Sand Land Reviews
Sand Land is a game with mixed emotions. While on the one hand we have a good characterisation of the characters and a pleasant mixture of action sequences and RPG tints, on the other side of the coin the Bandai Namco title suffers from an open world that is too vast and quite poor in offerings. Still, it remains an enjoyable product that can be played without too many pretensions, all the more so for those who are fans of Akira Toriyama's work.
Review in Italian | Read full review
'Sand Land' probably won't win any awards, but sometimes "alright" is good enough. As an excuse to spend some more time with Akira Toriyama after his untimely passing, it's as good as you'll get right now.
Sand Land is a game that is very Toriyama though and through. Sure, looking at games like Dragon Quest or Chrono Trigger, they are Toriyama-esque because of his assistance with character designs. But Sand Land is pure Toriyama. It captures his world building, highlights his character and mech designs and best of all it captures the sense of comedy that has been an integral part of many of his works.
Sand Land is a quintessential Action Adventure RPG. So don’t expect complex mechanics or a hyper-intricate story. What it is, however, is a colorful game with a unique design and entertaining customization options. The vehicles are the real highlight of the game, with the flexibility of equipment shining through. The story is certainly engaging, and we definitely appreciate the mid-game switch from Sand Land to Forest Land. However, it's a shame that the world of Sand Land can sometimes feel particularly empty. This might be a deliberate choice due to the desert landscapes, but it can sometimes come across as extremely dull. That said, there’s always a marker, location, mission, or bounty to keep you occupied. The combat is enjoyable, although it can become unnecessarily hectic at times due to the lack of a lock-on feature. If you're a fan of Akira Toriyama's work and can’t resist a good Action Adventure RPG from Bandai Namco, then Sand Land is definitely worth a try!
Review in Dutch | Read full review
It took a long time for Sand Land to transition from manga to other mediums, but I am certainly glad we have gotten the opportunity now to appreciate another of Toriyama’s creations in multiple ways after his passing. Sand Land as a game is a solid action RPG that tries some new things with the vehicle-based combat on top of a standard regular combat system, albeit with some flaws, along with keeping you invested for much longer through the captivating story largely propelled by the likable characters themselves. For those who have watched the anime and want to explore this world or those who know absolutely nothing about the story going in, Sand Land is a worthwhile experience for anybody looking for a fairly safe RPG that will give them about 20-30 hours of gameplay overall, even more so if they appreciate the art style of Toriyama.
With its Mad Max-esque style, crazy characters, and battle between angels and demons, Sand Land walks familiar territory, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Sand Land is a visually stunning game with a heartfelt narrative that unfortunately stumbles in gameplay variety. Fans of Toriyama’s work will find much to love, while newcomers might find the combat repetitive. Nevertheless, it is a journey worth experiencing, especially for those who appreciate a well-crafted world and engaging story.
SAND LAND follows the story of Beelzebub, the prince of demons and son of Lucifer. He, along with his companions, Thief, Rao and Ann, seek the legendary spring. Set in a barren desert wasteland where the only source of water is controlled by a greedy king backed by a menacing Supreme Commander., you must fight monsters, bandit gangs and the King’s Army. You must search for the spring to bring hope and much-needed water to the poor people of SAND LAND.
Sand Land is a imbalance game, because where e.g. it offers a nice upgrade upgrade system for vehicles with lots of collectible parts, at the same time it doesn't manages to present a richer roster of enemies.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Unfortunately, Sand Land doesn't manage to avoid the problems expected of a world that is, in every sense, an enormous desert with little to do but plenty to do again.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Sand Land is a solid open-world title with some hiccups here and there.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Sand Land shows how good Akira Toriyama's storytelling and world building really was, unfortunately this is all bogged down with an empty open world filled with repetitive tasks and little to no reward for doing them.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
While everything in Sand Land is good, nothing really excels; the gameplay and combat is generally fun, but gets repetitive and tedious after a while; the story is good and surprisingly mature compared to other Akira Toriyama works’, but sometimes gets too superficial, making the core message a bit weak.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Overall, Sand Land is an adequate adventure that occasionally showcases moments of brilliance but struggles to capture the original work's essence.
Sand Land is primarily a story-driven base-building game with vehicle exploration elements. While quests and storyline add enjoyment, the game’s main focus feels like a grind due to repetitive dialogues and similar tasks. Despite this, it offers a somewhat enjoyable experience for those who appreciate abundant side quests and repetition.
Sand Land effectively conveys its story through seamless animations and gameplay. The simple combat system is enhanced by the ability to upgrade machines and components, keeping the gameplay engaging. Despite its vast but sparse open world, there are always side quests or locations like bandit camps to explore, though these tasks can be pretty basic.
Review in Czech | Read full review
Sand Land offers a fascinating mix of story and action. In a beautifully designed landscape, full of challenges and enemies, you look for a legendary source that can solve the water problem of the torn world. With a range of vehicles and the help of colorful characters you not only explore the main story line, but you also help to blossom the forgotten town of Spino by completing sidequests. The fans of heavy shooters, in which accuracy and tactics play a major role, will be less able to lose their eggs in this. Fans of the genre will appreciate world construction and attention to detail and Sand Land offers an entertaining experience with a good balance between story, gameplay and character development.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Sand Land’s great tank combat combined with a solid storyline wrapped up in Akira Toriyama's stylings make this a little gem of an action RPG despite a few faults here and there.
Upon completing Sand Land, I'm left with fond memories of its narrative depth, cinematic moments, and the occasional tedious journey. Engaging with the manga version proves far more enjoyable; the adaptation could have reached greater heights, suggesting ambitious goals that fell short in execution.
Sand Land brings us a formidable, comical narrative experience that at various times evokes the good energy that the late Akira Toriyama accustomed us to, with a rich open world to explore and a good vehicle customization system. It has some flaws, but overall, with everything positive it manages to convey to the player. We invite all fans (and not only) of Akira Toriyama to discover, once again, a small taste of what he gave us so well.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review