Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama’s Sand Land is receiving a video game adaptation

by Danny Craig · 6/9/23, 8:00 PM
Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama’s Sand Land is receiving a video game adaptation
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.

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