Welcome to our review of Sand Land, the latest manga/anime title to be turned into a game by Bandai Namco.
Dive into a desert world where both humans and demons suffer from an extreme water shortage – SAND LAND. Meet the Fiend Prince Beelzebub, his chaperone Thief, and the fearless Sheriff Rao, and follow the team on an extraordinary adventure in search of the Legendary Spring hidden in the desert. The end is only the beginning, as beyond this arid ground lies a new realm to explore.
In this action-RPG, players will find a nostalgic and heartwarming world created by Akira Toriyama, where you will become the main character Beelzebub. Learn how to control his powers and lead your company of heroic misfits exploring the legendary world of SAND LAND. Beware of the many dangers that populate it: between bandits, fierce wildlife, and the Royal Army, reaching the spring won’t be easy! Use your tact and imagination to develop tanks and other vehicles that will help you navigate this vast land, using a wide array of part combinations.
Unlock vehicles that can be leveled-up with various mechanic parts including weapons, engines, and suspensions. Design and operate a large variety of vehicles including Battle Tanks with powerful cannons, Motorbikes that speed through deserts, and Jump-bots that bounce over rivers to explore every corner of the continent.
Develop your basecamp in the city of Spino, as you build relationships with its inhabitants. As you bring the exiled people of the desert to Spino, watch the town and its capabilities grow. Listen to their requests and wishes, and unlock useful materials and city features. Travel through SAND LAND and its canyons, unveil its secrets, overcome all obstacles, and find the entrance to an unknown world.
Usually, when you hear it is another media franchise coming as a game, you are expecting it to be a fighting game that becomes another one of those sandboxed fighters, you know the ones I am talking about. Luckily Sand Land is pretty different as it is a real delight to play, sticking very close to Toriyama’s designs and the similarities with the anime are striking.
As a game itself, Sand Land is possibly one of the better entries in a few years from the anime-turned-game subgenre. From basic fighting with Prince Beelzebub to driving tanks, editing their weapons, and sneaking around places as your accompanying thief, … The variety is bigger than you’d expect and maybe a tad overwhelming at first, between learning all the (easy) mechanics and switching between the numerous cut scenes. Here possibly my only gripe, the fact those do not autoplay all the way through but stop in between lines until the invisible timer runs out and it finally moves towards the next line of conversation, a bit tedious to keep your controller in hand instead of just relaxing.
Sand Land in itself is not the easiest of games, but also far from difficult, almost the perfect blend of weird and funny. I did find it easy to get into the game and I really enjoyed the sneaking around parts, especially when playing as Beelzebub and being able to take down a few lone guards. Got to loot those chests, right?
In conclusion, Sand Land is one of the games that just keeps dragging you into the game by being both funny and very well-paced. Now it is time to watch that anime!
