In December 2022, Bandai Namco Entertainment announced the Sand Land Project, which would see them work on developing multimedia projects on Akira Toriyama’s (The creator of the Dragon Ball franchise) short-lived manga project, Sand Land. As of today, we now have more information on what has eventuated from it.
Work is now underway on an action RPG simply titled Sand Land, and is being developed by ILCA Inc. for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC – with the development team’s previous works including Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl and most recently, Bandai Namco Entertainment’s release of One Piece Odyssey.
SAND LAND is set in a desert environment where both humans and demons are grappling with a severe water shortage. Players will take on the role of Beelzebub, the Fiend Prince, who embarks on an adventure alongside Sheriff Rao and a demon named Thief to find a Legendary Spring hidden in the desert. Beelzebub, who describes himself as a “super evil fiend”, possesses superhuman strength and telepathic abilities despite having the pure heart of a child. Rao, a sheriff from a small town, is determined to resolve Sand Land’s water crisis with the help of demons. Thief, a seasoned demon with theft skills, also joins them on their quest.
As players explore the extensive world of Sand Land in the shoes of Beelzebub, they will be joined by a group comprising both demons and humans. The game offers players the option to either travel on foot or use various vehicles. Throughout their journey in the desert, players will encounter both threats and allies, and will also engage in vehicular and character combat. Players will have the opportunity to customize and equip their vehicles with various loadouts to navigate the desert landscape, overcome challenges, and battle a range of formidable adversaries.