Before I start the review I wanted to pay tribute to the man who created the manga that the game is based on Akira Toriyama who passed away earlier this year. His work will always live on with his fans and projects, whether manga, anime, or even video games. This man created a legacy that will forever be cherished, and I wish for peace and prosperity for himself and his family.
Sand Land is an action roleplaying game set in a world created by the late Akira Toriyamathat was adapted from a manga under the same name published on August 8, 2000. While not as widely known as some of Akira Toriyamas other projects like Dragon Ball or Dragon’s Quest there is no denying that Sand Land is yet another franchise of his that deserves recognition especially since his signature style is featured prominently. The world and characters are rich with identity and style that Akira Toriyama was known for, but was it enough for a game that is primarily centered around Tank combat, the short answer is yes, but allow me to go into full detail as to why.
The story of Sand Land centers around a demon prince by the name of Beelzebub who is trapped along with his father and other demons on earth that was ravaged by an endless desert which was said to be caused by humanity’s reckless actions ultimately destroying the planet. After completing a supply hit on the Royal army which has seized control of the dying country he gets asked for assistance by an old sheriff named Thief to search for a legendary spring that he hopes to discover and share with all the survivors. After being persuaded with a new fully functional game console and a promise of a good share of the water for his people the prince agrees to join the expedition bringing along an older humanoid demon named Thief believing his thieving skills and knowledge of the human world to come in use. After a while on their journey, they lose their supplies and vehicle which forces them to improvise and steal a Tank that formerly belonged to the Royal Army. As they steal the tank they come across a female mechanic named Ann who promises she can help repair the Tank in exchange for her freedom from the army and safe passage to the town of Spino which houses a garage that can be used to repair said Tank. Their actions don’t go unnoticed however as now the Royal Army has sent out a bounty for their heads making their journey more difficult. It also doesn’t help either that the Legendary Spring they had been searching for is the water supply for the King making the mission even more difficult.
In terms of the gameplay, the real shine comes from its tank gameplay. The tank gameplay is the most detailed segment throughout the entire game with it having the most customization and RPG elements outside of the other segments that don’t have the same amount of detail like the hand-to-hand combat and stealth. The tank can be customized to have many different weapons and abilities that can be collected by scavenging the world whether that’s by destroying other machines or just exploring various caves, towns, bases, etc. There are also other machines such as jump bots that have the same level as customization. Customization for machines can involve swapping weapons both primary and secondary, adding chips and components that increase specific stats, adding modules that can add other passive abilities and attacks, and paint customization that can change the appearance of your machines. Machines and parts are also upgradable and can be either swapped or improved using scrap or other needed components that will either need to be built or collected.
However, while the tank and machine gameplay is very well-detailed the same can’t be said about stealth or hand-to-hand combat. Stealth primarily means not getting spotted and getting to the objective with seemingly no way to improve or change it using extra skills or abilities. Meanwhile, Hand-to-hand is primarily punching and kicking with light and heavy attacks with more combos and abilities being locked behind a skill tree for the prince while Rao and Thief both have passive and command active abilities that are meant to help the prince in battle. There aren’t any equipable weapons outside of the weapons that can be equipped on the machines so if anyone is looking for the same level of RPG customization as the tank they are in for a big disappointment.
As mentioned prior one of the biggest advantages of this game is its style and characters. So far out of all the games based on Akira Toriyama’s work, this has to be the best-looking one both graphically and visually with all the colors, textures, and even models reflecting his style in the best way possible. Each character’s design from the main characters to even the bandits, soldiers, creatures, and machines is unique and memorable. The machines are especially well detailed and designed which makes sense since Toriyama had a great passion for machines.
Overall the tank gameplay and characters make this game an enjoyable time and a great introduction to the manga it’s based on. However, it does get dragged down a bit by its stealth and hand-to-hand combat I wish had as much detail as the machines did. Some segments dragged a bit in terms of story, but that didn’t cause problems for me with the overall experience. While not perfect I do recommend this game for those who are Akira Toriyama fans as well as those players who are just looking for a fun experience overall.
Score: 9 out of 10
Reviewed on PlayStation 5