Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama’s Sand Land is receiving a video game adaptation
by Danny Craig · 6/9/23, 8:00 PM
Bandai Namco
A video game adaptation of legendary manga artist Akira Toriyama’s series, Sand Land, has been announced, although we have yet to receive a release date.
The details:
- Bandai Namco revealed the title during Summer Game Fest with a trailer that showed off an action role-playing game based on the manga series. The trailer gives us a quick glimpse of the story's desert setting, which is devoid of water due to years of war and natural disasters. The protagonists, Beelzebub, and friends, can be seen exploring on foot and in various vehicles, with some small glimpses of the anime-style action-based combat system.
- Sand Land has grown in popularity in recent years, with Bandai Namco announcing that Sunrise, Kamikaze Douga, and Anima would collaborate on an anime film to be released on August 18, 2023. Fans had hoped that the reveal would be a game, and it appears that the publisher is ready to help push the series to a wider audience through all mediums.
- ILCA is developing the game with Unreal Engine 5 and will release it on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. ICLA is a Japanese studio best known for providing support for games like Ace Combat and Dragon Quest; however, it was most recently responsible for the remakes of the original DS games Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
- Toriyama has previously worked as a character designer on several video games, including Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, and Blue Dragon, but this is a rare instance of his original work being adapted outside of the iconic Dragon Ball franchise. It's unclear whether it will stick to the manga's original plot, which involves a group of humans and demons banding together to find a new water supply, or if it will feature an entirely new storyline.
Other recent reveals:
- Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth now has a release date and a new trailer. The second installment of the remake trilogy will be released in "early 2024," on two PlayStation 5 discs. According to the trailer, the game will cover the remaining events from the first disc of the original game, including Cosmo Canyon and Nibelheim.
- The official Atlus Instagram account has leaked Persona 3: Reload and Persona 5: Tactica. The company appears to have uploaded trailers for both titles before deleting them ahead of Xbox's Game Showcase on June 11; however, fans were quick to grab the videos and have since shared them again.