Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin

This rice is anything but bland.

Combat is fun, and it ties into the simulation elements well. However, the pacing and repetition makes it difficult to fully appreciate it all

This unusual take on virtual farming has you battling demons – when you're not tending to rice paddies

If a quirky action game with RPG progression and relaxing agricultural activities seems like your kind of thing, trust your gut on this one. The Nintendo Switch version is solid enough for me to recommend it.

In the evenings you can spend time with your new human family to chat and eat a meal using the food that you’ve gathered and grown yourself. Watching Sakuna slowly mature and start to care about more than just herself is a truly heart-warming journey. Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is an absolutely wonderful blend of farming simulator and action RPG. Whether you’re fighting off hordes of demons or trying to find the best way to manage your crop, there is constantly something new to learn and discover in this charmingly unique adventure.

Lovers of Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon may not find this game to be exactly the kind of farming they enjoy – it's more like, you know, actual farming, with all the tiny changes in fertiliser recipes and water temperature that farming requires. But for anyone who needs to practise mindfulness, patience, and appreciation for the small things (all 2,000 of them), Sakuna: Of Rice And Ruin may just be the therapy you need.

Japanese indie game developer Edelweiss has put a lot of heart into this long-awaited game, but some key flaws hinder this charming title.

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin seamlessly blends 2D platforming action with 3D farm management.

They have managed to combine with perfect balance the 2D side-scrolling action with the 3D farming simulation.

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin picks you up pretty good at the beginning with some great characters, a bit of charme and a thoughtful rice cultivation simulation. It sadly it loses a lot of it with repetitive gameplay design and action-rpg elements which make a lot of the tasks a bit tedious.