Sand Land is an action role-playing game inspired by the manga by the late Akira Toriyama, author of Dragon Ball. Published in a single volume in 2000 and recently translated into a cartoon, Sand Land is very different from Maesrtro’s other works but at the same time recreates the classic atmosphere of fighting manga, proving to be excellent material to be translated into a video game. Developed by ILCA and published by Bandai Namco, the title starts as a classic RPG with rather classic mechanics, but soon reveals its main soul, namely the driving of bizarre vehicles and their customization.
One of the most appreciable aspects of Sand Land is precisely the care taken in the possibility of customizing the vehicles. The player can build and modify his own vehicles in a garage, using materials collected during the adventure. This aspect, however, is hindered by a material collection system that can significantly slow down the pace of the game, to the point of making it frustrating when the plot freezes waiting for the player to build a certain vehicle.
The combat system is seamlessly integrated into the game world, allowing you to engage enemies from a distance or bypass them completely. However, the simplicity of the combat and the lack of significant challenge make it less engaging than one might expect. The game also tries to vary the mechanics by occasionally introducing platforming sections or desert escapes, but these sequences have a somewhat forced and predictable feel.
Despite these problems, the cast of well-developed characters and a story focused on ecological issues offer moments of genuine entertainment. Technically, despite not dealing with particularly complex scenarios (the entire first half of the game is set in the desert), Sand Land is a perfect reproduction of the anime and captivates with an attractive design and excellent animations, as well as good dubbing (in English). The real problem of the game is a lack of homogeneity in the situations it offers, accompanied by antiquated mechanics: once this obstacle is overcome, we still find ourselves faced with a fun old-fashioned RPG, which will not fail to excite Toriyama fans.
Format: PS5 (tested version), PS4, Xbox Series X|S, PC publisher: Bandai Namco Developer: THE CA Vote: 7/10
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