It feels like Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin has been a long, long time coming, but we finally have a release date for Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin. Edelweiss’ Japanese mythology-inspired action platformer / farming sim hybrid comes out November 10 in North America and Japan, and November 20 in Europe and Oceania.
Sakuna was first revealed back in 2016, with a Western release announced by XSEED the following year. It was initially planned for a 2018 launch, but then it got delayed 2019, before getting pushed back again to an unspecified date in 2020. There’s been a playable build at a number of events in the years since its announcement, but until today, the question of when the full game would be out in the world remained unanswered.
Part of what’s made the wait so long—aside from 2019 being approximately 20 years ago—is how fascinating the game looks. Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is deeply embedded in Japanese mythology and “an ode to the artistry of cultivating rice”. The titular hero is a spoiled harvest goddess who finds herself banished to a dangerous island with a group of outcast humans, where she has to prove her worth by using her knowledge of agriculture for the betterment of the community.
The game combines farming simulation with platformer-style exploration and combat. Developing Sakuna’s farming skills is important in its own right, but it’s also key to improving her combat abilities. Farming tools double as weapons, and Sakuna’s “divine raiment” allows you her to grapple around the environment and dodge attacks.
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is being developed by Edelweiss, the two-person team best known for their ambitious shoot-’em-up, Astebreed.
“We’re elated to finally announce that Sakuna will be available worldwide in just a few months,” said Edelweiss’ Director Nal in a statement accompanying the release date announcement.
“So much care has been put into bringing our vision for Sakuna and her world to life. Five years ago it was just the two of us with a dream, then character artist Ryota Murayama-san and composer Hiroyuki Oshima-san joined, and now, we’re in the home stretch thanks to our partners. We are counting down the days until we can introduce you to Sakuna, her friends, the joy and serenity of traditional rice cultivation, and all of the demons she’ll defeat with her farming tools.”
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Steam. North America and Japan will get the console versions on November 10, and the Steam version will be released globally on the same day. Europe and Oceania gets the console versions on November 20.