XSEED Games announced today that the company will be bringing the Edelweiss-developed Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin to Western audiences on PlayStation 4 and PC in North America next year. The gorgeous-looking game is an interesting mixture of action and adventure with side-scrolling mechanics with, well, growing rice. That’s where the word “rice” in the title comes from, after all.
Players will take up the role of Sakuna, a harvest goddess who finds herself banished to an island with outcast humans. She takes it upon herself to defeat the demons who dwell on the island by using farm tools and uses her “celestial scarf” to defeat far away enemies and reach the areas they dwell. She makes a home for herself with the outcast humans on the island and begins planting and harvesting rice throughout the four seasons on the island, learning to get along in this strange new place while growing food for sustenance.
The art style brings games like Okami to mind, with anime influences that you can clearly see in the trailer above. Seeing the game in action is enough to get you hype if you’re into these types of games, or if you’re simply looking for something a little different to try out that pays honest homage to Japanese culture.
If it sounds like nothing you’ve played before, that’s because it’s not. It’s a wholly intriguing new tribute to Japanese culture and the art of growing rice. There’s a lot more to it than just defeating enemies, and that’s part of what makes it feel so special. You’ll be able to see more of it during E3 2017 if you’re on the show floor, and if not it’ll be headed out to players everywhere next year. You’ll probably want to get your hands on it.
