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Sand Land

Akira Toriyama’s artwork and storytelling leave a lasting impression in Sand Land. A gorgeous action-RPG with vehicular combat and customisation as its central mechanics.
Sand Land Game Cover
76%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
optimization, grinding
88% User Score Based on 738 reviews
Critic Score 77%Based on 8 reviews

Platforms

Xbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 5Playstation 4XboxWindowsPlayStation
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Sand Land Game Cover

About

Sand Land is a single player open world role playing game. It was developed by ILCA, Inc. and was released on April 25, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

"SAND LAND" is a deluxe edition action-RPG set in a desert world suffering from water shortage, based on the manga by Akira Toriyama. Play as Fiend Prince Beelzebub, leading a team of misfits on a quest to find the Legendary Spring. Overcome various dangers and challenges, using tactics and imagination to navigate through this unique desert world.

Genres & Tags
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Sand Land screenshot
Sand Land screenshot
Sand Land screenshot
Sand Land screenshot
Sand Land screenshot
Sand Land screenshot
Sand Land screenshot
Sand Land screenshot
Sand Land screenshot
Sand Land screenshot
Sand Land screenshot
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88%
Audience ScoreBased on 738 reviews
story173 positive mentions
optimization22 negative mentions
  • The game features a charming story and well-developed characters that expand on the original manga.
  • Vehicle customization and combat are engaging, providing a fun and varied gameplay experience.
  • The art style is visually stunning, capturing Akira Toriyama's signature design beautifully.
  • Repetitive dialogue and character banter can become annoying and detract from immersion.
  • The game suffers from pacing issues, with some segments feeling drawn out and tedious.
  • Stealth mechanics are poorly implemented and can disrupt the flow of gameplay.
  • story
    490 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Sand Land" is generally well-received, praised for its charm, humor, and engaging characters, with many reviewers noting its strong ties to Akira Toriyama's original work. However, some criticism arises from repetitive quest structures and pacing issues, particularly in the second half, which can detract from the overall experience. While the narrative is simple, it effectively captures the essence of a shonen adventure, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre.

    • “Fantastic story, wonderfully realized and written characters, a plot that just keeps expanding further and further across Sandland and beyond.”
    • “This game has a wonderful story and a great sense of humor.”
    • “Sand land does an impressive job of creating a vibrant open-world experience filled with diverse characters, environments, enemies, and customizations all wrapped in a captivating well-written story, making it one of the most outstanding anime games that I have ever played.”
    • “The developer ruined its own story delivery by having a baffling structure that makes it the most unbearable way to tell a story.”
    • “This whole sequence of events was so off-putting yet asinine it just about killed any interest I had in seeing the story through to the conclusion.”
    • “However, as the story progresses, you will really start to hit the game's limitations and shortcomings.”
  • gameplay
    151 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding it enjoyable and fun, particularly in terms of vehicle customization and combat mechanics. However, some critiques highlight repetitive elements, simplistic mechanics, and a lack of depth in certain gameplay aspects, leading to a feeling of missed opportunities. Overall, while the core gameplay loop can be satisfying, it may take time to fully engage with it, and some players may find it lacking in challenge and variety.

    • “I'm finding the core gameplay loop really satisfying.”
    • “The gameplay is smooth and enjoyable and the story motivates me to keep going.”
    • “Great game with fun gameplay loop.”
    • “I wanted to like it, but both the gameplay and story are weak.”
    • “The style is really cool, but the gameplay is terribly dull and repetitive.”
    • “Gameplay can get a bit dull, and the game has a lot of missed opportunities for rewarding exploration and what feels like cut content/empty areas/unexplored systems that don't really go anywhere.”
  • graphics
    124 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics have received widespread acclaim for their unique art style, which effectively captures Akira Toriyama's signature aesthetic and the essence of the original manga. Players appreciate the vibrant, cartoon-like visuals, smooth performance, and the successful blend of anime artwork with realistic environmental elements. Overall, the graphics enhance the gameplay experience, making it visually appealing and engaging for fans of the genre.

    • “Beautiful art style capturing the original manga's design down to an exact science.”
    • “The game's art style is fantastic and really captures Toriyama's vibe and energy really well.”
    • “The visuals for this game look like they jumped right out of the manga, and Toriyama's vehicle designs are fantastic.”
    • “All in all, this just feels like forcing yourself to walk in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot with a much tackier, dumbed-down Mad Max kind of aesthetic.”
    • “The artwork seems to be a little different, but I don't know if it is because of the models or cell shading or what; it just seems a bit off.”
    • “As an open-world adventure game, however, it is both conventional in gameplay and repetitive in design, resulting in a good-looking, great-sounding but overly simplistic adventure that nails the charm and aesthetic, but not the excitement and dynamism.”
  • optimization
    54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant stuttering issues, particularly during asset loading and combat sequences. While some users experienced smooth performance on high settings, others noted that the stuttering detracted from gameplay, especially in critical moments. Overall, the game appears to require further optimization and patches to address these performance concerns.

    • “While running Sand Land on max settings at 2560 x 1440, the game ran buttery smooth the entire time with very few minor graphical or performance issues to report.”
    • “I'm really impressed by the smooth graphics, highly optimized, very easy vehicular and manual combat controls.”
    • “Performance is solid, haven't had a single frame drop, the vehicle combat is a blast, the writing is jovial but not to the point of being plain cheesy, the characters are fun and their interactions are enjoyable even if they do tend to talk often.”
    • “This game needs a lot of work...stuttering issues, bad save/load points, looooooooong drawn out unnecessary dialogue,...no thanks...refunded.”
    • “#1: stuttering - this is the worst stuttering I've seen in a game.”
    • “The stuttering seems to almost exclusively happen at moments when you need to dodge something, preventing you from being able to do so.”
  • music
    48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its captivating and nostalgic qualities, while others find it repetitive and unremarkable. Many players appreciate the atmospheric score and its ability to enhance the gaming experience, but some express a desire for more variety and memorable tracks. Overall, while the soundtrack has its highlights, it may not leave a lasting impression for all players.

    • “Amazing game, good story, good characters, good gameplay, and nice music.”
    • “The music is also stellar.”
    • “I found myself sitting in the towns or in rest areas just to listen to the music.”
    • “While the music in the game is captivating and fits every situation perfectly, harmoniously blending in levels of nostalgia for fans of Toriyama’s works, the general audio is pretty repetitive and monotonous for the most part, recycling most of the sounds for the entire game.”
    • “I would have loved a more Japanese-inspired trumpet and violin ensemble like the original Dragon Ball score; the music in Sand Lands is serviceable, but nothing will stay with you after playing.”
    • “I think there is one single music track that I remember hearing in my entire playtime, so I hope you enjoy it.”
  • humor
    34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely praised, reflecting Akira Toriyama's signature blend of childish whimsy and clever comedy. Players find the dialogue and character interactions consistently funny, contributing to a lighthearted and enjoyable experience that is both relaxing and engaging. The game's whimsical world and humorous side quests make it an ideal choice for those seeking a fun escape.

    • “This game is the best to play if you're having a bad day; it's relaxing, wholesome in a childish kind of way, a little funny, and the characters are very likable. There's also as much challenge as you desire (or not).”
    • “An easy to play and constantly fun scavenging and vehicular combat game wrapped up in a well-done manga adaptation that faithfully depicts Toriyama's unique blend of childish humor and highbrow philosophy.”
    • “The story is incredibly funny; comedy is very much the main focus, just like with most Akira Toriyama stories.”
  • grinding
    33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and time-consuming, with players feeling material-starved and forced to farm excessively for upgrades and achievements. While some appreciate the game's aesthetics and soul, many find the repetitive dialogue, lack of depth in combat, and unnecessary stealth sections detract from the overall experience, making it one of the more tedious open-world games in recent memory. Overall, the grind can feel overwhelming and detracts from the enjoyment of the game.

    • “I have a very high tolerance for the open world genre, but this is easily one of the most tedious and least interesting games I've played in recent memory.”
    • “To go with the material grind and upgrading vehicles, I constantly felt material starved to the point where I was having to go out and farm enemies for materials to upgrade stuff. At the end of the day, I really only kept 3 vehicles updated and the rest more or less sat due to my personal impatience with farming materials.”
    • “Then it has these really long and unnecessary stealth portions that add absolutely nothing to the game except being tediously slow and breaking up the pacing.”
  • stability
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game generally runs well on the Steam Deck, achieving around 40-50 fps on medium to high settings, but users report significant stability issues at specific points, particularly at the "dam." While some troubleshooting methods, like pre-caching, have provided minor improvements, the presence of bugs and poorly implemented mechanics in certain gameplay sections detracts from the overall experience, leading to a lack of recommendation for the $60 price tag.

    • “I played through most of it on Steam Deck and it runs great there, most of the time hitting 40 fps with some dips to 30 fps (on medium/high settings).”
    • “Game runs great on Steam Deck, around 50 fps.”
    • “Runs great on Steam Deck.”
    • “$60 for something this buggy, I cannot recommend.”
    • “There are multiple side-scrolling, stealth, and platforming sections that are at best buggy and at worst half-assed implementations.”
    • “Motorcycles and buggies cannot make the jumps you're intended to make with them; they fall short.”
  • emotional
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its ability to evoke a deep connection with players, blending joy and sadness in a heartwarming narrative. Many reviewers noted the game's relaxing and wholesome qualities, making it a perfect escape during tough times, while also praising its likable characters and touching story. The emotional weight is further amplified by the context of it being one of the last projects associated with Toriyama, adding a layer of poignancy to the experience.

    • “That wholesome, beautiful kind of ending that gives you pure joy and sadness all wrapped up into a warm fuzzy blanket.”
    • “Super fun, amazing soundtrack, and made me cry more than once.”
    • “With an extraordinary art style, touching story, and interesting gameplay loop, Sand Land ended up really hitting home with me.”
  • character development
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The character development in the game is highly praised, particularly for its charming designs influenced by the late Akira Toriyama, which extend to both characters and vehicles. Reviewers appreciate the vibrant art style and engaging lore, noting that the humor and exploration elements enhance the overall experience, making it a standout adaptation of Toriyama's work. However, some feel that while the character design is exceptional, the gameplay may lack depth beyond its visual appeal.

    • “The art style, character design, vehicle design, lore, and characters are all great so far.”
    • “Game runs smoothly, the character designs are charming, the gameplay is fun, and the desert landscape is gorgeous.”
    • “With Beelzebub leading the charge, this game promises a haven of juicy content and vibrant character development amidst the dry, vacant desert setting.”
  • atmosphere
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its charming visuals and effective integration of manga-inspired graphics, creating an engaging world. While the music enhances the experience when present, it often defaults to a more subdued tone, contributing to a generally pleasant yet occasionally dull ambiance. Overall, players appreciate the balance between aesthetics and gameplay innovation.

    • “The game is really pretty, it runs really well, and the atmosphere is really nice.”
    • “Charming atmosphere, great world, innovative gameplay.”
    • “First of all, the graphics have an excellent balance of the atmosphere of the manga and its drawing style.”
  • replayability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers a mix of opinions on replayability; while some players praise its stylish design and engaging story that encourages multiple playthroughs, others find it lacking in replay value, describing it as a one-time experience.

    • “Dripping with style, tons of replayability, excellent story, satisfying gameplay.”
    • “I cannot see much replay value; it's very one and done for me.”
  • monetization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization of the game is perceived positively, with players feeling that the marketing reflects a genuine passion from the developers, reminiscent of classic game ads and demos. This suggests a focus on quality and authenticity rather than aggressive monetization tactics.

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77%Critics’ scoreBased on 8 critic reviews
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40h Median play time
40h Average play time
40-40h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Sand Land is a open world role playing game.

Sand Land is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and others.

On average players spend around 40 hours playing Sand Land.

Sand Land was released on April 25, 2024.

Sand Land was developed by ILCA, Inc..

Sand Land has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its optimization.

Sand Land is a single player game.

Similar games include Biomutant, Mad Max, Forspoken, Avowed, CrossCode and others.