SAND LAND Review
Toriyama’s recent death left an enormous hole in fans worldwide; but for those yearning to experience his whimsical imagination one final time, Sand Land offers hope as an open-world action RPG based on Toriyama’s lesser-known manga of the same name; rather, this game transcends mere adaptation — instead expanding upon and expanding upon Toriyama’s creative universe in novel ways.
Sand Land Offers Newcomers and Veterans an Outstanding Opportunity
Sand Land succeeds at treading carefully between faithful reproduction of source material and alienating newcomers and diverging too far, dissatisfying fans. By contrast, its narrative cleverly establishes its complex political world without overwhelming newcomers with too much information at first. Meanwhile, fans will appreciate a faithful recreation of the manga’s initial story arc before encountering an extended story arc exclusive to Sand Land itself; not only adding replay value, this also sets an important benchmark in licensed titles, demonstrating that both can co-exist harmoniously!
Beyond Dragon Ball: A Legacy of Deliberate Storytelling
SAND LAND offers those unfamiliar with Toriyama’s work outside the global phenomenon that is Dragon Ball an enjoyable surprise. Though its whimsical character designs and lighthearted humor might harken back to Goku’s adventures in Dragon Ball, Sand Land treads its own path in terms of stakes being lower, absurdist humor being employed more liberally, and its desert setting serving to ground it more firmly than Goku’s adventures ever could. Here you will meet both human-esque as well as nonhuman characters while exploring remnants of bygone civilization buried among bustling desert towns!
Tanking Through the Desert: An Exercise in Combat Conundrum (in a Good Way)
SAND LAND shines in many ways, still, one of Sand Land’s features that takes center stage is vehicular combat. In a way, it is a little upsetting because it makes you say goodbye to on-foot exploration, Also, the tank is so powerful (and fun to drive) that will make the other vehicles less used — when you have a tank, you won’t drive a motorbike, that’s sure. Players will traverse vast desert landscapes via fleets of customizable vehicles filled with weaponry, and if you buy PS5 games for thrilling gameplay, experimenting with all these vehicles and arms is worth it. It is something special, picture Mad Max animated by Saturday morning cartoon animators as you roll through dunes in your tank, blasting away at monstrous scorpions and other desert denizens with joyous abandon.
Uncover an Unknown World
Combat is engaging, but underneath all that chrome and carnage lies an unexpectedly vivid world that should be appreciated for its incredible richness and picturesque. It is a less-known beauty waiting here, from dry desert landscapes dotted with remnants from an earlier civilization to hidden oases and bustling desert towns teeming with life, SAND LAND looks amazing. It is not a backdrop for tank battles; it feels like a character and definitely offers an opportunity for exploration: discover hidden caves, take up quirky side quests (some more inspired than others!), and piece together its forgotten history buried under layers of sand, not to mention loot and side missions.
An Open Letter to Open Worlds and Adventurous Players
We have to admit that, as with any other game, SAND LAND isn’t free from its fair share of flaws; some side quests can become repetitive, and its combat system might seem to lack the depth desired by a hardcore action game enthusiast, but it dials up other aspects that make it special. The most important thing is that none of these minor issues will detract from an overall enjoyable experience for all, veterans and newcomers, too. Sand Land is memorable and one of the cheap PS5 games everyone should play because its greatest strength lies in evoking that rarest form of pure gaming fun (that is sometimes lost on new shooter games): pure joyous playability!
SAND LAND offers an engaging open world that comes from the brilliant mind of Akira Toriyama, filled with eccentric characters fun to meet, and spectacular visuals. On the other hand, the thrill of piloting an armored tank through post-apocalyptic desert environments is kind of a niche joyous moment. SAND LAND seems to find the ideal mix for creating lasting memories for children of any age. For me personally, as a 40+ kid, it would have me hooked with its sense of wonder and adventure, which remains as captivating today as it was many years back when I first discovered video games — while for those who find anime-based games lacking, that may not be the target audience of this game, it provides an engaging and fun take on open world formula (like Borderlands) that proves how combining heart with humor and fleet of tanks can bring endless hours of fun!
