A short while ago, fans of manga and Japanese culture had to say goodbye to one of the greatest artists of his time: Akira Toriyama. The one who was nicknamed the father of Dragon Ball did not live off this work alone, quite the contrary. Well before this tragic event, Bandai Namco chose to select its next project from the mangaka's portfolio. The game Sand Land was born from this idea.
Adapted from the eponymous manga, Sand Land is an open-world game that promises us devilishly effective adventures. We play as Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons, in an almost apocalyptic world plagued by widespread drought. Far from completely reinventing the universe, Bandai Namco uses it to its advantage to go further in its message, by emphasizing playability and interactivity. The result is a title that seems to be made of magic sand. Explanation in this review of Sand Land.
Like magic sand, Sand Land is cool and original
Bandai Namco is a regular in manga. The studio has already adapted the biggest names in the industry: Jujutsu Kaisen, Naruto, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, etc. Even Dragon Ball has had this privilege, often in the form of fighting games. Even if this genre fits rather well with the universe of the franchise, Sand Land required a slightly different treatment. The title tells the story of a human, Sheriff Rao, who teams up with demons on a quest to save all living beings in the region.
Water is in dire need and there may be a secret spring, the subject of many legends. The sheriff thinks he can find it with his knowledge of the land, but asks for Beelzebub's help to survive in these arid lands. So far the narrative is perfectly in keeping with Akira Toriyama's work. We find endearing characters, in the sympathetic story of an unexpected friendship and a greater proof of humanity than what we thought coming from demonic beings by definition.
We were really touched by the themes addressed in the game which explores the consequences of this drought on an individual as well as collective scale. The emphasis on narration is found in the (too?) numerous dialogues with the multitude of characters present. Many stand out for their strong character, while others simply populate a world already devoid of flora.
The possibilities seem endless…
To make its game attractive, Bandai Namco has opted for an open world ready to be explored. A main quest supports the whole, but the player is free to go wherever he wants, and to interact with everything around him. This is how certain side quests can be triggered, adding lore and substance to the main story, although nothing really seems to tie into it. These missions all seem optional as possible, and serve more as a filler function for a second part of the game.
In addition to the exploration encouraged by the narrative, the player can contribute to the well-being of a city in the making named Spino. This is rebuilt through encounters and missions accomplished in the world of Sand Land, allowing you to unlock shops and other secondary activities, very useful for advancing your characters and improving your equipment.
The title even has a part that will delight fans of interior decoration since it is possible to furnish your little home with purchased or crafted furniture. Was this feature necessary for the enjoyment of the game? Absolutely not. But we feel that Bandai Namco has planned to cast a wide net with this opus.
…and yet, after sandcastles, what else is there to do?
Despite a great effort on all the additions to the original work, we must admit that Sand Land suffers from a slight problem of pacing. The movements from one mission to another seem slower than they should be, leaving room for dialogues, certainly, but especially for boredom. This is why the studio intersperses these long moments with a few fights with monsters on the loose. But they all follow one another and are similar, creating a certain redundancy in some segments of the game. Nothing that really spoils the pleasure of playing, but rather dampens the enthusiasm of knowing more about the story.
It should also be noted that Bandai Namco takes the word “freedom” literally. There is no question here of forced or even guided exploration. The indicators on the map do not, however, lead to the creation of a recommended route, which sometimes gives rise to misunderstandings or improvised alternative routes. We love the fact that we can climb almost anywhere to find chests and rare coins scattered throughout the open world.
Visually, the studio opts for a very drawn appearance, with big pencil strokes and a Borderlands atmosphere. We thus find the manga side adapted so well that the models seem to have been made by the hand of their creator. The environments all look the same – hardly surprising for a desert – although things improve in the second half of the game, the details of which we won’t reveal here for the sake of spoilers.
Staying on the move is key
To be able to move around the desert expanse, the studio wanted to put a special emphasis on vehicles. Sand Land gives you the option of driving an off-road car at the beginning of the game, which quickly becomes necessary to avoid wasting too much time. But the challenges you’ll have to overcome require other vehicles with different capabilities. After just a few hours, you’ll have an arsenal of motorized vehicles at your disposal, equipped with cutting-edge weaponry for the enemies who will stand against you.
All of the vehicles are fairly easy to use, and you won’t have to worry about fuel or ammunition. Despite everything, we welcome the possibility of being able to craft your means of locomotion using the (many) parts that you find, including the chassis which are mandatory. Spino's garage very quickly becomes the converging point of each end of chapter and we take pleasure in making the next exploration machine.
Thanks to this part of the game, the studio further strengthens its RPG side which tends to get lost at the level of the characters. It is possible to increase their capacities by obtaining skills following a specific tree like any game of the genre. Some of these skills however ruin by their simplicity all the interest of having a difficulty. This makes us say that the target of Sand Land is probably somewhere between manga fans and casual gamers, although it is enjoyable no matter your level.
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