Bandai is releasing a new game, Sand Land, based on a story by Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, and there’s already has a demo you can play. In Sand Land, you explore a land suffering from a widespread drought while a diverse cast of characters set out to find a legendary spring.
This action-RPG isn’t set in the Dragon Ball universe, but the characters and world have Toriyama‘s characteristic style. It’s based on a short manga published weekly in Shōnen Jump magazine in the year 2000. Sand Land only has 14 chapters and was collected into a single tankōbon volume. The demo gives you a glimpse into Sand Land’s vibrant world, so here’s how to play it.
How to play the Sand Land demo
You can download the demo version of Sand Land by visiting the official website, from which you’ll be redirected to your preferred platform’s site. Sand Land launches on April 25 and will be available on PlayStation consoles, Xbox Series X|S, and PC through Steam.
If you’re playing on PC, you need at least 4GB RAM, an Intel i5 processor, a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (or similar), and 20 GB of free disk space. It’s recommended to have 8GB of RAM, however.
What can I do in the Sand Land demo?
The demo has no time limit. It lets you explore a small section of the world and experience a few mechanics, like vehicles and the combat system. There’s no introduction or quests to complete, so it’s a fairly bare-bones experience. You can roam around a small area in the Battle Tank, Motorbike, and Battle Armor.
You’ll encounter level 15 enemies including dinosaur-like animals, humans carrying guns, and enemy tanks and Battle Armors. There are a few boss enemies that are harder to defeat with unique features, like a Battle Armor that shoots lasers. Vehicles have a couple of weapon customization options, but nothing cosmetic.
During the demo, you’re followed by two companions, Rao and the Thief, who speak to Beelzebub (the main character) about their backgrounds. The character menu reveals you can have different allies, each with their own skill tree, but you can’t unlock any skills in the demo.
While exploring the map, you’ll eventually hit an invisible wall if you go far enough. But there’s still lots of space to have fun driving your Motorbike, and there are a few areas you can enter, like a grotto hiding items and a ruin with a boss inside.
