Played: Sand Land is ‘Mad Max’ from Dragon Ball Creator

The manga adaptation promises battles on wheels with charismatic characters

In production for some years, sand was finally revealed by Bandai Namco during the Summer game partygaming event in the USA that replaced the traditional E3 in 2023. The game is an adaptation of a lesser-known manga by the creator of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama.

With his unmistakable style, Toriyama not only created the characters of Sand Land, but also took the opportunity to freely draw one of his greatest passions: cars, motorcycles, trucks and tanks. Goku’s father and company is a motor vehicle enthusiast and it shows in his new game.

Watch the trailer for Sand Land:

Sand devils

The 20-minute demo available at the Summer Game Fest gave a taste of what awaits players in the fiery sands that await players in this action RPG: In Sand Land you control a small demon called Beelzebub on a journey to find an oasis legendary, alongside unlikely companions, the human sheriff Rao and the old thief demon Thief, a trio formed by the need to find water to save their compatriots, despite their differences.

The typical gameplay experience of an RPG involved moving through desert environments, facing small enemies (most of them dinosaurs), collecting items and finding vehicles, such as a massive tank that not only protects, but makes it less painful the move. When I was surrounded by multiple opponents at once, it was easy to take them down from a distance with heavy weapons. At certain moments I preferred to get off the vehicle for a “hand to hand” confrontation, which was also pleasant and intuitive, even against more powerful dinosaurs.

There’s a considerable focus on customizing and upgrading cars, with lots of materials to collect and use to craft parts. The building system also applies to the player’s camp, which must be upgraded and accommodated new inhabitants. These mechanics, however, weren’t available in the demo.

At least ostensibly, the world of Sand Land can be explored freely by stepping on the accelerator, and there’s always a good incentive to seek out caves and other secrets, as well as dangers, with some rather large monsters appearing randomly along the way. . In the end, I spontaneously opted for a longer route and ended up getting the best benefits, which even earned me compliments from the producer Bandai Namco who accompanied the demo.

charismatic characters

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Visually, Sand Land is stunning, with eye-catching cel-shaded graphics that make you feel like you’re in control of a real Japanese cartoon. What is evident is that Akira Toriyama has not lost his ability to create interesting and memorable characters, those with whom we interact for a few minutes and quickly gain our sympathy.

The aesthetic factor will certainly be a strong point to win over those who don’t know this darkest work in the Japanese artist’s curriculum. Furthermore, the experience of exploring the desert world of Sand Land aboard tanks and buggies was fun, mainly thanks to the charisma of Beelzebub and his companions, and also to the chaotic and humorous way in which they deal with their problems.

Sand Land is in production for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X / S, still without a definite release date.

Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.