins and upgrades are stored on the player's device.
- Ads are off by default. scarab-sands.config.js has optional Google AdSense, custom-adapter and demo settings; live ads need your own eligible account.
- The Score screen and the missions are local: there is no server, PHP file or online leaderboard to maintain.
What you receive
The complete HTML5 game and its readable source with every picture, sound and music file, the illustrated guide in English, Portuguese and Spanish, a step-by-step customization guide with numbered screenshots, and optional developer tools: 58 tests, a level validator and solver, a local server and a build copy.
Customise it
There is no build step: edit a file, upload it and refresh. The levels are in src/levels.js, the economy (prices, rewards, upgrades, missions, star milestones) in src/modes.js, the texts in src/locales/ and the pictures, sounds and music in assets/. scarab-sands.config.js controls ads, the "Tap to start" screen and the full-screen button. Internal code names left over from the engine are listed in the source README.
Technical details at a glance
- Stack: vanilla JavaScript with ES modules, Canvas 2D, Web Audio and optional WebGL glow effects; the files are HTML, CSS, JavaScript and JSON.
- Runs from any static HTTP or HTTPS host (not from file://), with no Node.js, build step, PHP, database or account. It needs an internet connection to load and is not an offline app.
- Portrait layout on phones, wide layout with side panels on desktop; touch, mouse and keyboard.
- Node.js 26.13+ only for the optional developer tools.
- Not included: native Android or iOS builds and store publication, online multiplayer or an online leaderboard, ad network accounts and game-portal SDK integrations.
Licence and support in short
You get a perpetual, non-exclusive licence for one end product, yours or one client's. Players may access it free of charge or through advertising monetisation. You can change the code, art and audio inside your product, but not resell the template itself. Six months of support are included, or 12 with the extension chosen at checkout.
