Sand Land Demo Out Now: What To Expect in the Akira Toriyama-Inspired RPG

The demo for Sand Land is out now for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, and PC, giving players a chance to experience the world inside the Akira Toriyama-inspired RPG.

The Sand Land demo comes ahead of its official Apr. 26, 2024, launch and also follows Toriyama's untimely death earlier this month. The legendary manga artist's works have had a profound impact on many people's lives.

Sand Land Demo Out Now

The new Sand Land demo pits players into a post-apocalyptic desert world where Beelzebub and his ragtag group seek out the Legendary Spring.
(Photo : Bandai Namco, ILCA / Screenshot taken from official website)

While the Dragon Ball Z creator did not personally have a hand in the Sand Land game, his character designs live on in the new title. The game is currently in development at Japan-based studio ILCA, Inc. They are the ones who made the 2021's Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl as well as the One Piece Odyssey.

Sand Land focuses on the child-like demon Beelzebub surrounded by his ragtag group of companions Rao, Ann, and Thief. The group sets out into a harsh desert environment in order to find a Legendary Spring, according to GamesRadar.

Throughout the group's adventure, they will come face to face with a variety of dangerous monsters as well as the angry king and his army. Sand Land is based on a one-shot manga that Toriyama made that ran from May 9, 2000, to Aug. 8, 2000. It was very popular in Japan but was never able to reach the heights of the Dragon Ball franchise.

The newly released demo allows players to traverse through a limited portion of the map and lets them take control of three characters, Beelzebub, Rao, and Thief. It also gives them the opportunity to try out the Battle Tank, Battle Armor, and Motorbike.

Unfortunately, players will not be able to save their progress in the demo and transfer it once the full game is released. However, playing the demo does give them some bonus items that would let them kit out their vehicle when the full game launches.

Bonuses for the Full game

In the world of Sand Land, there is a post-apocalyptic desert world where water is considered a rare resource. The title is an action RPG that has a heavy focus on vehicular action and allows players to develop their own tanks, motorbikes, and other modes of transportation, said Eurogamer.

The game lets players switch out the likes of weapons, engines, and suspension in order to better navigate the desert world and fight against dangerous enemies. Bandai Namco announced that the new Sand Land demo's bonus items include 30 B-Grade Steel and 30 B-Grade Bolt.

On the other hand, the Sand Land manga focuses on Beelzebub's group as they fight against the forces of a greedy, water-hoarding king. The new demo suggests that the game will mostly stay true to the source material but also shows that it is not afraid to step outside of it for the sake of providing entertainment to players.

Many of the enemies that players fight in the demo are not encountered in such a manner in the manga. The trial game also showed the apparent prevalence of side activities such as bounties and racing, according to Game Rant.