Although the late Akira Toriyama is widely known for his work on Dragon Ball and its sequels, the artist and storyteller was not limited to a single medium or creation. He is accountable for the visual design of legendary games resembling “Chrono Trigger” and the “Dragon Quest” franchises, and in addition created other projects resembling “Dr. Slump” and a post-“Dragon Ball Z” effort called “Sand Land.”

The latter attempt never caught as much fire as Goku and Co., but “Sand Land” demonstrated his fertile imagination. Now Bandai Namco has brought this world to life through an open-world adventure game of the identical name. As the name suggests, it is about in a desert world where water is scarce. A greedy king sells the resource for an exorbitant amount.

A SEARCH FOR WATER
Tired of exploitation, Sheriff Rao discovers a clue to an answer. He notices blue birds in trees and realizes that they’re an indication that there may be loads of water somewhere on this planet. He stops by the powerful demon village, asks for help and offers a video game console as payment. It's enough to get the eye of the devil prince Beelzebub. He asks his father for permission to go on an adventure with Rao. He and an older advisor named Thief accompany Rao in the hunt for the legendary source.

“Sand Land” embodies Toriyama’s distinctive art style. It shows in every thing from the character design to the vehicles. Beelzebub, Rao, Thief and Ann could easily be a part of the Dragon Ball universe, but the large difference between the 2 works is that Sand Land is more down-to-earth. The emphasis is more on exploration, and that happens through the tanks, cars, and robots that players construct with the assistance of a mysterious character named Ann, who has an affinity for the mechanic.

VEHICLES ARE THE KEY
As Beelzebub, players first steal a tank and later expand a fleet of vehicles and bots. Developer ILCA designed the world in order that crafting serves as a strategy to unlock parts of the world. The armored vehicle can initially only reach a limited range. It can't hop over cliffs like a Jump-Bot and it may well't lift containers just like the Battle Armor. The more players receive blueprints for the seven different vehicles and bots, the more they learn in regards to the world and its secrets.

In addition, crafts play a significant role in combat. Players will encounter enemies resembling Queen Scorpions and Mechs which are difficult to combat on foot. No matter how strong Beelzebub is, it is commonly higher to attack enemies in a vehicle. The fundamental reason for that is that the tank can take punishment and be upgraded to benefit from a playstyle. If players need more agility, they’ll use the Uniride. If they should attack from above, they’ll switch to Jump-Bot in a snap.

ADVENTURES ON FOOT
Sometimes Beelzebub doesn't have room to call a vehicle. In this case, he has to depend on his fists and special skills. As a Fiend Prince, he is hard enough to compete with bandits and other villains. The combat is just not complex and feels easy. Don't expect a Platinum Games level combat system. Beelzebub has some special abilities that players can access using the bumper buttons. You may also call on allies to affix the fight. All of this costs Power of Darkness, which acts as a mana bar that fills up over time, meaning players can't always use the Prince's strongest attacks.

Beelzebub could also be expert in battle, but that isn't all the time needed in Sand Land. Players will encounter levels where stealth is required, and ILCA provides an easy system for this, but like combat, there isn't much depth beyond the necessity to stay out of an enemy's line of sight.

Like any open-world game, Sand Land has many side quests, but ILCA designs them to make them more meaningful. The heart of this gameplay design is the town of Spino. It was previously allied with rebels, but was almost destroyed by the king and his royal army. When Beelzebub and his crew find it, Spino is sort of a ghost town.

As players enterprise through Sandland and complete side quests to assist its residents, Beelzebub recruits the residents and sends them to Spino. If you complete enough side quests, players will notice the town changing and growing. It's a worthwhile strategy to make these optional redirects more useful.

Players can see the people they assist construct a life in the town. They also open shops and other establishments, turning a junk village right into a bustling oasis. All of this helps Beelzebub and his crew overcome the challenges ahead. It's one of the vital rewarding parts of the campaign. The narrative is geared toward children, but is exciting enough to maintain older players excited to seek out out what happens next.

All in all, Sand Land is an adventure that's higher than its competitors because of Toriyama's imagination. ILCA makes probably the most of the world he imagined and interprets it in a way that's fun as a video game. In doing so, they create one other opportunity for fans to understand the work of the legendary creator.

---

“Sandland”

3½ out of 4 stars
Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, PC
Evaluation:teenager