Sand Land is a game that I picked up on day one only because my favorite artist, Akira Toriyama, was behind it. Being a fan of his other game series, such as Dragon Quest and Blue Dragon, I couldn’t bring myself not to buy it. 30 hours later, I’ve beaten the game and collected my thoughts of Sand Land and its world of, well, sand. Welcome to Backlog Worthy, the series where I talk about video games and if they’re worth sitting in your backlog for an undetermined amount of time. Let’s talk about Sand Land.
Tanks Over Fists
The main game-play of Sand Land is centered around the vehicles you are in, and for me, that was mainly the tank. Your main goal is to uncover the secret of, well, the Secret Lake of Legend. Since I brought up the tank, let’s talk about combat. There are two ways to go about it – either by fists or by tank. The tanks are easily the most enjoyable way to approach combat. While inside one, you have the choice between machine-gun bullets or missiles, but either way will be effective. Hand-to-hand combat is also an option, just not a fun one in my opinion. It feels like it’s pretty much button mashing. It was to the point where I would mainly only use vehicles for fights.
Sneaking and Survival
The sneaking missions were nothing I was exactly too excited to jump into. It’s no fault of the game though, I just hate sneaking missions in general. Thankfully, there are not too many of these types of missions throughout the game. Even though I never really used it, and at one point forgot it even existed, I liked the water bottle healing mechanic. It was a cool idea to incorporate the main issue of the game into a main mechanic.
A World Running Dry
The world of Sand Land takes place in a world suffering from extreme drought, where the water is tightly controlled by a corrupt king. The story follows Beelzebub and his ragtag group as they encounter unlikely allies and enemies, unexpected missions, and more as they uncover the secrets about the world’s past and the true nature of its rulers.
The majority of Sand Land is set in a post-apocalyptic desert where water is the most valuable resource. The barren landscapes, abandoned ruins, and scattered settlements create a sense of desperation, but Toriyama’s signature art style keeps the world visually engaging rather than too bleak.
Beyond the plot, Sand Land explores themes of greed, environmental destruction, and the power of unlikely friendships. The contrasts made between humans and devils challenges your typical hero-villain dynamics, showcasing that morality isn’t always black and white. Beelzebub, despite being the Prince of Demons, becomes a symbol of both hope and rebellion. It reinforces the idea that heroism comes from actions rather than appearances.
The Ragtag Crew
Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons in the flesh and the main character in Sand Land. He tries to live in relative peace with humans, despite stealing water from them quite a bit. I really liked his personality. He tries to be someone who doesn’t care but secretly has a big heart.
Thief is another demon in Sand Land and serves as the royal advisor to Prince Beelzebub. I never really cared for his sneaking missions. But I did really enjoy his scaredy-cat personality paired with the dynamics of the ragtag group.
Rao is a lone sheriff that seeks help from the demons to find the legendary lake to return water to Sand Land and to end the King’s greed. He’s a pretty serious character, which is a nice contrast from both Beelzebub and Thief.
Ann is a mysterious girl who doesn’t seem to be from Sand Land. With her expertise in anything mechanical, she became an essential part of the team. Alongside Rao, Ann helps keep the other two in check.
Toriyama’s Style
I think Sand Land does a great job of capturing Toriyama style. You can just look at the character models and they just feel like something straight out of his works. For the most part, the transition from manga to 3D works well. I haven’t read the original Sand Land (which is now definitely on my reading list), but from what I’ve seen, the game nails the aesthetic. The mechs, tanks, and enemy designs all have that playful-yet-detailed look you’d expect from Toriyama’s work, like something straight out of Dragon Quest or Blue Dragon.
That being said, I won’t lie – the desert setting does get old after a while. It’s not bad, and it makes sense for the story, but after spending hours in a wasteland of sand and rocks, I found myself wishing for a little more visual variety. There are moments where the lighting and atmosphere keep things interesting, but it’s not the kind of world that’s fun to explore just for the sake of looking around.
Music & Sound – Good, But Not Memorable
Musically, Sand Land does its job well, but I can’t say a particular track really stuck with me. Everything fits – it sounds good, the battle themes sound energetic, and the atmosphere tracks add to the world – but there wasn’t a moment where I thought, Wow, I need to hear this again later.
That said, the sound design is solid all around. Combat sounds satisfying, vehicles have weight to them, and the voice acting brings a lot of personality to the characters. It all comes together in a way that keeps you immersed, even if the soundtrack itself doesn’t leave a lasting impression.
Final Thoughts
I will admit I only bought this game because Akira Toriyama created the art for it, but I don’t regret buying it. Sand Land has both good and bad aspects, but one doesn’t necessarily outweigh the other. I did enjoy this game enough to drop almost 30 hours into it and have contemplated going back to 100% it. At this point, I’d say it would be a good game to chill in your backlog.
Play Every Pixel 