Interview with Maxime Meyer, SAND LAND producer.
1/ What is SAND LAND?
SAND LAND is originally a popular manga created by Akira Toriyama, the author of DRAGON BALL and Dr. Slump. The videogame captures the characters, setting and spirit of the manga to immerse the player in this fantastic, desertic world.
2/ Can you tell us more about the story?
The story is set in a desert world where demons and humans suffer from water shortage. Beelzebub, the Fiend Prince, Rao, a small-town sheriff, and demon Thief form a team and set off on an adventure in search of the Legendary Spring somewhere in the desert.
3/ Can you tell us more about Akira Toriyama’s involvement in the project?
The project is closely supervised by Shueisha and Akira Toriyama.
Fans of Akira Toriyama’s work can still look forward to his distinctive art style and references to his previous work, including switching vehicles with capsules they collect by playing the game.
4/ Would you recommend reading the manga before playing the game?
If you read the manga, you can enjoy the world of SAND LAND through the game, but even if you haven't read it, you can enjoy the story from scratch.
Reading the manga can help familiarize with the story, and the setting and can provide a base to understand how the main storyline will develop.
5/ What elements would you like people to see?
The story, of course. Beelzebub, Rao and Thief build a relationship of mutual trust while exploring the desert world, and actions of Beelzebub and vehicles are great, but I’d like to draw your attention to vehicle customization.
When driving vehicles in SAND LAND, you really have the feeling of exploring a whole new world and being able to customize and adapt your vehicle to the dangers of the desert is always fun and we have so many options!
6/ What types of vehicles will be playable in the full game?
The game will feature multiple and diverse vehicles, each with special features. Vehicles can give damage to several enemies, not just a single one, which also makes it easier to defeat enemies and vehicles that are difficult to capture by Beelzebub.
In addition to the action, vehicles are indispensable for exploring Sand Land. They allow us to go to places we cannot reach by destroying rocks that block the way or jumping over broken bridges.
7/ What was the incentive for reviving the SAND LAND brand after so many years?
There are many different aspects of beauty in the worlds of Toriyama-sensei, and worldview other than the ones in Dragon Ball, his masterpiece. Sand Land is another work of great value that can show a lot of it.
We believe that there are people who will be able to deliver this beauty not only through manga and visualizations, but also through games, and we hope that fans will enjoy the unique experience that only games can provide.
SAND LAND will be available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam
For more information about SAND LAND, check the latest news!
