June 23rd 2023.
GameCentral goes hands-on with one of the surprise reveals from the Summer Game Fest: Sand Land - an action RPG based on the work of Akira Toriyama. While the Xbox Games Showcase was certainly a success, the response to this month’s Summer Game Fest was a little more tepid, with not quite as many surprises as many were hoping for. Sand Land, however, was a breath of fresh air.
First published as a manga in 2000, Sand Land is set in a Mad Max style desert world, where an extreme water shortage has taken hold. Players take on the role of Beelzebub, a little purple skinned demon prince, who’s joined by stern-faced Sheriff Rao on a quest to uncover the hidden water source - the Legendary Spring at Phantom Lake.
Producer Keishu Minami told me that the team's goal is to make the audience love the game through its gameplay. “Our team members never compromise on the quality of visual and action so we’re happy to bring them to a worldwide audience,” he said.
I got to experience the vivid open world environment first-hand during a short hands-on preview. I navigated the desert in a canvas topped junker and then a requisitioned tank, stopping off every so often to battle bandits, lizards, and Genji dragons with bombs and hand-to-hand combat. The Japanese voice acting was consistently humorous and compelling, adding to the sense of cartoonish fun.
Vehicles are an important asset in the game, as they grant benefits that provide attacks against several enemies. Plus, they offer unique ways of traversing the Sand Land, such as destroying rocks that block the way or jumping over broken bridges.
Akira Toriyama’s artwork has appeared in many games, but the action in Sand Land is solid too. During my battles with the bandits I was able to create combos to make the best use of the supernatural abilities, without having to learn complex fighting game style button sequences.
The massive open world environment is another unique aspect of the game. During the demo, I had to use speed and strategy to out manoeuvre a giant dragon, as it dived under the sand to resurface and deal damage. The manga style designs of Sand Land help it to stand out, and there are a number of large cities which act as world hubs.
Developer ILCA work a lot on the Pokémon franchise now, but were also behind fellow anime licence One Piece Odyssey, which was surprisingly good. In the short time I spent playing Sand Land, I was impressed by the dynamic gameplay, striking visuals, and an intriguingly oddball narrative. Whether it will be able to attract more than just anime fans remains to be seen, but it’s certainly something different.
Sand Land is due to be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC, with an anime adaptation launching on August 18 this year. We’re excited to see the world of Sand Land come to life, and hope that you will be too.
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