Gameplay features exploration of the game world from a top-down perspective, and a turn-based combat system incorporating real-time mechanics.

Notable staff included writer Masato Kato, artists Kunihiko Tanaka and Kimihiko Fujisaka, and co-composer Yasunori Mitsuda.

[1][3] The player party goes between safe town areas, housing facilities and shops where equipment and weapons can be bought, and dungeon environments which contain puzzles and hostile encounters.

The pair are joined by Agan Mardrus, a friend of Morte's and member of the Golden Lions; Rhi'a Dragunel, the last of the dragon people tied to the world's beginning and end; and Taupy, a Feral bounty hunter with the appearance of a teddy bear.

Naja Gref, initially pursuing the World Annihilation Front before joining their ranks, is a half-Feral who suffers discrimination due to his mixed parentage.

[9] Kyrie lives in the village of Barni with his uncle, where humans and Ferals are treated as equals by their ruler the Beast Lord Ursa Rex.

The group, guided by orders from the World Annihilation Front's unknown leader, fights two of the Primal Lords so Kyrie can gain their power.

A despondent Morte is given a message from the Front's leader that Kyrie can be resurrected, and is directed to find Crimson Sun by the Beast Lord Lacertus Rex.

Morte uses her own love for Kyrie to restore his human form, with Crimson Sun granting them his blessing as they have chosen to remake rather than destroy the world.

Killing Lacertus Rex, the party confronts the Creator, an artificial being who birthed Kyrie to initiate the latest cycle of destruction and rebirth.

Using the Primal Lords' powers, Kyrie and Morte remake the world into a flourishing land where the desert sea has become an ocean of water, and humans and Ferels can leave in peace as equals.

[10] The staff included Imageepoch founder Ryoei Mikage as director, Sega's Yoichi Shimosato as producer, scenario writer Masato Kato, and composer Yasunori Mitsuda.

[11] The concept originated when Mikage, Shimosato, Mitsuda and Kato—who all knew each other to varying degrees—got together for a lunch and Migake pitched the idea of working together on a new non-traditional RPG.

[12] At the time the game was pitched, Mikage said there were no RPGs for the DS outside established series, with their choice of platform arising from wanting to create a title which played against genre expectations.

His concept, with a group of young people wanting to destroy the world rather than save it, was meant as an inversion of the typical Japanese RPG storyline.

[16] Due to concerns surrounding the DS's younger audience and fearing a harsh rating from Japan's CERO board, the story was toned down for broader appeal.

The increased storage allowed 3D environments with a rotating camera, detailed sprites, three hundred cutscenes including CGI sequences, and extensive voice acting.

[20] The Japanese cast featured prominent voice actors including Mamoru Miyano (Kyrie), Maaya Sakamoto (Morte), Tōru Furuya (Taupy), Yui Ichikawa (Rhi'a), Hiro Mizushima (Naja), and Hiroyuki Yoshino (Agan).

[21] As part of its promotion, an eighteen-episode radio program was broadcast between July and October 2008, featuring guests from the game's production team and cast.

[41] Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu focused much of its praise on the combat system, positively noting its use of both screens and its combination of new and classic mechanics.

[37] Corbie Dillard of Nintendo Life praised the game for its story, gameplay and graphical design, with his main complaints being a lack of original elements and linear structure.

[4] IGN's Levi Buchanan enjoyed the game overall, but felt some of the gameplay systems were overly complex and took too much time for the player to learn.

[7] Mike Moehnke of RPGamer was generally positive about the game, saying that the flaws in its gameplay design "should not prevent an audience prepared for some frustration from having a good time with it.

"[2] GameSpot's Carolyn Petit praised the story and noted the game's ambition, but faulted its short length and issues with its sound design and difficulty.

[3] David F. Smith of Nintendo Power noted there was little original in the game's premise and combat, but praised the dungeons and gameplay design.

[38] GameTrailers felt the initial premise was strong and enjoyed the graphics, but faulted the later story elements and the balance of the combat system.

[10] Discussions of media expansions emerged when the game was 50% completed and the scenario had been finalised, with the team wanting to expand the story beyond the technical limitations of the DS.

[10][31] The staff included director Shunsuke Tada, co-producers Akira Uchida and Toyokazu Hattori, writer Masahiro Yokotani, and composer Yoshihiro Ike.

[43] The anime was worked on by younger members of Production I.G's staff, with Tada saying they wanted to focus on smaller character moments left untold within the game.

[31] Futari no Tenshi emerged after Dengeki Maoh editor-in-chief Shusuke Toyoshima heard about Sands of Destruction and proposed the manga to Sega after seeing the world design.