Sand Land has style, but can the manga-inspired game be the next Mad Max?

21.09.2023 - 18:33 / polygon.com

Out of all of the demos I played at Gamescom 2023, Sand Land was easily the most perplexing. Based on the one-shot manga series by Dragon Ball and Chrono Trigger legend Akira Toriyama, Sand Land is a visually exciting game, but a hands-on preview left me wanting more substance beneath the style.

Sand Land is an action-RPG set in an ecocidal world plagued by water shortage, with a 2,500-year-old telepathic gamer demon named Beelzebub at the center. Alongside a pair of crusty old dudes called Thief and Rao, Beelzebub embarks on a desert odyssey to find a legendary spring that can remedy his world’s H2-wOes.

It’s a cool premise, and after watching the game’s announcement trailer, I was particularly intrigued by the clips of stealthy outpost infiltrations and open-world vehicular combat. An anime RPG in the vein of 2015’s Mad Max game is an interesting prospect; similar to how ILCA and Bandai Namco are tackling the legacy of Toriyama with Sand Land, Avalanche Studios siphoned the thirsty atmosphere of George Miller’s Mad Max movies while juggling deep skill trees full of meaningful, modular car and character upgrades. To triumph, a player had to scavenge for those upgrades, too, conquering enemy territory and unraveling crafty convoys to turn a rust bucket into a true killer hot rod.

Few games have riffed on Avalanche’s unique formula since, but based on that early footage, Sand Land looked primed to take the baton. But the on-rails nature of my 15-minute PS5 hands-on meant I didn’t get access to the systemic interplay that often tends to define a good open-world game.

The preview started with a scripted driving sequence in which I had to avoid a (kind of adorable) burrowing dragon. Despite this opening section’s triviality, it functioned as a way to get to grips with Sand Land’s unique art style. The intentional lines and shading on the cars and characters contrast wonderfully with the comparative hyperrealism of Sand Land’s desert environments, which are full of shadows and layered crags. There are no muddy textures in sight, choices in service of a faithful translation of Toriyama’s beloved technique. Later on, I met a gang leader in BDSM gear whose wave-like mohawk cast a convincing shadow on his crosshatched chest.

Eventually, I made it out of the pain canyon and into a ruined village, and I took some time to talk to its quirky locals. A shopkeep dished some curious war lore, and I browsed his wares to find HP, strength, and defense serums. I also noticed I could collect and sell graded parts and mods, which I assume will play a part in the vehicular customization system teased for the full game. I was sad not to get to engage with this aspect of Sand Land in my demo, as it seems like it will be