Originally revealed in 2018 and featured at the more recent indie festival Bitsummit in Japan, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is the kind of game that captures your attention from across the room. Even when you are standing too far to see the details, you just know that it's a stunner. Check out the video below to see it for yourself:
So, as you can see from the trailer, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin tells the story of Sakuna, a goddess of harvest who has been exiled to live among humans on a secluded island dominated by dangerous demon beasts. Now, armed with nothing but some gardening tools and a mythical scarf that allows her to grapple to platforms and enemies, Sakuna sets out to defeat the beasts and tame the island, engaging in several agricultural activities along the way, with the ultimate goal of bettering the lives of the people.
In term of the gameplay, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin combines 2D side-scrolling ARPG with farming simulation. Using various tools such as hoes, hammers, and more, Sakuna can unleash light, heavy, or special attacks with just some basic button inputs. However, there is more depth to the combat than that. You can mix up the attack animation by holding a direction, allowing you to perform a forward/up version of your regular light and heavy attacks. And then of course there is the scarf, which you can use to pull yourself to an enemy you’ve just knocked up to the air and follow up with some stylish combos.
While you are not fighting, the game also promises a “deep crafting and farming simulation” experience. The trailer further demonstrates this by showing the goddess doing several farming activities, from tilling the field to planting crops and harvesting. What’s more, these elements are surely not there just for you to take a break from all the action. Maybe they’ll provide more bonuses such as increasing your stats or unlocking new items and abilities, we’ll see. In any case, this is certainly an intriguing idea.
With its bright and gorgeous graphics, satisfying actions (from what we’ve seen so far), and unique ideas, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is definitely a title that we’ll keep a close eye on. According to the official website of developer Xseed Games, the game will be available on PC and PS4, and it will launch this year.