Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin Reviews

this game is poorly made with level progression. there is a castlevania 2 style night level problem that prevents exploration, and the constant need to go eat dinner slows things down. overall, this is not competently made and sorta sucks. but there are good ideas, the way the story is about a religion not known to me is cool. so why have a character rep other religions from europe and have that character deny what is constantly happening in front of their face making them look not only pushy but also dumb. most characters are actually annoying.

The concept is good, but the game requires precision controls that it forces to be "floaty" so you think your controller is bugging out. I swapped to mouse and keyboard, held down "s" and watched my character walk in a weird curved line. The kicker? You need to plant in a straight line. The game asks for perfection, but then actively makes sure perfection cannot be reached, and not in a "challenging" way that good games do, but in an arbitrary way that infuriates. It is neither a cozy game, nor is the fighting mechanic responsive enough to make it a fun RPG. 2/10, 3/10 if it let me grow my rice. Save your money, buy a game that is better coded.

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin, developed by Edelweiss and published on Steam in 2020, is a rare and captivating blend of genres that merges fast-paced side-scrolling action with meticulous rice farming simulation. At first glance, the premise may seem unusual — playing as a spoiled harvest goddess banished to a remote island to fend off demons and grow rice — but this odd combination quickly proves to be the game’s greatest strength. It balances two seemingly unrelated gameplay loops into a cohesive and surprisingly emotional journey, enriched with a charming story, gorgeous visuals, and a deep reverence for both Japanese mythology and agricultural tradition. The narrative begins with Sakuna, a bratty yet lovable goddess of war and harvest, accidentally allowing humans into the heavenly realm, causing destruction that gets her exiled to a demon-infested island. There, she’s tasked with clearing the land of monsters and, crucially, cultivating rice to grow stronger. The story is steeped in Shinto folklore, with deities, spirits, and celestial bureaucracy shaping the world’s rules. It’s not a grand epic but rather a character-driven tale about responsibility, humility, and growth — both personal and literal. Sakuna’s interactions with her ragtag group of mortal companions, including a kind-hearted craftsman, a clever child scholar, and a mysterious masked warrior, form the emotional core of the game. The characters evolve over time, and their dialogue — fully voiced in both English and Japanese — is heartfelt, often humorous, and refreshingly human. The gameplay is split into two main components: action-platforming combat and rice farming simulation. During the day, players explore the island in 2.5D levels filled with enemies, platforming challenges, hidden items, and materials used for crafting. Sakuna fights using a combination of light and heavy attacks, special techniques, and her magical “divine raiment,” a scarf-like tool that allows her to grapple enemies, swing across gaps, or perform stylish aerial combos. Combat is fluid, responsive, and reminiscent of classic brawlers with modern polish. Each encounter encourages experimentation with timing, positioning, and crowd control, especially in later areas where enemy types become more diverse and aggressive. Combat is tied directly to the farming side of the game, which is not a casual add-on but a fully realized, complex agricultural system. Sakuna gains stats — strength, vitality, magic — primarily by cultivating and eating high-quality rice. Unlike most RPGs where leveling is done through combat, here your progress depends on how well you manage your crop. Every season, players must till the soil, plant rice, monitor water levels, remove weeds, fertilize the fields, and eventually harvest, dry, and thresh the rice by hand. The amount of detail and realism in this system is astonishing. It’s not just a gimmick; it’s central to the game’s rhythm and rewards. Learning how to optimize your yield requires patience, experimentation, and observation, giving the game a deeply meditative quality. The rice farming serves as a natural pacing mechanism. Combat excursions and material gathering are tied to daylight and weather, while time passes in the background, moving the seasons forward. When the day ends, Sakuna returns home to cook, craft, upgrade weapons and armor, and reflect with her companions. Meals are particularly important, as they provide stat boosts and health regeneration that carry over into the next day’s exploration. This daily cycle gives the game a cozy, lived-in atmosphere, where progress feels intimate and personal, and the rewards are not just stronger attacks but better relationships and an evolving home life. Visually, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is a treat. The art style combines painterly backgrounds with detailed character models and fluid animations. Each season brings a distinct palette and mood to the rice fields — from golden autumn harvests to snow-dusted winter stillness — reinforcing the connection between player actions and the natural world. The environments you explore are diverse and stylized, including misty bamboo forests, volcanic caves, and ruined temples, all of which feel like they belong in a vibrant folk painting. The soundtrack complements the visuals perfectly, mixing traditional Japanese instruments with modern arrangements to evoke both tranquility and intensity as needed. Technically, the game runs smoothly on most systems, with solid optimization and very few bugs or crashes. The UI is generally clear, though managing inventory and navigating some of the crafting menus can feel a bit cumbersome over time. The game does a good job introducing its complex systems gradually, though it doesn’t hold your hand — especially when it comes to farming. Players who dive deeper into the mechanics will find an impressive level of depth, with tutorials that reference real-world rice farming techniques, historical methods, and soil management practices. Despite its strengths, the game isn’t without flaws. The combat, while satisfying, can become repetitive during long sessions, especially when grinding for specific materials or repeating levels. Enemy AI is competent but predictable, and boss fights, while visually impressive, sometimes rely more on attrition than tight design. The farming, though wonderfully detailed, might feel too slow or tedious for players who aren’t interested in simulation mechanics. The dual-genre structure, while innovative, may also deter those looking for a more streamlined experience — this is a game that asks you to slow down and immerse yourself in its cycles. Yet it’s exactly this pacing and balance that gives Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin its unique identity. It’s a game that celebrates labor, growth, and the connection between effort and reward. It doesn’t just tell the story of Sakuna becoming stronger — it makes you feel that growth through every handful of soil, every weed pulled, every rice stalk dried in the sun. It respects your time by making every system meaningful, and it offers a level of thematic cohesion that’s rare in games that attempt to mix genres. It’s an unexpected gem — a game that blends action, culture, storytelling, and farming into a deeply satisfying whole. For players looking for something outside the conventional mold — something with heart, challenge, and a distinct cultural flavor — Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is a game worth savoring. It’s not just about fighting demons or tending fields; it’s about understanding how those two things connect, and how even the smallest seeds of effort can grow into something powerful. Rating: 8/10

I was told this was similar to Act Raiser 1, and it is not. The premise of a goddess descending to mortal realms to help mortals via combating demons is similar, but distinctly different. Act Raiser 1 is very western, and this is very Chinese. Still liked the game. It isn't too grind intensive, but does have parts that drag themselves out. This makes narrative sense, as this game's story seems to be for kids; basically accepting responsibility for your actions and maturing into the roles you are meant to take. The farming and looting aspects fit into this as Sakuna is a goddess of farming and combat, but boy, if you want to upgrade everything or find everything will you have to grind. As it stands, I beat the game and the 100 floors of the challenge dungeon without any of the after game gear. You do get those items, but they require additional grind to unlock and then upgrade. But the combat isn't that satisfying. The initial combos that you have from the start aren't exactly told to you. You have basic fighting game type stuff: launcher, both up and away, dodge which is also the parry, air juggles, and some anti-air. Most of them require movement button pressed at the same time as the attack to properly trigger it. Tag on the ability to parry at any time, and it makes, on the surface, and interesting combat system. Two downsides emerge when you fully engage with it; first, the unlocked skills, especially upgraded to at least level 10, will be better than you basic combos on every level. Second, you are stuck accidentally parrying when you didn't intend too, or accidentally attacking when you didn't intend too because of how sensitive it is. Even the end game ability that is only used for the final boss fight prove difficult to trigger as I ended up doing other things than the god block. The farming stuff is rather simple, and the skills unlocked basically help you adjust to understanding on how you need to do it. I hit level 40 by dumping all of the excesses food, and rotten food into the fertilizer while plucking out the weeds. It isn't that hard. The only real pain in the butt aspect of this is the trading system; where you trade rice for goods you cannot farm. But that is also another grind aspect of this game. For what it is, it is a fun game with a story for children. For it what it wants to be, it is a grind mess with no real reward for pushing through it.

This is a 6.5/10 The initial concept is OK but the progression is kinda messy. The game makes a big mistake of trying to build more story and content on top of what it is allready struggling to do at the time you hit mid game. Art style is very good. The farming aspects are very shallow but well done.

This game is a hidden gem of a diamond for sure. It features two sides, there is the RPG scroller side to the game and then the rice farming/base life side. Both are great and merge together rather well. The story features you play as Sakuna, who is the harvest god, she has lived a life of luxury because her parents efforts who have been missing since she was young. Due to a incident which resulted in humans gaining access to the rice storage room and setting fire to it (accident) Sakuna is banished from the realm to a island full of demons, a island her parents once farmed the rice she is so proud of. Here you experience the story of Sakuna finding what is causing the rise in demons as well as investigate parts of her parents old life here. RPG: The rpg is a platformer/side scroller rpg, you use your reignment to climb cliffs and scale ledges. You also can have several skills which operate in tandem with this meaning you can find skills you like and take advantage of certain situations. The fighting is fun, It can take some learning at some points but its mostly pretty fun, You also have a day/night cycle, during the day enemies are normal hp and balanced, during the night hours, monsters get more aggressive and are stronger, you also have a hunger which whilst it wont kill you, it benefits to eat meals (which offer buffs) to take on challenges. Rice farming: Before you head out to slay demons the game has a unique mechanic. Whilst farming isn't new to some rpg's, this is focused to one crop, RICE! The farming is very detailed, you control literally everything, weeding, water levels, water temperature, plowing etc and this includes harvesting, drying the rice, airing it and everything else. You rice can get blights or be harmed by insects and you even have a fertilise system to help fight blights, insects, recruit decks to eat them etc. Its very detailed. At the end of the harvest your rice is graded, then a unique mechanic kicks in, because you are the harvest god, your rice harvest directly gives you stats. You don't level up for stats so much in this, your harvest will reward them, so each year you will get stronger depending on your village efforts. This is pretty interesting and unique and blends the rpg side together well. You harvest materials by killing demons to fertilise the rice to buff your stats. You can also make brown rice which doesn't offer much stat bonus but can offer brown rice as a ingredient too. The game is a perfect blend of mixing farming and combat, there is a small element to the house its self, you can chat to companions, recruit them as gatherers to gain unique materials, there are some sub-quests and you can craft new armour and clothes too. The story is actually very good too, i honestly really enjoyed the ending and leading scenes to it. If you enjoy RPG's with a bit of farming, i recommend this whole-heartedly, its great fun and feels like they found a very unique formula. couldn't praise this game enough.