Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin (2020)

Edelweiss, Marvelous, XSEED Games

Main
30
hours
Main + Extra
35
hours
Platinum
49
hours

In Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin, players take on the role of Sakuna, a proud yet lonely harvest goddess who is banished to a dangerous island with a group of outcast humans. Sakuna tames the island by defeating demons using farm tools as weapons while also making ample use of her “celestial scarf,” a magical item that allows her to grapple distant enemies and platforms. Along the way, she establishes a home in a mountain village, which serves as a base of operations for crafting weapons and cooking food. Additionally, as a harvest goddess, she grows rice by following a detailed process that encompasses everything from planting to harvesting. Through this process, across each of the four seasons, she’s able to improve the harvest and hone her battle skills alike.

About the story

Long ago, the spoiled Princess Sakuna enjoyed a life of leisure in the Mihashira Capital among the gods and spirits of Yanato. But on the floating bridge of heaven separating the immortal Lofty Realm from the Lowly Realm of mortals, a chance encounter with the children of men (or, as they call themselves, the humans) led to a series of mishaps. Alas, this culminated in their banishment to Hinoe Island, the so-called Isle of Demons. The ruling deity, Lady Kamuhitsuki, charged Sakuna with securing a foothold for the capital and rooting out the hordes of demonic beasts that plague the island. And, of course, as a goddess she must also look after the wayward children of men who were alongside her. But even a goddess needs to eat, and so the tale of rice and ruin begins... Sakuna may have begun her story as a spoiled princess, but over the course of her journey she will come into her own as the true successor to her exalted parents, Lady Toyohana the harvest goddess and Lord Takeribi the warrior god. As she explores the beautiful yet forbidding environments of Hinoe Island, she will also find a home in a mountain village, proving herself worthy of her title by harvesting rice and bettering the lives of humanity.

Platforms

Switch PC PS4

Genres

Adventure Hack and slash/Beat 'em up Indie Platform Role-playing (RPG) Simulator

Themes

Action Educational Fantasy

Languages: English and 5 more

Interface Audio Subtitles
Korean
Chinese (Traditional)
Japanese
Chinese (Simplified)
English
Spanish (Mexico)

Media

Critic Reviews

Enternity.gr

By Giorgos Gioldasis
90

They have managed to combine with perfect balance the 2D side-scrolling action with the 3D farming simulation.

29 Jan, 2021 Read full review

Cerealkillerz

By Gabriel Bogdan
70

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin picks you up pretty good at the beginning with some great characters, a bit of charme and a thoughtful rice cultivation simulation. It sadly it loses a lot of it with repetitive gameplay design and action-rpg elements which make a lot of the tasks a bit tedious.

15 Jan, 2021 Read full review

Worth Playing

By Cody Medellin
85

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin works well on all levels. The action segments are a treat thanks to their fast pace, since they deliver an experience that matches up with other fast-paced action titles. The farming segments are interesting because they're so involved and go into so much detail that the title surpasses all but the most dedicated farming simulator titles. When combined, the experience is fantastically balanced - provided you can deal with the slower overall progression rate. In the end, Sakuna is a great title that delivers on a unique experience.

12 Jan, 2021 Read full review

Capsule Computers

By Travis Bruno
75

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin manages to deliver some great farming and solid action gameplay but falls short in both areas in different ways.

01 Jan, 2021 Read full review

RPGamer

By Pascal Tekaia
70

It’s a solid and certainly unique game that can be quite enjoyable when approached with the right expectations.

28 Dec, 2020 Read full review

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