What an honor Akira Toriyama’s legacy is. sandy land He was released shortly after his tragic death. This man—the creator of Dragon Ball, the lead artist on Chrono Trigger, and more—has always reveled in the joy of innocence, always promoting ideas of innocence and purity in his work. Sandlot, a game adapted directly from one of his most overlooked original stories, is a fitting epitaph for the man and his worldview. I wish there were games like this when I was growing up.
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This role-playing game tells the story of a mischievous demon with a begrudgingly pure heart, a grumpy old man who masks his righteous nature with harshness, and a hilarious goofball who likes to dress up as Santa Claus . The three of them soon become embroiled in a conspiracy involving much of the world’s natural water – hoarded by an authoritarian king as a symbol of greed.
It’s both predictable and fresh in a way, but the detail and depth of the human heartbeat in this intra-species story is something you’d expect to find in a Pixar movie or a Becky Chambers book .
Think Mad Max and Dragon Quest, and Frank Herbert’s Dune and Dragon Ball. A story that boils down to “I will defeat the evils of capitalism with the power of friendship and this gun I found.” But oddly enough, The Sandlot is also a treatise on nonviolence—a reflection on how strange it is that demons don’t kill but humans do. A surprisingly thought-provoking philosophical element in a cheerful game that’s largely designed for younger players.
But presumably, this was Toriyama’s influence. After all, this is his original story and world. The whole thing reeks of anti-capitalist ideas, bemoaning human greed and warlike nature at every turn. Also launching with the game is the Disney+ series, however – it’s a massive role-playing game of at least 40+ hours, and you can look forward to learning more about the content and background of the game.
The game itself is easy to play; part mascot platformer, part Metal Gear Solid for Dummies, all Toriyama’s charm. You’ll quickly jump between simple action combat, vehicle maneuvering in the desert, and streamlined stealth sections that have you dashing from rooftop to rooftop and avoiding whatever hired thugs are stalking you at this point in the game Sight.
The closest games to my youth were Jak 2 or 3, but for that matter, they felt rather primitive – more focused on platforming and spin kicking than offering rich vehicular combat, stripped-down RPG skill trees There’s more to managing sets, exploration, and mini-game sampling than Sand Land offers.
The difficulty feels very similar as well. I remember admiring the Naughty Dog Jak games for how relentless and uncompromising they were – something you rarely see in games designed for younger players. The same goes for sand – yes, there are some watered-down elements here, but the strategy and preparation you need to do before a massive tank battle in the middle of the dunes will make even seasoned players appreciate their gear. Make a sound of admiration. Please tell me more about this.
You can tell this is a game aimed at a younger audience because the cast has a nice, waypoint-y set of voice actions like: “Wow, a questionable lever, let’s pull it!” or “Be careful not to Got Caught” or “I’m not trying to fight them now!” But because the whole world has this “teen TV” vibe to it, it never comes across as condescending or unkind – just supportive. It’s like a gentle nudge in the right direction; there’s no Water Temple skill check here.
It’s the little details like these that really make you feel that a lot of care and effort went into this game. Details include the faces of guards as you sneak up on them and scare them, protagonist Beelzebub’s little wiggles as he balances himself with his tail, and slide animations when you switch between sneaking and running. The game plays as well as it looks, and once again you can tell that a lot of effort went into bringing Akira Toriyama’s signature style to life.
Music is also a low-key fun addition to the game. It’s somewhere between jazz and urban pop – percussive, gritty and understated, it’s the funkiest music I’ve heard in a game in a while. Honestly, I’d probably pick the last game just to hear more.
But it’s also fun. Great comic timing and tight writing make it half silly and half acerbic. It makes clever use of slapstick and also cleverly parodies tropes and conventions (which will appeal to fans of Dragon Ball et al., considering it was written by Toriyama). Even though Beelzebub initially comes across as an arrogant kid, Beelzebub’s central character is so clear, and I realized that I could imagine a younger version of me being really moved by him – his drive, his perspective, He has a dogged commitment to doing the right thing (even if it sometimes happens the wrong way).
Sand Land is a social, fun-first casual game suitable for all ages. A love letter and a fitting memorial to Toriyama. A fun and well-made game in its own right. Somehow, Sandlot manages to do it all and deliver a game for teenagers that isn’t condescending, boring, or predictable. No matter how old you are, you probably won’t play a more fascinating game this year.
Sand Land will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on April 26.