Sand Land [PC] | REVIEW

I’ll admit, I didn’t know a whole lot about Sand Land before going hands-on with the game, but now? It has made a BIG fan out of me – so much so that I’ve watched all of the anime, and I’ve got over halfway through the manga since playing. It’s all owed to how much fun I’ve had with the game, which has quickly established itself as one of my favourite releases of 2024 so far.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Sand Land’s tale is based around the trio of Beelzebub, Thief, and Rao, who bring all of their skills together as a means to journey across the desolate land (which, if the title didn’t give it away, is very sandy) in order to uncover the Legendary Spring. See, the land is deprived of water, with the malevolent King of Sand Land and his army controlling the water supply. If the gang find the Legendary Spring, they’ll be able to grant water to all, but with the King’s army hot on their trail, the journey won’t be an easy one.

With the game’s narrative built around the manga of the same name from Akira Toriyami (RIP) as well as the expanded lore in the recently released anime, there’s plenty going on to keep players invested in the journey of this unlikely band of heroes. Beelzebub, Thief, and Rao all have a solid backstory that makes them incredibly likable and easy to root for, whilst there’s plenty of endearing silliness going on to add to the charm of the adventure. I mean, Beelzebub himself is the son of a Demon King, so that’ll give you an idea of the tone to expect. As you progress through the game, you’ll see different sides of each character that reflects upon their personalities and the struggles that they fight for, with each playing their role wonderfully to ensure that the eclectic cast stand out as a highlight of the experience. With plenty of daring scenarios for the trio to find themselves in as well as a host of secrets to uncover beyond the sandy wasteland, the tale offers plenty of excitement.

There’s a lot of exploration to be done on your journey, with settlements to uncover and characters to meet as you scour the Sand Land in search of the Legendary Spring. With Sand Land taking an RPG approach, there are plenty of side missions to discover as you follow your main journey for the Legendary Spring, whilst players will also spend plenty of time battling, crafting, collecting goodies, scavenging through dungeons, and solving the occasional puzzle. Sand Land gets all of the basics right, so players will certainly have a good time adventuring across its rugged landscape.

“As you progress through the game, you’ll see different sides of each character that reflects upon their personalities and the struggles that they fight for, with each playing their role wonderfully to ensure that the eclectic cast stand out as a highlight of the experience.”

You won’t be doing this on foot though, but rather by using vehicles that you’ll unlock on your adventure. There’s a big emphasis placed on vehicular combat (we’ll get to that in a second), but just toying around with the cool vehicles you can use to get from point A to B is consistently satisfying – they even tie into puzzle-solving at times, which adds a clever twist to their use. You’ll find yourself unlocking plenty of parts to boost their stats and attacking options as you progress, whilst you can upgrade the existing parts of vehicles in order to strengthen your options. Players are given the freedom to mould their vehicles to suit their playstyle, so there’s plenty of fun to be had simply tinkering with each one to make it perfect for the varying dangerous situations you find yourself in. And if you want something less mechanical? You can even ride a dinosaur, which instantly makes the game a hit in my eyes.

As mentioned, you’ll take your souped-up vehicles out into the battlefield where you’ll face off against a hoard of different enemies, with the varied weapons on offer fully utilised to deal with opponents of all shapes and sizes. If you’ve played a vehicular-based combat game before, you’ll have a rough idea of how things play out, with players having to utilise their manoeuvrability to keep out of the way of incoming attacks whilst also putting themselves in positions to line up shots of their own. It’s a TON of fun, whilst being able to call upon allies to help out in the battlefield or freely switching between your attacking options on the fly adds plenty of depth to each encounter. You can even switch between vehicles mid-battle, which allows players to strategize further depending on the situation that they might find themselves in.

Whether dealing out heavy damage with the tank or using the jumping tank to focus more on mobility to get the upper hand over your foes, the vehicular combat of Sand Land is always a blast and brings with it a lot more depth than I initially anticipated. The intuitive control scheme ensures that vehicles are accessible to use too, with the wealth of mechanics utilised in the game easy to embrace and never feeling overwhelming.

Check out some screenshots down below:

That being said, there are some parts of the game where you’ll progress on foot as Beezlebub, but they’re nowhere near as interesting. Whilst the little demon can certainly pack a punch, these moments feel a bit more generic in design when compared to unleashing hell in a vehicle. And don’t get me started on the stealth sections, which aren’t especially difficult but can feel very dull and out of place. These were the only aspects of Sand Land that let it down, but with vehicular combat clearly at the forefront, it’s easier to forgive.

I can’t end this review without mentioning the visuals, which are outstanding throughout. We’ve seen Akira Toriyami’s work brought to life across a plethora of video games, but his wonderful character designs look impeccable here. The landscapes are equally impressive, especially when you branch out of the Sand Land itself, with the game simply oozing in stylish charm throughout. It’s a REALLY pretty game, but after being wowed by ICLA Inc’s work in One Piece Odyssey last year, it’s no surprise to see them deliver another high-standard anime-stylised visual showcase.

Developer: ICLA Inc
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Platform(s): PC (Reviewed), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S
Website: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1979440/SAND_LAND/