Sand Land (video game)

Sand Land is an action role-playing video game developed by ILCA and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The game is based on Sand Land, a Japanese manga series created by Akira Toriyama in 2000. It is one of the last projects to have any involvement by Toriyama before his death on March 1, 2024. It was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S in April 2024. Upon release, it received mixed reviews from critics.

Gameplay
Based on Sand Land, the game follows the story of Beelzebub, Rao, Ann and Thief as they embark on a journey through the desert to locate a Legendary Spring while battling against dangerous monsters and the army of a malevolent king. Beelzebub is the game's main playable character, and the game is played from a third-person perspective. There are two modes of melee attack; light attacks are fast but weak, and heavy attacks are slow but strong. Players can also dodge opponent's attacks mid-air or sideways. As players progress in the game, they will unlock new skills and special abilities, which enhance Beelzebub's combat capabilities. Drinking water in the game increases Beelzebub's health. Players can also unlock new skills for Beelzebub's companions, who will also assist the player during combat.

The game features a variety of vehicles that can be used for transversal. For instance, the hovercar allows players to float over water and move in wetlands and rough terrain quickly. They can also be used during combat scenarios, especially when fighting against larger enemies. Beelzebub can carry up to five vehicle capsules at a given time. The vehicles can be customized extensively with new engine parts and weapons. They can also be upgraded to boost their durability in combat. Beelzebub and his crew will establish their basecamp in the city of Spino. Players can customize their characters' personal living quarters extensively with furniture and various decorative items. As players progress in the game and completes side objectives, they will meet other non-playable characters, some of which may stay in Spino, granting players the opportunities to buy rare components or services. There are also other side activities in the game, including racing and bounty hunting, and competing in battle arenas against other tough enemies.

Development and release
Sand Land was developed by ILCA and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The game is based on Sand Land, a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama in 2000. According to Bandai Namco, the project was supervised by both Shueisha and Toriyama himself, and players do not need to be familiar with the manga to understand the story of the game. The game features "Forest Land", a new locale that Toriyama created for the 2024 original net animation adaptation of Sand Land.

In December 2022, Bandai Namco announced that they had initiated the "Sand Land Project" which will turn Sand Land into a multimedia intellectual property, and an animated film adaptation was announced. The video game project was officially revealed in June 2023. A playable demo for the game was released on March 18, 2024. It was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on April 25, 2024, in Japan, and the following day worldwide.

Reception
Sand Land received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.