Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin

November 10, 2020

Edelweiss

XSEED Games, Marvelous

User14 ratings

Critic7 ratings

Total21 ratings

PlatformRole-playing (RPG)SimulatorHack and slash/Beat 'em upAdventureIndie

PS4PCSwitch

Single player

Third person, Side view

ActionFantasyEducational

Summary

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.

Storyline

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.