This game is the perfect mix of an RPG, 2D Platformer and farming simulator that you can find. Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin looks and sounds great and has a great story that will make you care about all the characters.
Sakuna unfolds as an original action J-RPG, that feels different and it's fun. if you connect with it, you'll find that it's hard to put it aside, even if it can fail in grind and repetition, everything it's well dosed and executed, without the usual problems found on other Nintendo Switch ports. A superb RPG surprise to finish this crazy year.
In the end, Sakuna left me aglow with a warm nostalgia reminiscent of PlayStation 2 favourites like Okami, Odin Sphere, or Dark Cloud. Sakuna is a solid title with a lot of fun to be had. It has ambition, charm, and a whole myriad of interlocking systems to dive into. Despite some tedium in the early game and a dearth of content in the late game, the overall package is strong. The rhythm of the gameplay loop never loses its ability to calm and easily leads to a state of video game zen. One part beat ’em up RPG and one part farming sim, Sakuna truly excels in how well it blends these two genres. As far as I am concerned, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is worth playing not just for those interested in either genre, but for people who want a taste of what indie titles can be.
The biggest mark against Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is that this is a game which requires you to love it in its entirety. You cannot play this game solely as a farming simulator or solely as a platforming action game; you have to be willing to fumble through the rice farming as you do the platforming you’re much better at. Or maybe fumble through platforming to get back to that hardcore rice farming sim you wanted, to be fair. I don’t know your life. But the whole thing is presented with such care, patient attention to detail, and downright love that it’s impossible not to enjoy the heck out of this game. It’s the sort of game that I highly recommend to people who may naturally only be inclined to one side or the other of this particular melange, because you might find yourself enjoying it more than you expected. Sit back, relax, and let the game soak over you. Take a breath. Plant the rice. Watch the water. Don’t ruin it.
The art style is vivid and manages to not look realistic but still be immersive, and the simple act of being Sakuna and exploring the visuals around me is enough to want to keep playing. In some ways, the game reminds me of Animal Crossing games, where the loop slows me down and keeps me engaged in the little wonders of life around me.
i got the game two days ago and lets just say, that this game has been one of the most original ideas i have seen so far, the rice mechanic is weird but necessary, at first a player would think that is a sidequest, but is more different than you think, the rice mechanic is the only way your mc (sakuna) can level up, mix that with vallinaware awesome rpgs and you have a recipe worth of a hidden gem
Sakuna of Rice and Ruin have a really good idea and gameplay mechanic is deep enough to keep you play for a long time, but it suffered from really not fun final act and mediocre story.
I think my main problem with this game is that it is so genre specific. I like East Asian games, farming and action RPG's but not side scrollers. Even ticking most of my boxes it misses the mark for me.
It is graphically very nice and everything is very nicely done. That is where my problem lies is that barring the music it's all just nice and not great. Music is pretty damn good though.
I'm early doors with this game and it does have a pretty addictive loop but it isn't exciting enough for me.
This is really a game that any review score from 0-10 is fair because I imagine for some people it will be nothing short of wasted money and for others it will be a masterpiece.
There is a lot to like here. The main thing that delayed me buying was the bratty character, as I thought she'd get on my nerves but in reality the characters aren't too bad.
If you like the look of it then give it a try because it is both unique and likeable. It's not the most expensive game, so worth taking a chance. I feel kind of bad giving it a 6 because it hasn't got glaring issues, it just wasn't quite for me and it does look and sound great.
The game beautiful setup is kinda spoiled by the terrible compressed voice acting in this version, if you are an audiophile or are sensitive to poor quality audio better get this on PC.
SummarySakuna: Of Rice and Ruin combines side-scrolling action with deep crafting and farming simulation. Players take on the role of Sakuna, a spoiled harvest goddess banished to a dangerous island with a group of outcast humans. As she explores the beautiful, forbidding environments of the island, she will also find a home in a mountain villa...