If there is one game that I have passively been looking forward to for some time it is Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin. Seeing players assume the role of Sakuna, a harvest goddess in banishment that must both feed the group of humans she was banished with while fighting in side scrolling action monsters and demons.

Information on Sakuna has been so sparse at times it gave rise to rumors the game had in fact been cancelled. Placing the game in the “hope this eventually sees the light of day” category, but now it is nearing its release. With the latest trailer showcasing the beautiful environments and what appears to be early combat.

With only a few weeks left in December the release date of 2019 is hard to be believed. It would be a lovely Christmas or New Years surprise, but without a release date locked down expect Sakuna to get pushed back into earlier 2020.

The game attempts to combine side-scrolling platforming with challegning melee combat and boss fights, while also giving gamers an opportunity to to slow things down and take in the slice-of-life elements with the farm simulation mechanics.

Originally it looked like it was going to be a PlayStation 4 exclusive but was later announced for the Nintendo Switch as well. Some of the gameplay features are rolled out in the feature list below.

—Details—

• Refined Side-scrolling Platform Action
  Sakuna uses farm implements as weapons, chaining together strong, weak, and special attacks to take down animal demons, and combines this with her “celestial scarf”: a magical item that allows her to grapple distant platforms and enemies.
• Detailed 3D Simulation-style Gameplay
  The village serves as a base of operations for crafting weapons, cooking food, and farming rice by following detailed steps from planting to harvesting across the seasons, improving the eventual harvest and honing Sakuna’s battle skills.
• Stunning Environments and Enemies Inspired by Japanese Legend
  A painstakingly researched story incorporating Japanese history and legend sees its heroine face off against numerous types of demons, great and small, as she traverses detailed landscapes rich with the iconography of classic Japanese myths and legends.
• A Moving Story about Finding One’s Place
  Through her life in the village, Sakuna will learn more and more about her human companions and, hopefully, help find ways to heal their souls.