Sand Land Review: "An Adept Adaptation Of A Beloved Manga"

Summary Faithful adaptation with expanded story and new characters.

Vehicle combat is a highlight, while regular combat feels lacking.

Lots of side quests, bounties, and town-building activities to keep players engaged.

Sand Land the video game is both an adaptation of the late Akira Toriyama's work and a revised and expanded edition of the beloved manga from 2000. Sand Land, published by Bandai Namco, is developed by ILCA, the studio behind Bandai Namco's own One Piece Odyssey and the Toriyama-art-filled Dragon Quest XI from Square Enix. This really shows in its art style, cel-shading that looks like Toriyama's illustrations come to life, and in the gameplay.

While the Sand Land manga never quite reached the popularity of other Akira Toriyama works like Dragon Ball or Dr. Slump, the story of Prince Beelzebub, Sheriff Rao, and the demon Thief was a short and sweet adventure brimming with humor. Just like in the manga (or the new anime) the video game focuses on these three (along with newcomer Ann) as they prowl the desert wasteland looking for water while evading the greedy king's army inside a stolen tank and other vehicles. It's an adept adaptation that respects the source material by expanding on the manga's core story and adding in new characters and subplots.

Sand Land is a genre-bending RPG that makes an ideal Toriyama video game. Pros An adaptation that faithfully captures the spirit of the original while expanding upon it.

Vehicle combat, bounties, and treasure maps are a lot of fun.

Excellent art style that feels like Toriyama illustrations come to life. Cons Regular combat feels a bit too generic.

New characters feel underwhelming.

Vehicle Combat Is Great, But Character Combat Leaves A Bit To Be Desired

Party Members & Abilities Help Shakes Things Up

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While there are plenty of things to do in Sand Land, the primary focus is on its vehicle combat. It's a bit like Twisted Metal, a bit like the buggies in Jak 3, and full of customization. Additional vehicles are unlocked over the course of the game, with Beelzebub creating quite a few. From there, parts and vehicles can be customized and upgraded with materials either bought from vendors or found in chests across the wasteland. Different obstacles and battles require strategizing with different vehicles, and toggling between primary and secondary weapons to avoid getting obliterated during reloading times will keep players on their toes.

Vehicle customization feels pretty deep, but it can feel grindy at times when hunting the materials needed for certain parts. Overall, it's excellent, but it's in contrast to the regular character combat - which feels a bit too simple. Essentially, Beelzebub can use a standard and a strong move while abilities and dark powers shake things up. Rao can learn abilities that mostly help in combat, while Thief's abilities are mostly for increasing material and money drops. It's not the most exciting action combat around, but it gets the job done.

There's Always Something To Do In Sand Land

Side Quests, Treasure Hunts, Town-Building, & Bounties

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The main story quests of Sand Land are fairly straightforward. Especially in the beginning, the narrative stays fairly true to the manga, and it's great to see iconic moments - like Thief in his Santa Claus outfit - in real time. There are surprises along the way, which won't get spoiled here, but it all works to keep this nearly 25-year-old tale nice and fresh. This is mostly thanks to the additional story beats and new characters. Ann is a welcome addition, but a lot of the other new characters feel underwhelming when compared to those found in the original manga.

Outside the main narrative, there's still plenty to do. Side quests net nice rewards and can often send the quest giver to Spino, a town that players are tasked with developing. Over the course of the game, Spino will get new shops, buildings, citizens, and more, depending on how much side content Beelzebub and co. actually do. Treasure maps and bounty hunts are other ways to farm materials and receive rewards, and they also serve as decent distractions from the main story. In fact, some of the most challenging fights in the game come from bounties.

A Story & Art Style That Feels True To Toriyama's Work

Sand Land The Game Is Like The Manga Come To Life

Sand Land blends quite a few genres into one experience, even if it's a roleplaying game at heart. Surprisingly, there are many times it feels like a platformer akin to Ratchet & Clank more than a Toriyama RPG like Dragon Quest or Blue Dragon. Puzzles, stealth sections, and even side-scrolling segments only add to this feeling.

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Somehow, this mishmash of gameplay elements works well. There's rarely a dull moment in Sand Land, even if the game settles for good when it could've been great. There's nothing inherently wrong with Sand Land - the characters and gameplay just sometimes feel underdeveloped. Fans of the manga and anime will love it, and it serves as a solid entry point for newcomers, too.

Final Thoughts & Review Score

4/5

Overall, the genre-bending elements of Sand Land and its lovable cast of misfits all work in its favor. The story is engaging, and the ancillary content like developing Spino and taking down bounties is quite enjoyable. Vehicle combat and customization are highlights, but the real standout is how the game captures not just Akira Toriyama's art style, but also the spirit and humor of the manga and its characters. It may not be an instant classic, but Sand Land is some of the most fun you'll have this year.