“Sand Land,” an open-world game set in a post-apocalyptic world reminiscent of “Mad Max,” is a highly anticipated title. Not only is it a product of the esteemed Akira Toriyama, known for his classics like “Dragon Ball” and “Dr. Slump,” but it was also created after his premature death in March. This added pressure on the game made fans more protective of his legacy, making them eagerly anticipate its release.
Fortunately, the game lives up to expectations, offering a competent adaptation of the source material that showcases Toriyama’s genius and provides entertaining moments with a complex vehicular combat system. The game follows unconventional heroes like Beelzebub, Sheriff Rao, Thief, and even a new character Ann with mysterious lineage and mechanic skills. Their camaraderie drives the adventure while dealing with themes like prejudice, trauma, and exploitation while maintaining an optimistic tone.
The main focus of the game is on vehicular combat, which offers a variety of vehicles like tanks, cars, motorcycles, and robots with unique abilities. While the vehicular combat system shines with Toriyama’s creative designs, other aspects like hand-to-hand combat and stealth systems feel lacking in depth compared to the vehicular combat. However, the open world offers varied towns that are interesting to explore despite feeling repetitive as in the “Far Cry” formula.
The game includes both main and side missions that progress the story while providing additional content that often delves into dark complementary stories. Despite its flaws such as lack of depth in certain aspects like hand-to-hand combat and stealth systems compared to vehicular combat or repetitive activities in open world exploration compared to other games following this formula like “Far Cry”, “Sand Land” still manages to be an enjoyable experience due to its endearing characters and Toriyama’s storytelling prowess. In conclusion
