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Game Information

Game Title: Sand Land

Platforms:

• Xbox Series X/S (Apr 26, 2024)
• PlayStation 5 (Apr 26, 2024)
• PC (Apr 26, 2024)

Trailer:

• SAND LAND — Sandstorm Trailer (feat. Darude)
• SAND LAND — Forest Land Trailer
• SAND LAND: THE SERIES – Teaser Trailer

Developer: ILCA, Inc.

Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 72 average - 56% recommended

Metacritic - 73 average based on 37 Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews


AltChar - Asmir Kovacevic - 80 / 100

For fans of the Sand Land manga series, this game is an absolute must-play. Boasting a compelling and emotionally rich storyline filled with twists and turns, coupled with engaging gameplay—particularly involving vehicles—the game offers another unforgettable Sand Land experience.

Atomix - Aldo López - Spanish - 80 / 100

Definitely not the perfect job was done in terms of gameplay, but at least it is a good tribute to the original work and therefore, to the author, who unfortunately was not able to see the finished project. So, if you were looking for something different and with a concept that is not just about fighting, it is very possible that you will find this game fun with the good customization options on vehicles.

But Why Tho? - Kyle Foley - 8.5 / 10

SAND LAND is a gorgeous and heartfelt game that brings together unlikely allies on an epic quest. It is fun to play, beautiful to look at, and an unforgettable journey for everyone to enjoy.

COGconnected - Jaz Sagoo - 78 / 100

Sand Land captures the heart and soul of Akira Toriyama’s classic tale. Jumping in a vehicle and fighting creatures is a highlight of the experience and overshadows the lackluster melee combat. Side quests are a little dull but the main campaign is varied and an accurate interpretation and interesting extension of the Manga. With its stunning visuals, fans of anime will love this thrilling journey through Toriyama’s iconic universe.

Cerealkillerz - Nick Erlenhof - German - 7.8 / 10

Sand Land offers a nicely told story and, with its vehicles and many customization options, a special feature within the anime/manga adaptations. The visuals and Toriyama's charm are evident throughout the game and warm the heart. Unfortunately, the entire background music lags far behind, the battles outside the vehicles are not convincing and some dungeons drag on quite a bit.

Checkpoint Gaming - Pedro Cooray - 7.5 / 10

Sand Land is ambitious, full of ideas, and clearly wears its admiration of Toriyama's work on its sleeve. Your ever-growing pantheon of Bots is a highlight, letting you explore the world and take on enemies as you please. The town-rebuilding aspect is deeply rewarding, and the game becomes more beautiful as you keep playing. However, the abundance of menus required for crafting, the monotonous out-of-vehicle combat, and the endless fountain of repetitive chatter mar an experience that's nonetheless worth experiencing. I think Sand Land is going to be the infrequent RPG I continue playing after review, but maybe on a better computer.

ComingSoon.net - Tyler Treese - 8.5 / 10

With top-notch presentation and a wonderful knack for exploration, Sand Land is a great action RPG that is worth playing.

Digital Trends - Tomas Franzese - 3 / 5

Sand Land is a definitive adaption of a great Akira Toriyama manga, but just fine as a game.

FandomWire - Luke Addison - 8 / 10

Sand Land has a lot to offer everyone, even those (like myself) that didn’t know the source material before hand. The standard RPG fare of unlocking new skills is there, as is the general structure of a good RPG, but what Sand Land does differently is the world it inhabits, the combat present (slow and sluggish at first, but a joy once you unlock everything for Beezlebub and the vehicles) and the atmosphere it allows. There’s always room for improvement, but as an Manga adaptation goes, I can now add Sand Land to Pokemon and Dragon Ball as games I’ll be keeping an eye out for.

GAMES.CH - Sven Raabe - German - 80%

Sand Land is a charming desert adventure that wonderfully captures the spirit of Akira Toriyama's work in its atmospheric game world, thrilling vehicle battles and exciting story. Even if there are a few game mechanics that are a bit sandy, this action RPG is a little insider tip.

GamePro - Dennis Michel - German - 75 / 100

Sand Land, peppered with great characters, is a real feel-good adventure for Toriyama fans, but it comes across as too shallow in terms of gameplay.

GameSpot - Richard Wakeling - 6 / 10

Sand Land's fantastic vehicular combat and adherence to the source material are let down by bland and repetitive stealth, melee combat, and mission design.

Gameblog - _SutterCane - French - 6 / 10

Our feelings about Sand Land The Video Game are mixed. On one hand, this is a perfect adaptation of the manga from Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball). It's absolutely gorgeous with phenomenal cel-shading and all the characters that we love. But the open world formula is too classic and the game suffers from a slow pace, narratives issues and a lack from impactful moments.

Gamer Guides - Chris Moyse - 62 / 100

Sand Land replicates both the unmistakable style and iconic character of Akira Toriyama’s work with color, authenticity, and passion. 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. A stylish but average escapede that never really gets out of first gear.

Gaming Nexus - Elliot Hilderbrand - 8 / 10

Sand Land immediately caught my attention due to its ties to Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball and character designs in the Dragon Quest series. With a manga, anime, and now a video game adaptation, Sand Land has quietly become a full-fledged franchise, seemingly over night. Despite its simple premise-a search for water in a desert wasteland-Sand Land offers a mix of action RPG, vehicle combat, and stealth gameplay that's just plain fun. The game stays faithful to its source material while offering surprising depth and variety in gameplay mechanics. Despite some challenges with the stealth sections, Sand Land provides a fun and engaging experience and retains the nostalgic charm of its origins in Toriyama's work.

GamingTrend - Dominique McClain - 95 / 100

Sand Land is not just another adventure, it's a thrilling journey through the creative landscapes of Toriyama's imagination. It's an oasis of content ready to be explored form one grain of sand to the next. With Beelzebub leading the charge, this game promises a haven of juicy content and vibrant character development amidst the dry, vacant desert setting. All I want to say is that fans should eagerly anticipate the release, it's clear that Toriyama's legacy continues to captivate audiences that will draw you into worlds where even deserts are brimming with life. So, grab your favorite juice and prepare for an RPG experience that'll leave you parched for more!

Hey Poor Player - Lewis Maisel - 4.5 / 5

If you love Toriyama-san’s art style and world-building and share his love for vehicle design, then Sand Land is the game for you. With its unique blend of exploration, vehicular combat, unparalleled customization, and engaging narrative, the Sand Land video game is a manga brought to life.

Hobby Consolas - Daniel Quesada - Spanish - 82 / 100

He doesn't invent the wheel, but his recreation of the desert world and, above all, his vehicle battles give him a lot of personality. Ideal for those who want a light and very Toriyamesque adventure.

IGN - Michael Higham - 6 / 10

Sand Land’s vehicular focus shows potential, but devolves into a by-the-numbers open world action game with storytelling that only occasionally manages to live up to the joys of the original work.

IGN Spain - Rafa Del Río - Spanish - 8 / 10

Vehicles of all kinds, large scenarios and epic and endearing characters are the keys to Sand Land. A game that may not be a powerful triple A, but has plenty of elements to make manganime fans fall in love with an adventure that is one hundred percent Toriyama.

LevelUp - Dan Villalobos - Spanish - 8 / 10

If you want a story that hooks you from the start, meet a group of unforgettable characters, have the chance to explore a vast map full of secrets, and face a great challenge in every battle, SAND LAND is the game you've been looking for.

MonsterVine - Nick Mangiaracina - 4.5 / 5

Offering an incredibly fun story, lovely characters that will stick with you, a timeless art style, and a vast open world that will suck in hours of your time. Sand Land made its mark on my year and you should make room for it to make a mark on yours.

PC Gamer - Kerry Brunskill - 65 / 100

Sand Land is just another forgettable tie-in to add to the existing anime game pile.

PSX Brasil - Paulo Roberto Montanaro - Portuguese - 65 / 100

SAND LAND has its merits in respecting and expanding the original work of the legendary Akira Toriyama. But when it comes to narrative and design, it fails in combat and exploration systems: as generic and uninteresting as a desert full of sand and... more sand.

Press Start - James Wood - 7.5 / 10

A stunningly realised rendition of Akira Toriyama's work, Sand Land matches its aesthetics with fun, breezy systems and a charming, if clumsy, tale of war, friendship, and hope.

Push Square - Robert Ramsey - 8 / 10

Broken down into individual pieces, Sand Land doesn't do anything particularly amazing, but when taken as a whole, this is one of the best anime-based games that we've played in a long time. It's got plenty of great story moments, its open world structure is moreish, and combat is satisfyingly solid. A robust and lovingly crafted adventure that charms from start to finish.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Alice Bell - Unscored

A great premise with fun characters becomes a boring, empty wasteland in itself, as Sand Land makes adventures in customised tanks uninteresting and desperately repetitive.

Saudi Gamer - Arabic - 7 / 10

SAND LAND has one of the best visuals that did the late legendary mangaka justice, controlling the vehicles is a treat to experience but sadly the weak storytelling and vehicles crafting system overstayed it's welcome, making some parts of this game boring, but beautiful to look at

Shacknews - Josh Broadwell - 7 / 10

That's Sand Land in a nutshell, though. It's a vibes game more than anything else, charming, sometimes surprisingly incisive, and daring enough to be its own thing. That thing isn't always as engaging as it could be, but it's certainly unforgettable.

Spaziogames - Gianluca Arena - Italian - 6.7 / 10

Sand Land is both a good licensed games, since it relies heavily on fidelity to the source material and good dialogues, and a formulaic open world action rpg, with a static structure and bad AI.
It can still appeal to al Toriyama fans, thanks to its love for the original manga, but all of the other players will surely find much better options in both the ARPG genre and in the open world one.

Stevivor - Matt Gosper - 8 / 10

Beyond being a fun game to play, Sand Land is a great and timely example of the work of Akira Toriyama, and a reminder just how much more he was than just the Dragonball Z guy. Sand Land is its own thing – it was actually exciting to have a demon called a slime appear, and have it NOT be the dollop-shaped slime of the Dragon Quest series. While the vehicle combat system isn’t breaking any new ground, it still goes about things in its own, slightly odd way. It’s a breath of fresh, desert air – and I think there’s a few miles left in the tank yet.

TheGamer - Tessa Kaur - 2.5 / 5

I enjoyed my time with Sand Land, despite its many flaws. The vehicle gameplay feels great, and it’s the main pull for me – I didn’t mind that the side quests were pointless and the open world samey, because I had an incredibly powerful tank that could blow up small groups of enemies in two seconds. But if you’re hoping that this game will be the best adaptation of Toriyama’s manga series, you’re out of luck. I’d just watch the anime instead.

VideoGamer - Alex Raisbeck - 8 / 10

Sand Land is a charming ARPG romp thanks to its madcap cast of vehicles that manages not only to faithfully adapt Akira Toriyama’s vision, but to expand on it in his trademark style to create something that will delight newcomers and old-school manga-heads alike.

Wccftech - Nathan Birch - 8 / 10

Sand Land is a fitting farewell to Akira Toriyama as the game elevates itself above most digital adaptations of his work, delivering a well-presented story, solid action, and satisfying exploration. Some aspects of the game’s design may be a bit overfamiliar for open-world veterans, but newer players and fans just looking to explore a fresh world from the master will likely enjoy burying themselves in this sandy adventure.

XGN.nl - Luuc ten Velde - Dutch - 6 / 10

Sand Land is a fine game, thanks to a fun story and a loveable cast of characters. The gameplay is just a bit too simple at times, while some frustrating design choices can leave you frustrated at certain points.

Xbox Achievements - Josh Wise - 50%

A bright and vibrant world filled with dull combat and a plodding story.

XboxEra - Genghis Husameddin - 8 / 10

SAND LAND offers a big beautiful dust bowl for players to explore to their hearts’ content. I found its story and its characters to be the main driver for my playthrough, but the fun vehicle combat went hand-in-hand in my enjoyment of the game. A great adaptation of a legend’s work.

 

[rkofan87]

ign review was shit they gave it a 6 np was good they gave it a 9

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

 

[TintoConCasera]

Looks like a fun time, and the game seems quite longer than what I was expecting.

Will end up getting it for sure.

 

[Chuck Berry]

Too much incoming right now but will def cop eventually. Makes me think of Blue Dragon + Mad Max

 

[rkofan87]

this fallout 4 ps5 and the crab game for me i got sb as well but the former are at the top of my play list.

 

[Reaseru]

 

[Mr Hyde]

Never heard of the manga but looks charming. Like a mix of DQ and Mad Max. Buying it as a last tribute to Akira.

 

[Stafford]

It really seems the demo was not indicative of the full game. My biggest issue with the demo was that there wasn't much to do on the part of the map they opened up for us, became boring way too quickly.

I might have to get this. Because the combat, characters, vehicles etc all clicked with me.

 

[Vyse]

Played through a few hours and this game is really fun. Totally get the Mad Max comparisons. Art style is stunning and looks so good on the Series X. Scratching that itch. Check it out.

 

[Vyse]

Great job on the OT TTSL!

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Some reviews' explanation's for lower scores were pretty weak imo.

 

[bender]

Glad to see the positive impressions but the demo really didn't do this game any favors. I'll get this someday.

 

[fart town usa]

This game is really cool, I've been chipping away at it here and there and it's consistently fun. Feels like it still hasn't fully opened up but the journey so far has been really entertaining. Has such a charming vibe and the characters have a good rapport. Like playing a Saturday Morning Cartoon.

Harsh reviews are typical lazy critique; feels like a PS3 game. Why is that an issue? It's not valid to me and it gets tossed around too much.

 

[cash_longfellow]

This game is really cool, I've been chipping away at it here and there and it's consistently fun. Feels like it still hasn't fully opened up but the journey so far has been really entertaining. Has such a charming vibe and the characters have a good rapport. Like playing a Saturday Morning Cartoon.

Harsh reviews are typical lazy critique; feels like a PS3 game. Why is that an issue? It's not valid to me and it gets tossed around too much.

I wanted to grab this at release but got set back financially around launch and had to wait. Still looking forward to diving in.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

I was actually an idiot on this one and bought this. The kids have it and don't know where it is now lol

All this in the middle of my Kingdom Come run (amazing game). And now I'm onto the full Witcher 3 Saga which I'm 10 hours into fml

 

[adamsapple]

Just finished this a little bit ago, finished the main plot at least.

I liked it. I was basically avoiding all fights in the final 4th of the game and just making my way to the bosses, but it's a fun game and at least didn't overstay its welcome in my experience. My total game time per the app is 21 hours, which is more than enough hours for a non-RPG open world game, imo.