SAND LAND Demo is Out Now on All Platforms

Sand Land, the open world adaptation of Akira Toriyama's standalone manga, has real potential. And honestly, that surprised us, because we had this game (perhaps unfairly) tagged as another somewhat underwhelming Bandai Namco tie-in. But now, having played through several hours of the adventure ourselves, we think this could be one of the publisher's best projects in years.

2024 has become a year of equally joyous and tragic significance for fans of Akira Toriyama. Earlier last month, the TV anime adaptation of the late mangaka’s 2000 sci-fi comedy manga Sand Land premiered on streaming, just a few weeks after Toriyama’s passing at the age of 68.

Sand Land will come out on April 25 on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The RPG, from the creator of Dragon Ball, is set in a world where water is severely limited. You play as Prince Beelzebub and build vehicles to trek the desert world, with the goal of finding The Legendary Spring’s water to hydrate Sand Land. Preorders are now available (see it on Amazon).

Keeping track of all the latest video games coming out is an increasingly complex task, what with multiple PC storefronts, Xbox One, PS4, Switch, mobile, and more to keep track of, but don’t worry, I’m here to help. Every month I'll be running down the games you need to be keeping an eye on, from the big triple-A headliners, to the indies you might otherwise overlook.

Stellar Blade is Sony’s big release for next month, but if you don’t want to wait, you can get a taste of the game today as a demo has just dropped (after being accidentally released for a minute earlier this month). The demo lets you experience the first chapter of the game or around one to two hours of gameplay. Check out a teaser trailer and a bit more detail, below.

Shift Up’s demo for Stellar Blade, its upcoming hack-and-slash action RPG, is now available for PS5 players after accidentally going live earlier this month. Featuring the opening section, it sees players controlling Eve as she battles the Naytiba. The demo is roughly an hour long and outlines the basics of combat while featuring the first boss fight.

Earlier this month, the world lost a one-of-a-kind creative talent with the news of Akira Toriyama’s passing. While Dragon Ball will always be Toriyama-sensei’s best-known work, he leaves behind a legacy full of many other imaginative worlds across games, anime, and manga. Before leaving us, he worked with Bandai Namco to flesh out one of his short manga creations further: Sand Land. Alongside a new anime series, Toriyama-sensei gave input on a videogame adaptation of Sand Land that would allow players to explore this unique world for themselves.

is a compelling mixture of and from the mind of Akira Toriyama. After some hands-on time with the upcoming game in a surprisingly lush new section of the huge map, developer ILCA and Bandai Namco seem prepared to honor the late author's legacy with an adventure that captures 's charm and style.

Shortly after the untimely news of Akira Toriyama’s passing, Wccftech was invited to visit Bandai Namco’s California campus for one of the last hands-on opportunities before Sand Land’s launch next April. In a more in-depth experience than last year’s Summer Game Fest, we were invited out to freely explore the first couple of chapters of this open-world adventure.

Sand Land, the new Hulu/Disney Plus anime adaptation of Akira Toriyama’s other big manga, is gaining the attention of critics – with one calling it a "final masterpiece" from the late Dragon Ball creator, who died in early March.

Developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone has revealed that he will be getting back to work on developing his next game, Haunted Chocolatier, once he can be sure that work on the recently-released major update for Stardew Valley has been completed.

Binary Haze Interactive’s Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist, a follow-up to the acclaimed Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights, is now available in Steam Early Access. Developed by Adglobe and Live Wire, it focuses on Lilac, an Attuner in the Land of Fumes who must save the Homunculi driven to madness due to the Rain of Death.