Sand Land Manga Inspired Video Game Announced

One of the most highly anticipated anime projects of the 2023 year is the Sand Land anime film, set to be adapted from author and illustrator Akira Toriyama’s short manga of the same name. Set to hit Japanese theaters on Friday, August 18, 2023, it’s expected to be one of the biggest film hits of the Summer 2023 season.

Sand Land is set in a world without its main supply of water after years of natural disaster and war. With the river which provided water to the entire country all dried up and the price of water becoming too high, the people of the eponymous area began robbing one another for water and money.

This is when Demon prince Beelzebub and his friend Thief are approached by Sheriff Rao to look for a new water supply. With such an engaging story, fans are incredibly excited to see the Sand Land film in theaters later this year. However, it was recently announced that there will be yet another new and unique way of enjoying all the series has to offer.

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Sand Land video game announced at Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest 2023

At Summer Game Fest 2023, it was announced that the video game inspired by the Sand Land series, stylized as SandLand, was “coming soon” to Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. A trailer highlighting the game’s environment, action, and characters was also revealed at Summer Games Fest, featuring a unique art style even amongst anime-based games.

Much like the video game adaptations of Toriyama’s flagship Dragon Ball franchise, combat seems to feature a close-quarters element with a classic fighting game style. However, as seen in the trailer, various vehicles and mechs can also be used for medium- and long-range combat, including what appear to be missiles with a homing feature.

The trailer suggests that the game will feature a wide cast of characters, including the aforementioned central trio of Beelzebub, Thief, and Sheriff Rao. However, details on any original characters or an original plot are unavailable as of this article’s writing. That being said, with the game set to be “inspired” by Toriyama’s series, it’s entirely possible that a new plot featuring brand new characters will be used.

While Toriyama is best known for his Dragon Ball franchise, the Sand Land manga series is also a major hit as well. Originally serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from May to August 2000, the series is considered a short but sweet gem of an offering from Shueisha and Toriyama. The entire series is available in a one tankobon volume collection, first released in November 2000.

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Be sure to keep up with all anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.