Summary
Bandai Namco’s upcoming open-world action-adventure gameSand Land(based on the Akira Toriyama manga of the same name) joins a long legacy of games bearing character designs from the legendary creator. Toriyama-sensei’s untimely and unexpected passing makesSand Land’s release all the more profound given that it will now stand as potentially the last game to feature the artist’s signature character designs outside new entries in theDragon Ball ZorDragon Questfranchises. Toriyama’s characters have long been known for their emotive and expressive faces, which makes the act of translating their 2D designs into in-engine 3D renders all the more challenging.
Game Rant recently had the chance to sit down withSand Landproducer Keishu Minami to discuss Bandai Namco’s ambitiousplans for theSand LandIP, which include the recently released animated series and plans for a feature film in addition to the video game adaptation. Toriyama’s unmistakable and iconic characters have graced several games throughout the history of the medium, and Minami provided some insight regarding the challenge of converting 2D artwork into in-engine graphical assets while retaining the characters' emotional range and expressive facial movements.
How Sand Land’s English Voice Acting Factors Into Character Renders
Facial animations can often make or break player immersion during cutscenes, drawing attention to how believable or stiff and lifeless they are and potentially enhancing or completely breaking the spell a game’s characters can have. Taking two-dimensional characters and translating them into 3D renders typically presents a bit of a challenge, but taking the unmistakable designs of a well-known artist and trying to replicate their signature qualities in-engine presents its own unique set of obstacles. TakingSand Land’s characters, arguably lesser known than Toriyama’s other properties, and making them engaging and relatable was one of the team’s primary concerns during development.
As it turns out, the game’s focus on an English voice cast and lip sync for its characters would factor heavily into how the team approached converting the cast ofSand Land’s manga into 3D character renders for the video game adaptation. Producer Keishu Minami considers the facial animations and lip sync with the English voice acting to have been the key to maintaining each character’s uniqueness while honoring their original designs fromtheSand Landmanga.
We have focused a lot on the facial expressions. We have very unique characters. To bring out that uniqueness, we focused on making each facial expression and lipsync unique. We have English voiceovers, so we are focusing on those lipsyncs and would like all English speakers to enjoy the gameplay through the English voiceovers. We are working very hard to translate Toriyama-sensei’s characters into 3D with facial expressions and lean into each character’s uniqueness with supporting technology.
DespiteSand Land’s characters retaining the key characteristics present in all of Toriyama’s work, the demon Beezelbub and his traveling companions are distinctly different from what players are familiar with in terms of the artist’s other IP. Taking a lesser-known property and bringing it to a new legion of hopeful fans is a tall order. Thankfully, both theSand Landgameand the new animated series place an emphasis on bringing the property to life by focusing on the personalities and expressions that shine through in Toriyama-sensei’s original artwork.
Sand Land
WHERE TO PLAY
Dive into a desert world where both humans and demons suffer from an extreme water shortage - SAND LAND. Meet the Fiend Prince Beelzebub, his chaperone Thief, and the fearless Sheriff Rao, and follow the team on an extraordinary adventure in search of the Legendary Spring hidden in the desert, and much more. The end is only the beginning, as beyond this arid ground lies a mysterious new realm to explore - Forest Land.This action-RPG is a nostalgic and heartwarming world created by Akira Toriyama, where you will become the main character, Beelzebub. Learn how to control his powers and lead your company of heroic misfits, exploring the legendary world of SAND LAND and the brand-new Forest Land. But beware of the many dangers that populate them: between bandits, fierce wildlife, and ruthless Army Generals, reaching the spring and saving the world won’t be easy!Use your tact and imagination to develop tanks and other vehicles that will help you navigate these vast resourceful lands, using a wide array of part combinations. Build up your base of operations into a thriving city, with the help of the people you meet along the way in this desert.
