Japanese manga artist and character designer, Akira Toriyama, suddenly passed away earlier last month. After his death, the popular creator will be receiving his first posthumous tribute in the upcoming Sand Land game. The game is based on Toriyama’s manga series of the same name.
The game is developed by ILCA and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It will bring Toriyama’s manga to life on April 25, 2024, on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC.
The original Sand Land story has been expanded
Sand Land being adapted into a game is not surprising since it is the legendary Toriyama’s work. However, when the news of its adaptation first broke out, it raised some eyebrows. This was mainly because Sand Land is relatively short. It is based on a deliberately brief and linear plot with only 14 chapters.
Nonetheless, ILCA has managed to turn the protagonist Beelzebub’s short adventure into an entire open-world odyssey. Talking to The Gamer, the producer Keishu Minami said that the team collectively decided to include a big explorable world in Sand Land instead of keeping it a more linear experience. This is because it is common to see other anime titles being centered around just allowing the player to “feel the unique world of Toriyama-sensei”.
In fact, the original story of the manga has been heavily extended by adding side missions, dungeons, racing, and a lot of other things. According to Minami, these elements will allow Beelzebub and the player to explore more in the game and it doesn’t just feel like a “large map”.
Notably, extending Sand Land to make it an open-world adventure was not the only path that the developers took to expand on Toriyama’s work. Minami adds how one of the biggest things the game as well as the previous anime added was Forest Land.
It is a lush green area that in reality never appeared in the manga. The Forest Land also introduces a new story that revolves around Beelzebub contending with a new enemy who possesses powers equal to him. There is also a new ally named Ann.
Will the Sand Land game have a sequel?
Given that Toriyama untimely passed away earlier last month at the age of 68, the future of Sand Land may seem uncertain. However, looking at the adaptations of the manga in the anime as well as the game, it is safe to say that only the surface has been scratched so far.
Talking about what the future of the game would look like, Minami says,
“We will do our best to deliver the Sand Land game, releasing April 26, to as many players as possible, and we will think about expanding after they have enjoyed it.”
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There is certainly a lot more of Beelzebub’s world and the adventures to be explored. That being said, since the game is yet to launch, it is indeed too early to even speculate what could happen next. However, Minami’s response does spark some hope.
