Sand Land: A Road Trip in the Desert

Games based on anime have traditionally been a coin flip, not so much because of their quality, but because of the expectations fans have of the final product. But what happens when the source is a manga, and a lesser-known work by a legend like Akira Toriyama? This is the case of Sand Land, a manga published in 2000 that has returned in an ambitious project that brings together video game, film and even anime, seeking to expand the original story on which it is based. Given this paradigm shift, what can we expect?

The Demons of the Desert

Sand Land is an action RPG that takes us to the land of the same name, where water is extremely scarce and only the royal army can provide it. The story follows Beelzebub, prince of the demons, who together with Rao, a war veteran sheriff, and Thief, an old demon expert in stealing, embarks on an adventure in this region in search of a legendary spring that could provide the locals with the much desired liquid. This is a catalyst for a story that leads us to more than just searching for resources, but to something introspective, that demons are not as bad as humans and that our actions are capable of redeeming us.

It is worth mentioning that part of the project started with the video game and then grew into the movie and animation. If you have seen any of these or read the manga, you will find some changes, but the essence, key points and even some jokes are the same. Our main characters have a lot of charisma, in their way, highlighting Beelzebub, who is a little boy with a big heart, even though he seems very evil (how could he not be, being the prince of demons). On the other hand, the story touches some fibers of the contemporary world, the lack of a natural resource so important that it even falls into the hands of the powerful to be a business, and even the war for natural resources.

Sand Land is a semi-open world that is wide and has a very good size. Some elements can be explored like caves and you will find battles against dinosaurs, giant scorpions, crocodiles or even desert thieves or the army itself. There are also some random events like rescuing peddlers that add a little more life to the place. The truth is, despite these elements, a lot of it feels very optional. You can very easily escape the vast majority of enemies and continue on as if nothing happened. Another detail is that despite the great charisma that the characters have, it is during these journeys that they become tedious, as they have to repeat the same dialog over and over again, sometimes repeating the same line if something got through.

As for the gameplay, we will mostly be controlling Beelzebub as a character or taking control of multiple vehicles. It is a mix where we can easily explore with both, as well as fight. In this sense, Beelzebub is an extremely strong being who can easily stand up to the various dangers that lurk in Sand Land, although this does not mean that he is invincible. As the game progresses, we will continue to unlock special abilities, and every time we level up, we gain points for a skill tree that grows larger than expected. Our companions also have their own skill trees to unlock their own unique techniques. While Rao helps us in battle, Thief can unlock skills to get more and better items and money.

Demon in the tank

On the other hand, much of the action takes place on vehicles. From tanks, motorcycles, jumping robots, sliders, and other very interesting vehicles, Sand Land has multiple ways to move around the map. The game gradually unlocks these vehicles, either because of the story or because of the missions that are being developed. In general, these vehicles have two types of shots, a strong and heavy one, and almost always a machine gun. Part of the combat strategy is to shoot with one and switch to the other while the other weapon is reloading.

The design of these ships is very remarkable, as they bear the distinctive industrial design characteristic of Toriyama. The shapes and figures of the tanks, motorcycles, and gliders we use will be recognizable if you are familiar with his style. As you can imagine, these ships can be upgraded with the resources we find along the way. Either from materials we find in crates, enemy vehicles we eliminate, or even the wild fauna of Sand Land itself. To do this, we need to go to a special workshop in the town of Spiro, run by Ann, an important part of our team who will be responsible for creating, modifying, and improving our combat vehicles. If we cannot find weapons or upgrades, we will be able to create them ourselves and put them on the vehicles. These will also have chips that will help us with some improvements in combat, resistance, or even make the enemies drop more money. Each of these ships is fun to use, each with its own charm and usefulness.

One of the most interesting points of the game is Spiro, a town that you find in the first hours of the game, but which becomes an important part of both the story and the game. When you arrive, this town is almost a ghost town, with a minimum of inhabitants. It will be your mission to find people who want to inhabit this place. This is where side quests feel worthwhile. Not only does Spiro begin to transform into a more presentable place to live, but you’ll also meet people who will help you customize your vehicles, get better materials, or even decorate your own room in the town. Although it could have been a bit more, the experience of seeing this place grow little by little is extremely satisfying.

On the technical side, Sand Land runs beautifully. It was played on PlayStation 5 and there was really no problem in terms of frame rate drops, even in the moments when the action was at full throttle. The visual experience of the 3D designs of these 2D characters is very well done, with excellent cel shading that blends in with the particle and light source effects. My only comment would be that certain textures lose some of their charm upon closer inspection, something that can be noticed in certain cutscenes.

Sand Land is a great adventure that proves to have more layers than one would expect. As such, it shows us a game full of twists and turns that manages to expand, always respecting Akira Toriyama’s original work. However, it has some dry details, a melee combat that could have been more extensive, and a greater variety in the dialog that these characters could have during the long roads in the desert. Apart from that, the title has elements that make it a great adventure to remember its creator.