On April 25th, the official X account (formerly Twitter) for the game software “SAND LAND” updated to release a pre-death message from Akira Toriyama, the manga artist and original author of the game, who passed away in March due to acute subdural hematoma at the age of 68.
This update was made on the release day of “SAND LAND.” The account shared comments Toriyama made in January while viewing footage of the game in development. He expressed, “Although I haven’t seen everything yet, the original manga’s world has been expanded significantly, adding lots of fun elements with high quality. It seems to be a highly satisfying action RPG when seen as a standalone game, without any flattery.”
Regarding the game’s setting, he continued, “New worlds and characters, such as Forest Land which wasn’t in the original, have been added. You can enjoy a more enriched story and extensive map adventures while playing as the demon prince.”
Toriyama himself commented on the game, “I only play casual games, but I keep an eye on the modern games my family plays, and for an old guy, I think I know quite a bit,” showing his self-deprecating humor.
“SAND LAND” is set in a world transformed into a desert by natural disasters. It tells the story of the devil’s sons embarking on a quest for water to solve the crisis. Despite being a short series released in 2000, it has gained popularity worldwide for its unique world and story. The “SAND LAND project” was launched in 2022, and as part of this initiative, the game was developed. It was released today for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and S.