Bandai Namco is teasing a brand new project based on a manga by legendary artist Akira Toriyama. Sand Land was created by Toriyama between May and August in 2000, and it's now being transformed into a game, although we don't quite know what form that game will take yet.
If you're not familiar with Toriyama's name, you'll almost certainly be aware of his work. He's the creator of Dragon Ball, a massive multimedia franchise that encapsulates manga, anime, video games, and crossovers with Fortnite, among other things. He's also the artist behind iconic games like Chrono Trigger and Dragon Quest.
Now, what might be one of Toriyama's lesser-known projects is being immortalized in game form by Bandai Namco. Sand Land is a relatively light adventure comedy about a group of misfits who set out to search for a water supply in the midst of a desert. It's effectively Mad Max: Fury Road, but much less bleak.
The simple teaser trailer for Sand Land simply depicts a shifting scene in Toriyama's unmistakable style. Beelzebub is seen staring out at the desert landscape and wondering why the world had to "become this...?". It's not yet clear whether Sand Land will be a straightforward adaptation of the manga or whether it intends to tell an original story in the manga's universe. Either way, the game proudly displays a disclaimer stating that it's "by Akira Toriyama", so it's clear the legendary artist is involved on a deep level.
Bandai Namco is promising more information on the forthcoming Sand Land game project on December 17th, so we'll learn more about Toriyama's vision then. In the meantime, you can check out the short but rather evocative teaser trailer for the game right here. You can also keep an eye on the official Sand Land website, which currently displays nothing more than an embed for the trailer and a ticking clock.
