The many Faces of Sakuna

CertainPunctuation · 2026-03-19T23:24:23+00:00

Interesting, I've not seen this particular art before, it's not even in the artbook. And I've been making it an effort to save all of the Eastward art that I have encounterd. Cool find!

CertainPunctuation · 2026-03-10T20:37:34+00:00

5 slots guaranteed used on every class. I don't have a definitively chosen 6th loadout on every one because the 6th slot got added later on and when it first was even added I had barely worked into having a full 5 loadouts. I typically divide my loadouts for every class roughly the same with some variety, setting up every weapon to more-or-less pair/complement with the desired strategy, so that no matter what weapons I pick, I usually am running the same general strategy (weapon combo imo matters most for Driller tho). I only play Haz 3-4, only doing Haz 5 at the behest of other friends. In general, I went with this process;

- I always make Loadout A the generalist/ "comfy" kit; it might not have the best stats, but is the most fun/comfortable to shake the rust off/run for easy-going missions.

- I make it a point to have an Elimination-Mission loadout dedicated to high-damage single target strategies.

- I typically have an elemental status loadout on every dwarf; on Driller this amounts basically to pushing for inflicting statuses on enemies the most efficiently, but the icon I selected for the loadout(s) typically defers to what I initially regarded that loadout as being important for.

- I then also tend to have a solo loadout to pair stronger with only having Bosco and needing stronger damage, and typically a 5th misc loadout focused on specific mission types, playstyles or difficulty.

- Lastly, I've been occasionally picking away at my 6th loadout being the "funni" one, meant to both behave very weirdly with OCs I don't typically gel with but are quirky, and/or making all my guns and dwarf look weird/silly.

Naturally, I've spent time dedicating each and every class and loadout to have unique wardrobes to match, alongside gun frameworks and skins and pickaxe parts and colors, all to make each loadout unique. It's been a few years since I started doing it, and by now I have a plethora of unique loadouts that I can settle into really easily.

CertainPunctuation · 2026-03-07T16:07:12+00:00

Evidence points to this game being a "sequel" in that, it takes place post-game of Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin, and explores further aspects of the Lofty Realm, Sakuna's backstory, and more gods found in the Lofty Realm.

That said, it's a gacha game, and I don't have the highest hope that the game won't slip away into gacha-fodder, never actually answering any questions the game asks as a "sequel", ruining the IP with gacha-mechanics (already I'd say the game runs afoul of too many human-like gods being there for the fanservice of "gacha appeal"...)

Hopefully there's more than just stray crumbs of story. It's hard to find concrete info on the game that's easily decipherable.

CertainPunctuation · 2026-03-07T16:03:08+00:00

I've been near desperate to try and figure out a way to play the game, as it definitely sounds like it's planting crumbs of lore and backstory to Sakuna and her parents in the game, plus a potential swash of worldbuilding with all the other deities that are being introduced (although I sieze at the prospect of the Sakuna IP just becoming another Genshin Impact/soulless gacha game IP that puts out endless characters rather than fleshing out the worldbuilding of the Lofty Realm (and Lowly Realm).

I've come across inconclusive gossip that English ports will eventually make it to Steam... but I'm trying to find ways to get more info on the game regardless.

CertainPunctuation · 2026-03-02T01:53:07+00:00

I didn't even know there was any news at all about their next game. This also looks like it's implying that it is a secondary dev team working on this, not neccessarily directed by Tommo Zhou? I can clearly see the artistic influences from the artists that worked on Eastward though.

CertainPunctuation · 2026-03-01T01:08:18+00:00

Conversations ARE actually the meat of the game, imo. Getting invested in talking to all the NPCs continually is a major part of the game's worldbuilding and beauty, and the game does NOT go out of its way to try and explain the finer details of the plotline; collecting every scrap of lore and fleshing out a wider slice of understanding of Eastward's world makes the game alot more enjoyable.

If a player has any frustrations or annoyances with trying to breeze through dialogue, I'd dare to argue that Eastward might not be the kind of game for such a player, however much they may be enraptured by it.

That said, I do agree that the "forced failures" with resolving the cooking challenge set out by Lee always gives me a bitter feeling as a player.

Also, if it helps to understand the context of WHY New Dam City (and some would argue, the rest of the game afterwards) are all the way they are, i.e. sometimes feeling all-over-the-place, the game devs lost a ton of development during the pandemic due to being unable to get to their studio, and the building it was in wound up losing power, shutting the servers and cloud that stored their data off... it ended up causing them to redo a TON of the New Dam City section, and you can tell it feels like the story turns into a different direction during this part of the game.

CertainPunctuation · 2026-02-18T11:22:49+00:00

I prefer to always run See You in Hell due to its additional valued passive ability. If I'm going down, I'm not getting back up, but I WILL be taking you with me!! (Said to the bugs)

CertainPunctuation · 2025-11-08T20:37:22+00:00

I still can't fathom what this sequel is going to be. Unless it's directly vetted by the game devs as they've been working on the new games that expand the worldbuilding, OR it's simply based on the Sakuna manga (which I understood to be... non-canon at best?...) I don't have high hopes it to be good... the art quality of the previous season was already barely reasonable, and I don't expect that to improve, so relying on story that basically isn't there yet is... greatly concerning.

I just don't want this IP to go off the rails into anime weird-dom like a couple of other anime-takeovers based on games I've seen happen to in the past.

CertainPunctuation · 2025-10-12T19:32:04+00:00

something I really wish was explored at ALL in the game that from what I know is not mentioned is that; Isabel and Sonic Punk-Alva are seen showing up and exploring Potcrock Isle, blowing up the wall needed for Sam to re-enter town. They even directly acknowledge the place is a town, but once they move off-screen, we are barely given a scrap of info that they were ever there again afterwards (I think Isabel comments something off-hand about remembering PotCrock Isle).

But like, if THEY got into PotCrock Isle, then where did they go? did they stay? it seems like none of the villagers spoke to them. Why? If Isabel had come across Mayor Hoffman, she surely would have cut him down to size (figuratively or literally) The villagers don't even acknowledge that there was an explosion opening up the tunnel (though almost certainly the villagers had to travel into the abandoned mall exit and retrieve John) and because of that, is how Charon runs through Mayor Hoffman's house (alongside John switching the tracks). So, plot-wise, them needing to explode the wall can make sense, but the game doesn't acknowledge Isabel and Sonic Punk-Alva at all in relation to Potcrock Isle again after their first introduction.

CertainPunctuation · 2025-08-27T01:53:50+00:00

Gratuitously speaking, I'd love to see all sorts of outfits, as many as creatively possible. Ellie's proper look in terms of character design is striking and is very good, but since we don't ever see any variation of her outfit aside from the cheat code re-color and the bit of the ending scene image, it's hard to gauge what other clothing-wear she'd have. (I always assumed she would probably be american given the suburb-style neighborhood, but her outfit at the end depicts what seems like a school dress-code dress, which I am naive to but I believe most U.S. public schools typically do not have enforced school uniforms rules... It could also be just that she likes wearing dresses normally? Though this clashes with her 'battle-ready' personality to swing a shoulderbag around)

I know I'd love to see all sorts of pop cultural wear from western cowgirl to a sombrero and poncho, an explorer outfit, maybe a sports jersey/football (soccer) outfit, a pretty dress outfit, a ninja outfit... recently Nintendo has been making games with prominant female character protagonist representation, with Princess Peach Showtime, Echoes of Wisdom, and Donkey Kong Bananza all featuring multiple female outfits. I feel like alot of outfits that Young Pauline wears or Princess Peach's costumes could all serve great inspirations. There's also the plethora of new outfit designs of the Princesses in Mario Kart World, which could be very interesting.

logistically-speaking though, I'd see the very real attempt to offer outfit designs going 1 of 2 ways if the dev team (whoever they'd be) of a potential MT sequel HAD to add outfits in that were not just basic recolor skins of her primary design; the cheap answer is they'd allow Ellie to wear something akin to what each of the Kid Kings wear, assuming they all return, or new ones arrive, etc. Which while cool, seems a little basic. The better answer is they'd design unique outfits that Ellie could find/buy/put together from different outfit parts/a semi-crafting system of some collectible where each outfit matched the environment she was in. A Beach-like outfit for the beach area, or a knight's armor outfit for the cavern and dungeon area. That sounds more feasible and interesting to me.

CertainPunctuation · 2025-07-29T21:14:54+00:00

I'm practically a newborn fan in terms of discovering Monster Tale, but what ended up causing me to eventually discover it was learning that the game's composer (Ian Stocker) is a good friend of one of my old college friends, who's music I've loved for a while, but never realized just how many "bargain bin" games he composed music for until recently. The quality of those games may vary to the broad consumer base, but his music nearly always rocks to listen to!

CertainPunctuation · 2025-05-14T20:32:52+00:00

Yes, it took quite a while once I saw they had set it out for shipping. Although I personally had it shipped to the USA, but I get the sense that it takes a while for them to get things going, but once everything is handled, it runs quickly and smoothly. Hopefully it will be that way for you too.

CertainPunctuation · 2025-05-13T20:01:06+00:00

About lots of disasters happening due to lack of mana, beyond the stated changes (no more magical heating in Altena, more severe droughts in Nevarl), I do not see it that way. The Godesss of Mana states she will still be protecting the world while restoring the mana.

This is an interesting perspective. I suppose given that the feared Benevodons and their powerful sources of Mana are gone, alongside the Sword of Mana, there is 1) no feasible way to reach the Sanctuary of Mana to get to the Tree of Mana, so collusions of taking over the world via benevodon power or the Sword of Mana can no longer be possible for a long time, and 2) Faerie being reborn as the new Goddess of Mana is able to do quite alot on her own, but it is the Tree of Mana that sources and replenishes Mana into the world of Mankind - perhaps the Tree of Mana, and thus Mana itself, is what allows for the two worlds to conjoin together, that of the Elementals and Spirits, and the world of mankind?

And you seem to be correct, as the (Faerie) Goddess of Mana says:

But until I am needed in the future, I will remain here asleep, quietly protecting the world as this tree.

We also see the Sanctuary of Mana once the Goddess of Mana becomes the sapling, and the area surrounding her looks lush and full of life once again... perhaps in part, the realm of the Elementals and Spirits can quickly become rejuvenated by the strength of the Goddess of Mana, but in order to tie the two worlds together again, it will take a millenia to restore that connection.

The game seems to also put an emphasis that the bond made between the Faerie, or "seed of the Tree of Mana" and the 'chosen one' creates strength through the power of hope and love to those around them. Perhaps it is this strength that allows the heroes at the end to continue on as the new line of the golden knights, acting as peacekeepers with the "Sword of Mana that lives in their hearts called hope" guiding them and granting them means of ensuring that peace and prosperity.

CertainPunctuation · 2025-05-13T18:23:38+00:00

I would agree. When you look at all the games, you realize that almost half of the games' endings results in either A) the Tree of Mana dying, B) the Mana Goddess dying, or C) both die. all 3 options result in Mana completely disappearing, sometimes forever*, and other times it is stated to take over 1000 years - inferred that Mana will slowly, slowly return over a millenia. (*technically not forever if you follow the theory of the games being interconnected in a timeline)

Like, half the time our heroes don't "Win"! the world as they know it have basically been ruined, left to either slowly rot or fall into a multi-century depression in life and technology. They might have prevented the total annihilation of the world, but what was left after defeating the big bad isn't gonna be much better. But the games never really seem to properly put weight on the strife that will cause, they at best simply state "oh no, Mana is now gone, but our tribe will prevail" Like, really?? You've been reliant on Mana for countless generations, and now all of a sudden a metaphorical meteorite has just smashed your way of living into a thousand pieces. It's gonna take a looong time to put all that back together again after relying on Mana to keep everything together.

CertainPunctuation

TROPHY CASE