In January, Toriyama wrote, “I haven’t watched through all of the gameplay yet. However, it greatly expands the worldview of the original manga with many new exciting elements.
I myself can only play casual games, but I do check out the trending games my family plays, and I think I know a little something about them even for an old man. I seriously recommend the game Sand Land!”
Seeing Akira Toriyama’s niche masterpiece adapted into a big open-world adventure left me surprisingly emotional. It took over 20 years, but Sand Land is in the limelight now like never before.
Not only is there a new video game adaptation – which even introduces a location called Forest Land – but it also got a dedicated film last year that led into a new anime series. Long dwarfed by Toriyama’s iconic manga-turned-anime Dragon Ball, Sand Land is finally getting its turn in the sun.
What Did Critics Say About Sand Land? Three months after Toriyama got his hands on Sand Land and saw his old manga brought to life as a video game first-hand, it hit store shelves and the reviews poured in.
We at TheGamer scored it 2.5 stars, as Features Editor Tessa Kaur wrote that they “enjoyed [their] time” with the game but that the side quests were “pointless” and the open world “samey”. As of writing, with 37 reviews, it has an aggregate score of 72 on OpenCritic, earning it the “Fair” badge.
Reviewers praised its vehicular combat and gorgeous cel-shaded visuals but lamented its shallow open world and repetitive gameplay loop. It launches later today, and you can pick it up for £49.99 on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
