Our VerdictSand Land is just another forgettable tie-in to add to the existing anime game pile.
Our VerdictSand Land is just another forgettable tie-in to add to the existing anime game pile.
Our Verdict
Our Verdict
Sand Land is just another forgettable tie-in to add to the existing anime game pile.
PC Gamer’s got your backOur experienced team dedicates many hours to every review, to really get to the heart of what matters most to you.Find out more about how we evaluate games and hardware.
PC Gamer’s got your backOur experienced team dedicates many hours to every review, to really get to the heart of what matters most to you.Find out more about how we evaluate games and hardware.
What year is it? Because I’m sure Sand Land (and the Akira Toriyama-authored anime and manga it’s based on) just came out, but this action RPG, complete with numbers popping out of enemies whenever feisty lordling fiend Prince Beelzebub hits them, feels like a return to the bad old days of licensed games. The sort of forgotten PlayStation tie-in that included a bit of everything whether it should have or not, a game your well-meaning grandparents bought as a gift because they recognised the name of the movie.
What is it?Toriyama’s beautiful mechanical designs trapped inside a tired marketing exerciseExpect to pay:£49.99Developer:ILCA, Inc.Publisher:Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.Reviewed on:Intel i9-13900HX, GeForce RTX 4080 (laptop), 16GB RAMMultiplayer?NoSteam Deck:UnknownLink:Official site
What is it?Toriyama’s beautiful mechanical designs trapped inside a tired marketing exerciseExpect to pay:£49.99Developer:ILCA, Inc.Publisher:Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.Reviewed on:Intel i9-13900HX, GeForce RTX 4080 (laptop), 16GB RAMMultiplayer?NoSteam Deck:UnknownLink:Official site
What is it?Toriyama’s beautiful mechanical designs trapped inside a tired marketing exerciseExpect to pay:£49.99Developer:ILCA, Inc.Publisher:Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.Reviewed on:Intel i9-13900HX, GeForce RTX 4080 (laptop), 16GB RAMMultiplayer?NoSteam Deck:UnknownLink:Official site
At times the game will force a side-on platforming section on me, complete with bottomless pits and an endless supply of incoming objects to avoid. In other moments I’ll have to play along with some scripted chase sequence, or hit buttons at the right as if QTE-ruined cutscenes never went out of fashion. There are even multiple stealth sections to grit my teeth through. They don’t turn up often, but they do turn up more often than they should in an action RPG of any age:never.
Anything I can drive can be built and then generously customised in a garage using materials found while I’m off adventuring, creating new weapons, new engines, or even attaching specialist extra functions and helpful drones. Once that’s sorted, these machines as a whole as well as their individual parts can then be upgraded further, or have new parts swapped in as required. It’s noArmored Core, but it does help make everything I build feel like it’s truly mine.
So it’s a shame this core part of the game is about as much fun as taking a car to a real mechanic. Each new vehicle is made up of multiple parts, all of which require an increasingly long list of materials to create, many of which must be scavenged from enemies or combined using raw ingredients at a workshop. On its own it’d be annoying, but at times the plot grinds to a halt until I build one very specific machine and then it becomes almost irritating enough to make me want to uninstall the damned game.
Image1of5Dirt, rust, and dings have rarely looked more stylish.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Ann can build pretty much anything with the right materials.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Akira Toriyama’s monsters are as distinctive as ever.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Aerodynamic? No. Brilliant anyway? Definitely.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)This one’s probably not friendly.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Image1of5Dirt, rust, and dings have rarely looked more stylish.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Ann can build pretty much anything with the right materials.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Akira Toriyama’s monsters are as distinctive as ever.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Aerodynamic? No. Brilliant anyway? Definitely.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)This one’s probably not friendly.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Image1of5
Dirt, rust, and dings have rarely looked more stylish.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Ann can build pretty much anything with the right materials.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Akira Toriyama’s monsters are as distinctive as ever.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Aerodynamic? No. Brilliant anyway? Definitely.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)This one’s probably not friendly.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Dirt, rust, and dings have rarely looked more stylish.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Ann can build pretty much anything with the right materials.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Akira Toriyama’s monsters are as distinctive as ever.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Aerodynamic? No. Brilliant anyway? Definitely.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)This one’s probably not friendly.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Dirt, rust, and dings have rarely looked more stylish.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Dirt, rust, and dings have rarely looked more stylish.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Dirt, rust, and dings have rarely looked more stylish.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Dirt, rust, and dings have rarely looked more stylish.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Dirt, rust, and dings have rarely looked more stylish.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Ann can build pretty much anything with the right materials.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Ann can build pretty much anything with the right materials.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Ann can build pretty much anything with the right materials.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Ann can build pretty much anything with the right materials.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Ann can build pretty much anything with the right materials.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Akira Toriyama’s monsters are as distinctive as ever.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Akira Toriyama’s monsters are as distinctive as ever.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Akira Toriyama’s monsters are as distinctive as ever.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Akira Toriyama’s monsters are as distinctive as ever.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Akira Toriyama’s monsters are as distinctive as ever.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Aerodynamic? No. Brilliant anyway? Definitely.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Aerodynamic? No. Brilliant anyway? Definitely.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Aerodynamic? No. Brilliant anyway? Definitely.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Aerodynamic? No. Brilliant anyway? Definitely.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Aerodynamic? No. Brilliant anyway? Definitely.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
This one’s probably not friendly.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
This one’s probably not friendly.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
This one’s probably not friendly.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
This one’s probably not friendly.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
This one’s probably not friendly.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
At least it doesn’t take any time at all to hop around the map, thanks to a generous fast travel system. Any major town or health-restoring water station I’ve already visited automatically becomes a free teleportation point, so the chances are when someone says “Hey, maybe we should go to…” it’ll only take a few clicks.
Unfortunately, wherever I end up the vehicles find another new way to disappoint. I may be able to bring up to five of them with me at any time, but they all serve very narrow roles. The environmental obstacles and puzzles I encounter always have just one bot-based solution to them—use this one to pull this heavy box, use this specific type to hover over this otherwise impassable terrain—and sometimes a particular bot is only needed for a fewsecondsbefore I’m better off either switching back to my trusty tank or Beelzebub’s pointy-shoe’d feet.
Plenty of enemies will try to pick a fight as I poke around, and I’m free to either have my purple little ball of demonic royalty punch them into submission or hop into something more substantial and take them out that way. These battles are so seamlessly integrated into Sand Land’s world that there’s nothing to stop me from picking monsters off from a distance, or even just boosting my way straight past them. That freedom is a good thing, as the game’s combat is not complex enough to warrant more serious attention.
Image1of5Thief’s sneaking suit is… a little unusual.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Surely the sand would get in all their… never mind.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)I need a model kit of this. And everything else.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Expansive shots like this make me feel small. And thirsty.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)The mechanical designs really are packed with detail(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Image1of5Thief’s sneaking suit is… a little unusual.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Surely the sand would get in all their… never mind.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)I need a model kit of this. And everything else.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Expansive shots like this make me feel small. And thirsty.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)The mechanical designs really are packed with detail(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Image1of5
Thief’s sneaking suit is… a little unusual.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Surely the sand would get in all their… never mind.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)I need a model kit of this. And everything else.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Expansive shots like this make me feel small. And thirsty.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)The mechanical designs really are packed with detail(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Thief’s sneaking suit is… a little unusual.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Surely the sand would get in all their… never mind.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)I need a model kit of this. And everything else.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)Expansive shots like this make me feel small. And thirsty.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)The mechanical designs really are packed with detail(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Thief’s sneaking suit is… a little unusual.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Thief’s sneaking suit is… a little unusual.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Thief’s sneaking suit is… a little unusual.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Thief’s sneaking suit is… a little unusual.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Thief’s sneaking suit is… a little unusual.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Surely the sand would get in all their… never mind.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Surely the sand would get in all their… never mind.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Surely the sand would get in all their… never mind.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Surely the sand would get in all their… never mind.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Surely the sand would get in all their… never mind.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
I need a model kit of this. And everything else.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
I need a model kit of this. And everything else.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
I need a model kit of this. And everything else.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
I need a model kit of this. And everything else.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
I need a model kit of this. And everything else.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Expansive shots like this make me feel small. And thirsty.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Expansive shots like this make me feel small. And thirsty.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Expansive shots like this make me feel small. And thirsty.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Expansive shots like this make me feel small. And thirsty.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Expansive shots like this make me feel small. And thirsty.(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
The mechanical designs really are packed with detail(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
The mechanical designs really are packed with detail(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
The mechanical designs really are packed with detail(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
The mechanical designs really are packed with detail(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
The mechanical designs really are packed with detail(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
At least Sand Land’s likeable rag-tag cast of generic stereotypes—Fiery Youth, Grizzled Veteran, Girl With Obvious Secrets, Bad Guys Who Become Good Guys After A Chat—and the eco-conscious story they’re tied up in do their best to liven things up. Yes, hoarding natural resources for profit and war are bad, and Sand Land should say it. The messages get a little lost when the only response I have to anything is to blow it up with a tank, but it does try.
The winsome characters aren’t enough to save something that plays like the dictionary definition of a licensed anime game though. Sand Land definitely looks the part, but the game underneath is never anything more than a scattered collection of unsatisfying bits and pieces. This particular take on Toriyama’s sandy setting is destined to last in people’s minds about as long as an ice cube in the desert.
The Verdict65Read our review policySand LandSand Land is just another forgettable tie-in to add to the existing anime game pile.
The Verdict
The Verdict
65Read our review policySand LandSand Land is just another forgettable tie-in to add to the existing anime game pile.
65Read our review policy
65
Sand LandSand Land is just another forgettable tie-in to add to the existing anime game pile.
Sand Land
Sand Land is just another forgettable tie-in to add to the existing anime game pile.
More about sand land
Don’t worry, Sand Land is much better than its dreadful demo, but maybe read the Akira Toriyama manga first
Don’t worry, Sand Land is much better than its dreadful demo, but maybe read the Akira Toriyama manga first
LatestHere’s a game about being a depressed, lonely maintenance robot on a long-haul space colony shipSee more latest►
Latest
Here’s a game about being a depressed, lonely maintenance robot on a long-haul space colony ship
Here’s a game about being a depressed, lonely maintenance robot on a long-haul space colony ship
Here’s a game about being a depressed, lonely maintenance robot on a long-haul space colony ship
See more latest►
Most PopularTurtle Beach Stealth Pivot reviewIkea Matchspel gaming chair reviewASRock DeskMini X600 reviewZotac Zbox Magnus EN374070C reviewMinisforum AtomMan G7 Ti reviewSamsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra reviewNoctua NH-D15 G2 reviewGulikit KK3 Max reviewBallionaire reviewMarvel Rivals reviewBe Quiet! Dark Rock 5 review
Most PopularTurtle Beach Stealth Pivot reviewIkea Matchspel gaming chair reviewASRock DeskMini X600 reviewZotac Zbox Magnus EN374070C reviewMinisforum AtomMan G7 Ti reviewSamsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra reviewNoctua NH-D15 G2 reviewGulikit KK3 Max reviewBallionaire reviewMarvel Rivals reviewBe Quiet! Dark Rock 5 review
Most PopularTurtle Beach Stealth Pivot reviewIkea Matchspel gaming chair reviewASRock DeskMini X600 reviewZotac Zbox Magnus EN374070C reviewMinisforum AtomMan G7 Ti reviewSamsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra reviewNoctua NH-D15 G2 reviewGulikit KK3 Max reviewBallionaire reviewMarvel Rivals reviewBe Quiet! Dark Rock 5 review
Most Popular
Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot review
Ikea Matchspel gaming chair review
ASRock DeskMini X600 review
Zotac Zbox Magnus EN374070C review
Minisforum AtomMan G7 Ti review
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra review
Noctua NH-D15 G2 review
Gulikit KK3 Max review
Ballionaire review
Marvel Rivals review
Be Quiet! Dark Rock 5 review
HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS
1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads
1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads
1
Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads
2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop
2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop
2
Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop
3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most
3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most
3
Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most
4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands
4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands
4
Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands
5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested
5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested
5
Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested
1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits
1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits
1
Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits
2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback
2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback
2
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback
3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review
3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review
3
WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review
4Ikea Utespelare desk review
4Ikea Utespelare desk review
4
Ikea Utespelare desk review
5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
5
Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
