No doubt for many the name Akira Toriyama is best known for his creation of the Dragon Ball series and his lasting legacy will be with this much-loved franchise. However, his final work is one anime fans will be excited to learn more about and follow on from work first published nearly 25 years ago.
Toriyama sadly passed away at the start of the month and millions of fans were left heartbroken given how much of a legacy the man has created over the years. Certainly, when you mention his name, most fans would bring up DB as his most famous work but many fans will be delighted to see that one of his other highly loved creations is being adapted into a video game.
Akira Toriyama’s final work
The game is a continuation of the manga series created by Toriyama in 2000 and is the final project he was involved with before his sad passing on 1 March. With the latest trailer, we see an expansion to the lore of the source material with the introduction of Forest Land.
Players take on the role of Beelzebub and must travel through the landscapes of Sand Land, battling various foes to try and reach the Legendary Spring. With drought affecting both humans and demons, players will have to learn how to utilise the powers of the Fiend prince and traverse the ruthless landscape to bring water back.
With the reveal of Forest Land, Beelzebub and his band of misfits will also have a new challenge to face, in addition to the search for water. Despite appearing friendly at first, the Forest Land has a ferocious army led by the fearsome Muniel who despite having childlike features, will do anything to obtain resources and won’t back down from a fight.
Does Sand Land match up to Dragon Ball?
No doubt with the recent reveal trailer for Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, most people’s focus will be on Toriyama’s most famous work, however, it may be that anime fans see Sand Land as a more accurate representation of his work. That’s not to take anything away from the upcoming DB game as it does look fantastic.
Whilst many fans’ focus may be on the upcoming fighting game, it is the manga series adapted title of which anime fans will be looking forward to first. From those who first picked up Sand Land when it was first published back in 2000 to now being able to experience it for real will be something highly sought after.
The game is set for release on 26 April for both PS4 & PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Windows and for those looking to get a taste of the game early, a demo is currently available for all the platforms as mentioned above. One thing is clear, it’s an exciting time for fans of Toriyama’s various works.
What are your thoughts on the latest news for Sand Land? Do you think this will be a more faithful video game adaptation than Dragon Ball? Get in touch, drop us a comment, and let us know what you think.
