I bought this game on the release day and util now i'm loving it so far
im extremely dissapointed in this. i've been waiting for this game since 2018 cause the game grabbed my attention with its incredible graphics and top notch pixel-art. but beyond that, there's not much remarkable about this game. I'm not invested in any of the characters (except Sam), the combat is really boring (at least for me, it reminded me a lot to 2D zeldas, which i personally dislike. I don't think they're bad they're just not my cup of tea) and also i've encountered some technical problems such as frame stutters or some minimal graphical bugs. I'm not interested in the slightest on finishing this.
one of the most amazing writing I've seen in a game like this. the art is wonderful and the gameplay was very fun. the puzzles weren't simple nor difficult and the combat was decent. i guess my only minor gripe is the random crashes between loading areas? otherwise un par with other pixel games like owlboy
I really enjoyed my time with eastward. The world is so charming, Sam is a cutie, love the ost and the story/writing kept me enthralled. The art was vivid and popped in every section, and the combat/puzzles were really entertaining and fun to solve. I damn near did everything in this game. Definitely one of the games I'll be coming back to over the years.
This review contains spoilers
A wonderful game with artwork as appealing as any game I've ever played. The music is fantastic. Unfortunately I feel like it was really lacking in the writing department. It had some good stuff there and some real good moments, but it feels like it really needed something. If it had had the kind of whimsical wit of a Mother game I think it could have been an All-Timer.
Eastward is a slow game. I put that out there not as a criticism but as a fact, and if it doesn't click with you then that's 100% fine; poor pacing can completely drain interest in a game for some people (and has done so for me in the past).
But slow doesn't necessarily have to mean bad. Eastward is very deliberate in its slower structure and I think the game as a whole actually benefits from that. I believe that's partly due to how I played it - no more than 2 hours a day, partly sticking to the chapter structure of the game - but also as it allows the player to engross themselves in the (very beautifully animated) world and learn more about the characters dotted around each of the various locations you travel through.
I also quite liked how the overarching story itself is sometimes not super explicit in how it's told, instead relying on you to put pieces together from conversations with various townsfolk either in side missions or just from general dialogue. And let's talk about these characters a bit more as while this game is certainly one of those 'it's about the journey' kind of stories, 'the people you meet along the way' are just as important. They're well-written and their dialogue doesn't come across as forced or unnatural and most important of all I was interested in what they had to say.
As for the non-story sections, well the combat is simple but has a satisfying loop and some of the weapons you get are pretty fun to play with. There are also some decent puzzles in play as you explore these monster-addled areas with two characters who can split off and each have separate abilities to solve these conundrums. There's even a very basic 8-bit roguelite RPG included that is surprisingly fun to play through (and draws some parallels to the main game world).
Finally I'd like to touch upon the nature of endings in video games, and media in general. There is occasionally the idea out there that if a story isn't wrapped up neatly with a bow that explains everything then it hasn't done a good job but I think that's an uncharitable read on things. As long as a story reaches a conclusion that feels natural and feels thematically correct then I don't really see an issue in certain elements not being fully explained or elaborated upon. Eastward takes this route and as with the pacing issues I think some people will inevitably leave disappointed, but the ending in play felt natural for Sam and John and I'm very impressed with how everything in the game turned out.
Eastward probably doesn't quite reach the heights of being my favourite game of 2021, but it is one of my favourite game experiences and one I'd seriously recommend to anyone after a slow burn road trip adventure.
But slow doesn't necessarily have to mean bad. Eastward is very deliberate in its slower structure and I think the game as a whole actually benefits from that. I believe that's partly due to how I played it - no more than 2 hours a day, partly sticking to the chapter structure of the game - but also as it allows the player to engross themselves in the (very beautifully animated) world and learn more about the characters dotted around each of the various locations you travel through.
I also quite liked how the overarching story itself is sometimes not super explicit in how it's told, instead relying on you to put pieces together from conversations with various townsfolk either in side missions or just from general dialogue. And let's talk about these characters a bit more as while this game is certainly one of those 'it's about the journey' kind of stories, 'the people you meet along the way' are just as important. They're well-written and their dialogue doesn't come across as forced or unnatural and most important of all I was interested in what they had to say.
As for the non-story sections, well the combat is simple but has a satisfying loop and some of the weapons you get are pretty fun to play with. There are also some decent puzzles in play as you explore these monster-addled areas with two characters who can split off and each have separate abilities to solve these conundrums. There's even a very basic 8-bit roguelite RPG included that is surprisingly fun to play through (and draws some parallels to the main game world).
Finally I'd like to touch upon the nature of endings in video games, and media in general. There is occasionally the idea out there that if a story isn't wrapped up neatly with a bow that explains everything then it hasn't done a good job but I think that's an uncharitable read on things. As long as a story reaches a conclusion that feels natural and feels thematically correct then I don't really see an issue in certain elements not being fully explained or elaborated upon. Eastward takes this route and as with the pacing issues I think some people will inevitably leave disappointed, but the ending in play felt natural for Sam and John and I'm very impressed with how everything in the game turned out.
Eastward probably doesn't quite reach the heights of being my favourite game of 2021, but it is one of my favourite game experiences and one I'd seriously recommend to anyone after a slow burn road trip adventure.
a super interesting thing that at once feels like it’s missing huge chunks of vital connective tissue and has too many things going on - it’s got real high points and extremely low lows, and I walked away from the game feeling like I knew barely anything about it despite having played for 20+ hours
in conclusion eastward is a land of contrasts
in conclusion eastward is a land of contrasts
Eastward is a good game that falters in a few key moments- but lets be real your main reason to play this game is because you saw the beautiful sprite work and wanted to join in on a beautiful world. That's what I wanted out of this game and that's what I got, the locations are beautiful, the characters are spectacularly animated giving them tons of life- visually this game is oozing with charm, and the music adds to it well.
The combat is simply enough, it's a top down zelda so its relatively solid- for some reason I enjoy this style of gameplay more when its not a zelda game but that's not really here nor there. I think they did a good job with having interesting boss fights where you always kind of know what to do but its still different and unique each time- coupled with that great animation and sprite work and most big fights feel dramatic.
Where Eastward fumbles is in various parts of the narrative, which isn't a bad story in the slightest but every so often it relies on telling us over showing us, and then sometimes refusing to show us leaving the player confused on exactly what's going on. Its not as big of a deal at the start of the game when you're still being capture by the mystery but as you get to the back half of the game you find you're not certain what fate felled characters that are the driving force of the story. By the time you get to the end of Eastward's journey it starts to answer questions... but the answers it gives you are ones you've been able to deduce and the questions you STILL have go unanswered which takes away from the experience.
a story doesn't need to answer every question but it needs to answer more than Eastward did- if it had answered more clearly about the miasma the subject matter that went with it I would be able to accept the ending events of the game better, because I had more closure for other parts of the story- having unanswered questions followed up by an extremely open ending is what creates some dissatisfaction in me, as I don't feel accomplished in more aspects of the narrative.
That said maybe there's stuff I missed that would explain more, I can't claim to say that I've seen every inch of this game- No I spent more time cooking because I loved the cute little animation that made me feel like I was making a meal for my child. And honestly all I need out of a game is a dad and their child so i was fulfilled in that aspect from the start.
The combat is simply enough, it's a top down zelda so its relatively solid- for some reason I enjoy this style of gameplay more when its not a zelda game but that's not really here nor there. I think they did a good job with having interesting boss fights where you always kind of know what to do but its still different and unique each time- coupled with that great animation and sprite work and most big fights feel dramatic.
Where Eastward fumbles is in various parts of the narrative, which isn't a bad story in the slightest but every so often it relies on telling us over showing us, and then sometimes refusing to show us leaving the player confused on exactly what's going on. Its not as big of a deal at the start of the game when you're still being capture by the mystery but as you get to the back half of the game you find you're not certain what fate felled characters that are the driving force of the story. By the time you get to the end of Eastward's journey it starts to answer questions... but the answers it gives you are ones you've been able to deduce and the questions you STILL have go unanswered which takes away from the experience.
a story doesn't need to answer every question but it needs to answer more than Eastward did- if it had answered more clearly about the miasma the subject matter that went with it I would be able to accept the ending events of the game better, because I had more closure for other parts of the story- having unanswered questions followed up by an extremely open ending is what creates some dissatisfaction in me, as I don't feel accomplished in more aspects of the narrative.
That said maybe there's stuff I missed that would explain more, I can't claim to say that I've seen every inch of this game- No I spent more time cooking because I loved the cute little animation that made me feel like I was making a meal for my child. And honestly all I need out of a game is a dad and their child so i was fulfilled in that aspect from the start.
Really disappointed to have reached the point of having lost all motivation to continue further at this point after about 9 hours considering this was among my most anticipated games for the longest time.
This is probably the most beautiful sprite art I have ever seen in a game and the world oozes with life. Everything feels great to interact with, but there is just a lack of substance that really breaks my heart. It has tons of quirky characters that I stopped interacting with because the writing was just too bland to care. There are so many weird pacing decisions that grind the game to an absolute halt for 1-2 hours at a time sending you across town to fetch arbitrary things without any meaningful payoff.
I will probably finish this at some point, I just can't bother at the moment. The world and art are just too beautiful to not see it through, I just wish they would have narrowed down a narrative core instead of spreading themselves so paper thin.
This is probably the most beautiful sprite art I have ever seen in a game and the world oozes with life. Everything feels great to interact with, but there is just a lack of substance that really breaks my heart. It has tons of quirky characters that I stopped interacting with because the writing was just too bland to care. There are so many weird pacing decisions that grind the game to an absolute halt for 1-2 hours at a time sending you across town to fetch arbitrary things without any meaningful payoff.
I will probably finish this at some point, I just can't bother at the moment. The world and art are just too beautiful to not see it through, I just wish they would have narrowed down a narrative core instead of spreading themselves so paper thin.
Played some 7 hours of it. Gameplay is a bit meh, but you're mostly around for the story, the characters and the vibe. It is very charming, but so incredibly slow that I just lost interest and cannot be bothered to pick it back up. I do love the characters, but a loop of having 2 min of dialogue followed by 5 min of going from point A to B with nothing interesting happening in between kinda gets old. It's really a shame because again it is very charming, and if the same characters in the same art style were in a slice-of-life show or something like that I would love it.
At times I was enthralled with Eastward, but it's just too slow, too overwritten, and overall lacks enough compelling gameplay ideas to keep my attention after nearly 25 hours in with what seems like many more to go. I want to finish it but the game simply isn't giving me enough motivation to do so.
iba a jugar esto para un video de youtube y tras 5 horas me di cuenta que obs solo grabava una esquina del juego, de la rabia que me dió deje de jugarlo y no he hecho nada en youtube desde entonces. One Day....
This game would be hard to say that I was disappointed. It looks nice.
the most beautiful pixel art in any recent game. the characters, the writing, the music. its rare to nail all at once but they did.
very pretty game with a very pretty soundtrack, feels a lot like mario & luigi. i wish it didnt seem to drag on towards the end of the game because its really charming… also i wish we got to learn more about some characters . lol!
This review contains spoilers
First bit of this will be spoiler-free. I'll label the spoilers when I get to them.
There is a lot to like about this game. There are also quite a few things to take issue with. I'm not sure how to feel on the overall experience.
Let's start with the good. First of all, the pixel art is PHENOMENAL. Hands down the best looking pixel art game I've ever played. Each character, even the unimportant NPCs all have their own unique animations. I can't imagine how fucking long that took. It adds so much to the characters.
Speaking of which, nearly every character you come across on your journey is great, actually introduced some new favs of mine, like Isabel and Alva. Isabel especially, she has a great arc. And then sam is just adorable, stealing the show for most of the adventure. She's great in every scene she shows up in. Her childlike wonder is infectious, and surprisingly doesn't come with the annoyances that usually accompany kids. She's all the good parts without any of the bad. Best character in the game. Not my favorite, but the best.
Sam is also the cornerstone of the whole plot. There's this entire mystery that surrounds her which keeps the story moving. It's clear she's not a normal kid... but then what is she? Very intriguing... although I'm not sure it was realized to its fullest potential. I'll cover that in the spoiler section.
The actual gameplay is pretty good too. I like swapping between John and Sam to solve puzzles or defeat enemies. Sam's ability to stun things is pretty fun to work with, albeit it does make most encounters ludicrously simple. Stun, smack with pan 6-7 times, dead. Boom, easy. Clearly, not the strong point of the game.
To help with combat, there's upgrades and cooking. Upgrades can be gotten after finding enough Gear Parts, which are scattered about the world. Adds an extra layer of exploration that I quite enjoyed. The upgrades themselves aren't terribly interesting, merely just "more damage" or "more storage" so that's something I felt could've been worked on. You may also find heart... orbs. I forget what they're called. Basically Heart Pieces, find four, get an extra heart. Easy peasy.
Food is also obtained as minor rewards, which in turn is used for cooking. Cooking's fine, it takes a little too long, and there isn't a whole lot of variety to it. Hell, I didn't even know you could add spices to it until I was an hour away from beating the game. I assume you're supposed to buy them, but I got through just fine with just energy drinks and whatever I found in chests.
(SPOILERS)
Alright. It's time for the bad. Let's start with the elephant in the room. John. From a gameplay perspective, John makes a lot of sense. He's your brawn, the other half of your puzzle solving duo, the... chef. (You can only cook with John in front, which is a little strange.) However, from a story perspective, John makes no godDAMN sense.
John is a silent protagonist, meaning he never talks. But the thing is, he doesn't even talk in-game. Characters literally point out how John never actually speaks. It's funny the first time, but after a while you're just like "please just talk". They don't even do a thing where they make the ending impactful by having him speak then. No, he doesn't say a single word the entire game. He doesn't even express EMOTION. He's just a solid brick wall you play as for some reason. Why do I play as him? I would MUCH rather play as Sam the entire time, she's clearly the main character. Let me play as her???
I get John's supposed to be Sam's parental figure throughout the story, but there's no fucking emotion there. There are two other characters who could've done that much better. William and Alva. William is just a nice, friendly dude who maybe isn't perfect, but he's still a nice guy. And Alva just jives with Sam so well. Alva gave her SHOES. Did John ever do that? NO. Fuck John.
At the end of the game, you're shown flashbacks of John's time with Sam. It's supposed to be really moving, but I felt nothing simply because John felt nothing.
Now, I don't hate silent protagonists. They can be done really well, a la Lea CrossCode, she actually emotes and has feelings. But generally, silent protagonists are simply inferior to ones that actually speak. John encompasses everything wrong with a silent protagonist.
There was a point early on in the story where I really thought John was going to die. That would've been really interesting. Advertise the whole game as making you think he's the main character, give him a whole bunch of slots for upgrades, then BAM. JK, he's dead. Here's Sam, go nuts with her bubble magic. Would've been a great way to progress the story. Give Sam some motivation instead of just kicking her out of the village. That's when you could've met William or Alva on the surface, and they could serve as your second character. But alas...
There's one small issue I have with the game around the midpoint. Right after the climax of the previous chapter, Sam, John, William, and Daniel head east towards Ester City. Before you get there however, there's this... weird fuckin' part where you get on this train called "Monkollywood". Basically an accurate portrayal of modern day Hollywood, filled with, you guessed it, monkeys.
It is by far the silliest portion of the game, and it does not need to be there. They KINDA justify it at the end, but it's really just filler. It's made worse by the fact that you go from the highest high of the game thus far, to... whatever the fuck this is. I'unno, it was a weird decision. I think I get why some people have gripes with Mother 3 now.
Now... those're really the only issues I have with Eastward. Granted, John is a BIG fuckin' issue, but y'know. However, there is one other thing I'd like to touch upon. There are three fake-out deaths in this game, and one real death, (at least in terms of important characters). John, who gets injured at the very beginning of the game. Daniel, who gets blown apart just before the final chapter. And Sam who… “sacrifices” herself at the very very end of the game. Now, I hate fake-out deaths, but there’s a bigger issue at play here. The only character who dies in this game is Alva, who, if you don’t know, is an explicitly gay character, (or at least wlw, I’unno, she could be bi or pan or something). Obviously that’s kind of an issue if you know how common that trope is. But that’s not all, the way she dies is in poor taste too, she gets inured off-screen, spends like half the game in a coma, and then dies off-screen as well. What makes it worse, is that Isabel doesn't even get a proper sendoff to her arc and character. It literally just fades to black and you never see her again.
It fucking SUCKS because Alva is legitimately one of my favorite characters in the whole game. As a queer character, and even just a character in general, she is handled very well for the time she gets. Her interactions with Isabel are adorable and heart-warming, and she even acts like a mother figure for Sam (Which I guess makes it even more painful when she dies, and it works, but like… c’mon, you let JOHN live and not Alva?). You see the two conflicting forces at play here? To me, it sounds like there was some conflict during development with two very opposing viewpoints, and this is what they settled on. This whole scenario has me very mixed, if other characters had died and STAYED dead, I might not be as bothered by this. If we were actually shown how she dies, I might not be as bothered by this. And if she lived… well this wouldn’t even be an issue.
If I were to rewrite this whole shebackle, I would’ve gone about it in one of two ways.
1. Solomon, one of the (kinda) prominent villains in the game is shown injuring Alva before you fight him. (In the actual game, Solomon isn’t involved in the slightest, but you still fight him for some reason.) Then, towards the end of the game, after you’ve had your duel with Isabel, you’re shown a flashback of Alva’s final moments with her. Very touching, very heart-rending. Maybe you see Isabel kill herself after you leave, just so she can be with her. Or like, the implication of such so it doesn’t get too gruesome.
2. Starts the same as the first scenario, as I really enjoy the arc Isabel goes through, but instead at the end of the game, Alva is healed through whatever bullshit goes on with Charon. Maybe in exchange for Alva’s safety, she offers to be controlled by Mother so you still get your duel with her. Then at the end Alva could come in and bring her back to her senses… or something like that, I’unno. The Charon/Lab/Mother stuff is all super vague and I barely understand it. Point is, because it’s so vague, a scenario could’ve panned out like that and it still would’ve been believable.
Anyway that was just a long-winded way to say I don’t think Alva should’ve died, but if she were going to, there were ways to go about it that didn’t feel so empty and heartless. Who knows? Maybe iF JOHN WASN’T AROUND, THINGS WOULD’VE PANNED OUT DIFFERENTLY.
(SPOILERS END)
I think that pretty much wraps up my thoughts on Eastward. An otherwise great game marred by John. Definitely worth it if you can stand John though.
There is a lot to like about this game. There are also quite a few things to take issue with. I'm not sure how to feel on the overall experience.
Let's start with the good. First of all, the pixel art is PHENOMENAL. Hands down the best looking pixel art game I've ever played. Each character, even the unimportant NPCs all have their own unique animations. I can't imagine how fucking long that took. It adds so much to the characters.
Speaking of which, nearly every character you come across on your journey is great, actually introduced some new favs of mine, like Isabel and Alva. Isabel especially, she has a great arc. And then sam is just adorable, stealing the show for most of the adventure. She's great in every scene she shows up in. Her childlike wonder is infectious, and surprisingly doesn't come with the annoyances that usually accompany kids. She's all the good parts without any of the bad. Best character in the game. Not my favorite, but the best.
Sam is also the cornerstone of the whole plot. There's this entire mystery that surrounds her which keeps the story moving. It's clear she's not a normal kid... but then what is she? Very intriguing... although I'm not sure it was realized to its fullest potential. I'll cover that in the spoiler section.
The actual gameplay is pretty good too. I like swapping between John and Sam to solve puzzles or defeat enemies. Sam's ability to stun things is pretty fun to work with, albeit it does make most encounters ludicrously simple. Stun, smack with pan 6-7 times, dead. Boom, easy. Clearly, not the strong point of the game.
To help with combat, there's upgrades and cooking. Upgrades can be gotten after finding enough Gear Parts, which are scattered about the world. Adds an extra layer of exploration that I quite enjoyed. The upgrades themselves aren't terribly interesting, merely just "more damage" or "more storage" so that's something I felt could've been worked on. You may also find heart... orbs. I forget what they're called. Basically Heart Pieces, find four, get an extra heart. Easy peasy.
Food is also obtained as minor rewards, which in turn is used for cooking. Cooking's fine, it takes a little too long, and there isn't a whole lot of variety to it. Hell, I didn't even know you could add spices to it until I was an hour away from beating the game. I assume you're supposed to buy them, but I got through just fine with just energy drinks and whatever I found in chests.
(SPOILERS)
Alright. It's time for the bad. Let's start with the elephant in the room. John. From a gameplay perspective, John makes a lot of sense. He's your brawn, the other half of your puzzle solving duo, the... chef. (You can only cook with John in front, which is a little strange.) However, from a story perspective, John makes no godDAMN sense.
John is a silent protagonist, meaning he never talks. But the thing is, he doesn't even talk in-game. Characters literally point out how John never actually speaks. It's funny the first time, but after a while you're just like "please just talk". They don't even do a thing where they make the ending impactful by having him speak then. No, he doesn't say a single word the entire game. He doesn't even express EMOTION. He's just a solid brick wall you play as for some reason. Why do I play as him? I would MUCH rather play as Sam the entire time, she's clearly the main character. Let me play as her???
I get John's supposed to be Sam's parental figure throughout the story, but there's no fucking emotion there. There are two other characters who could've done that much better. William and Alva. William is just a nice, friendly dude who maybe isn't perfect, but he's still a nice guy. And Alva just jives with Sam so well. Alva gave her SHOES. Did John ever do that? NO. Fuck John.
At the end of the game, you're shown flashbacks of John's time with Sam. It's supposed to be really moving, but I felt nothing simply because John felt nothing.
Now, I don't hate silent protagonists. They can be done really well, a la Lea CrossCode, she actually emotes and has feelings. But generally, silent protagonists are simply inferior to ones that actually speak. John encompasses everything wrong with a silent protagonist.
There was a point early on in the story where I really thought John was going to die. That would've been really interesting. Advertise the whole game as making you think he's the main character, give him a whole bunch of slots for upgrades, then BAM. JK, he's dead. Here's Sam, go nuts with her bubble magic. Would've been a great way to progress the story. Give Sam some motivation instead of just kicking her out of the village. That's when you could've met William or Alva on the surface, and they could serve as your second character. But alas...
There's one small issue I have with the game around the midpoint. Right after the climax of the previous chapter, Sam, John, William, and Daniel head east towards Ester City. Before you get there however, there's this... weird fuckin' part where you get on this train called "Monkollywood". Basically an accurate portrayal of modern day Hollywood, filled with, you guessed it, monkeys.
It is by far the silliest portion of the game, and it does not need to be there. They KINDA justify it at the end, but it's really just filler. It's made worse by the fact that you go from the highest high of the game thus far, to... whatever the fuck this is. I'unno, it was a weird decision. I think I get why some people have gripes with Mother 3 now.
Now... those're really the only issues I have with Eastward. Granted, John is a BIG fuckin' issue, but y'know. However, there is one other thing I'd like to touch upon. There are three fake-out deaths in this game, and one real death, (at least in terms of important characters). John, who gets injured at the very beginning of the game. Daniel, who gets blown apart just before the final chapter. And Sam who… “sacrifices” herself at the very very end of the game. Now, I hate fake-out deaths, but there’s a bigger issue at play here. The only character who dies in this game is Alva, who, if you don’t know, is an explicitly gay character, (or at least wlw, I’unno, she could be bi or pan or something). Obviously that’s kind of an issue if you know how common that trope is. But that’s not all, the way she dies is in poor taste too, she gets inured off-screen, spends like half the game in a coma, and then dies off-screen as well. What makes it worse, is that Isabel doesn't even get a proper sendoff to her arc and character. It literally just fades to black and you never see her again.
It fucking SUCKS because Alva is legitimately one of my favorite characters in the whole game. As a queer character, and even just a character in general, she is handled very well for the time she gets. Her interactions with Isabel are adorable and heart-warming, and she even acts like a mother figure for Sam (Which I guess makes it even more painful when she dies, and it works, but like… c’mon, you let JOHN live and not Alva?). You see the two conflicting forces at play here? To me, it sounds like there was some conflict during development with two very opposing viewpoints, and this is what they settled on. This whole scenario has me very mixed, if other characters had died and STAYED dead, I might not be as bothered by this. If we were actually shown how she dies, I might not be as bothered by this. And if she lived… well this wouldn’t even be an issue.
If I were to rewrite this whole shebackle, I would’ve gone about it in one of two ways.
1. Solomon, one of the (kinda) prominent villains in the game is shown injuring Alva before you fight him. (In the actual game, Solomon isn’t involved in the slightest, but you still fight him for some reason.) Then, towards the end of the game, after you’ve had your duel with Isabel, you’re shown a flashback of Alva’s final moments with her. Very touching, very heart-rending. Maybe you see Isabel kill herself after you leave, just so she can be with her. Or like, the implication of such so it doesn’t get too gruesome.
2. Starts the same as the first scenario, as I really enjoy the arc Isabel goes through, but instead at the end of the game, Alva is healed through whatever bullshit goes on with Charon. Maybe in exchange for Alva’s safety, she offers to be controlled by Mother so you still get your duel with her. Then at the end Alva could come in and bring her back to her senses… or something like that, I’unno. The Charon/Lab/Mother stuff is all super vague and I barely understand it. Point is, because it’s so vague, a scenario could’ve panned out like that and it still would’ve been believable.
Anyway that was just a long-winded way to say I don’t think Alva should’ve died, but if she were going to, there were ways to go about it that didn’t feel so empty and heartless. Who knows? Maybe iF JOHN WASN’T AROUND, THINGS WOULD’VE PANNED OUT DIFFERENTLY.
(SPOILERS END)
I think that pretty much wraps up my thoughts on Eastward. An otherwise great game marred by John. Definitely worth it if you can stand John though.
Pixel art maravilhosa, história interessante e OST FODA. Tirando o combate que é meio travado, todo o resto cumpriu com minhas expectativas e a espera com certeza valeu a pena.
Vou ficar de olho nos futuros projetos da Pixpil, que caras bons.
Vou ficar de olho nos futuros projetos da Pixpil, que caras bons.
This review contains spoilers
The combat and story really kept me hooked. The characters are all very charming. There is a lot this game pulls from, but doesn't directly emulate, such as The Legend of Zelda and Earthbound.
Edit: Bumped up half a star, due to implementing needed features, such as chapter select and the ability to play Earthborn from the main menu.
Switching between Sam and John in combat is a must since you can use the stun from Sam to wail on enemies with John. It's a nice combat gimmick that takes a little time to get used to.
The music is just great. I love so many of the tracks. The final phase of the last boss has a great track especially.
There are a couple of hangups, however. First, there is an crash that can happen every once in a while. However, the game is very generous with auto-saving, so it's not likely you'll lose a lot of progress, unless you were in a cutscene. And speaking of which, not being able to skip cutscenes was a bit of an annoyance. Particularly because of the above error.
The story has some pacing issues, and there is a lot left unresolved and/or unexplained. Especially with Solomon. We never figure out who or what he was supposed to be other than a recurring villain. Charon is hardly explained and some of the game's biggest mysteries are hardly touched. Who created the MIASMA? Why is humanity being purged?
Warts and all, the game is still a genuine delight. The settings were some of the best designed I've ever seen, the game was very charming, and kept me very engaged during its 20 hour runtime.
Edit: Bumped up half a star, due to implementing needed features, such as chapter select and the ability to play Earthborn from the main menu.
Switching between Sam and John in combat is a must since you can use the stun from Sam to wail on enemies with John. It's a nice combat gimmick that takes a little time to get used to.
The music is just great. I love so many of the tracks. The final phase of the last boss has a great track especially.
There are a couple of hangups, however. First, there is an crash that can happen every once in a while. However, the game is very generous with auto-saving, so it's not likely you'll lose a lot of progress, unless you were in a cutscene. And speaking of which, not being able to skip cutscenes was a bit of an annoyance. Particularly because of the above error.
The story has some pacing issues, and there is a lot left unresolved and/or unexplained. Especially with Solomon. We never figure out who or what he was supposed to be other than a recurring villain. Charon is hardly explained and some of the game's biggest mysteries are hardly touched. Who created the MIASMA? Why is humanity being purged?
Warts and all, the game is still a genuine delight. The settings were some of the best designed I've ever seen, the game was very charming, and kept me very engaged during its 20 hour runtime.
Really wanted to like this! Its really good at capturing this goofy but melancholy tone. The pixel art is gorgeous and the story is really willing to take its time on just a slow journey.
But the protagonist is just so... boring. He doesn't emote or react or talk and I'm supposed to buy into that he's this sweet silent type who all the girls are into, but all he wants is to be a good dad!!! And it just doesn't work for me. Sam, the daughter character, is such a more active force in the plot and emotional arc and she's playable, and it just makes John feel... pointless. And seeing characters praise him despite being so nothing just got actively draining over time.
But the protagonist is just so... boring. He doesn't emote or react or talk and I'm supposed to buy into that he's this sweet silent type who all the girls are into, but all he wants is to be a good dad!!! And it just doesn't work for me. Sam, the daughter character, is such a more active force in the plot and emotional arc and she's playable, and it just makes John feel... pointless. And seeing characters praise him despite being so nothing just got actively draining over time.
its ok
This review contains spoilers
Man...it's been quite a road to here. Eastward initially caught my eye two years ago in a Summer indie direct. The trailer music was banging, and the vibrant, detailed pixel art helped it stand out to me amongst all the revolving door of dull indie games.
If there's one thing I can't gush enough about Eastward, it's just how pretty it is. Seriously, I took like over 100 screenshots during my 23 hrs of playing because I could not help myself. I really enjoyed the puzzles, although it felt like the devs could have went a bit more ham with some of the level mechanics at points.
The combat really kills this game as it is just not very exciting or deep. The entirety of the game boils down to Sam for stun and john for job done. John's attack windup is also somewhat sluggish which makes dealing with swarming enemies a little annoying at times. I much preferred fighting the bosses over the mobs as I thought pretty much every boss was well designed, simple fun.
I am debating on whether or not if I like the overall story as it still feels very typical of the rpg "end of humanity/civilisation" trope. Regardless, I still found myself endeared to a couple of the characters and it helped me enjoy the adventure more.
This game isn't perfect but it is comfy, and sometimes that's all you really need.
If there's one thing I can't gush enough about Eastward, it's just how pretty it is. Seriously, I took like over 100 screenshots during my 23 hrs of playing because I could not help myself. I really enjoyed the puzzles, although it felt like the devs could have went a bit more ham with some of the level mechanics at points.
The combat really kills this game as it is just not very exciting or deep. The entirety of the game boils down to Sam for stun and john for job done. John's attack windup is also somewhat sluggish which makes dealing with swarming enemies a little annoying at times. I much preferred fighting the bosses over the mobs as I thought pretty much every boss was well designed, simple fun.
I am debating on whether or not if I like the overall story as it still feels very typical of the rpg "end of humanity/civilisation" trope. Regardless, I still found myself endeared to a couple of the characters and it helped me enjoy the adventure more.
This game isn't perfect but it is comfy, and sometimes that's all you really need.
Sono molte le cose presenti in questo gioco che fanno pensare possa essere un grande titolo, ma proseguendo nella propria partita si finisce col constatare che fin troppi dei suoi elementi non riescono a emergere da una condizione di superficialità. Che si parli di worldbuilding, di scrittura dei personaggi (in particolare di uno dei due protagonisti), di uso delle risorse. Ci sono alcuni dungeon con puzzle anche interessanti, mai davvero complicati ma che rendono piacevole il titolo. Anche qui, però, si cade, per esempio, in un difetto: per la risoluzione di alcuni dei puzzle, si fa uso di vari tipi di bomba, che possono altrimenti essere usate per danneggiare i nemici. Ecco: fatta eccezione per rare casistiche, non si avrà mai davvero una necessità di utilizzarle, queste varianti. Anzi, in un'unica, specifica circostanza è necessario utilizzare l'ultima di queste varianti.
Idee particolarmente interessanti vengono presentate occasionalmente ma in circostanze fin troppo brevi (es.: una tecnica di teletrasporto nell'ultima parte di gioco + boss che si traduce in un vero e proprio modo di schivare piuttosto nuovo).
Il gioco avrebbe sicuramente giovato dall'assenza di un sistema di combattimento e dalla presenza dei soli puzzle ambientali.
Idee particolarmente interessanti vengono presentate occasionalmente ma in circostanze fin troppo brevi (es.: una tecnica di teletrasporto nell'ultima parte di gioco + boss che si traduce in un vero e proprio modo di schivare piuttosto nuovo).
Il gioco avrebbe sicuramente giovato dall'assenza di un sistema di combattimento e dalla presenza dei soli puzzle ambientali.
odiously sentimental, scatterbrained in its many ideas, and bloated with quirky livestock. a story about found family in which one of two characters emotes even less than the average silent protagonist. fails to curry any emotion and confusing in its premise — is it a road trip slice of life a la kino’s journey or a tragic sci-fi epic? some of the scenes in this are laughably overemotional, hysterical and maddening in their contrived melancholy.
sam is really sweet and all that kept me going for most of the game, but i can only take so much of her being the only one speaking any given time, constantly having to ask questions and traipse through situations she doesn’t understand because of her shelteredness and young age. the gameplay is fun and builds on itself quite well but dungeons become few and far between as the game becomes wholly concerned with its GBA tier story. too many flat jokes and reiteration and characters disappearing before they land impact. sad!
sam is really sweet and all that kept me going for most of the game, but i can only take so much of her being the only one speaking any given time, constantly having to ask questions and traipse through situations she doesn’t understand because of her shelteredness and young age. the gameplay is fun and builds on itself quite well but dungeons become few and far between as the game becomes wholly concerned with its GBA tier story. too many flat jokes and reiteration and characters disappearing before they land impact. sad!
An incredibly slow Zelda-esque game… once it actually allows you to play. A completely uninteresting story gets in the way of the game actually being a game. I found myself asking why I’m still pushing forwards when I’m just sat there waiting to actually play (after 6 hours of total play time).
I’m overwhelmingly glad that I stuck with this game through to the end, because I very nearly didn’t. True to what other people have said - Eastward is glacial; largely disinterested with stringing the player along with explosive story beats, overarching goals and villains. While the game shares many similarities to Zelda: Minish Cap and Mother 3 in its aesthetics, dungeon schema and quirky ensemble cast, it feels closer in spirit to Moon: Remix RPG. Eastward is primarily a story of a journey, a potpourri of emotions and vignettes, and it expects you to inhabit the communities of the microworlds you visit on your trip. I wish I had known this going in, and I’d like to start my review by stating as such as a primer for anyone reading because when I clocked what Eastward’s intentions were and met it halfway, I finally found myself sinking in.
Eastward is an adventure RPG revolving around the story of John, a stoic, taciturn miner and his mysterious wide-eyed adoptive daughter named Sam - each born into an isolated town deep beneath the surface. The narrative is ostensibly a one-way ticket on a train powered by Sam’s positive energy and curiosity as she yearns to see the sun for the first time with a thoroughly convincing and endearing childlike wonderment. Upon reaching the surface, I was right there with her.
The world is presented through the dichotomy of John and Sam’s polar opposite personalities. Sam is contagiously cheerful and childishly chatty, but she often fails to perceive the more adult dramas and contradictions. Despite John being ghoulishly silent throughout the game, he exhibits warmth and intelligence at points that the player can fill in themselves. This is particularly noticeable in moments like when Sam and John encounter incubators for artificial human beings hidden deep within ruins for the first time. For Sam, those seem almost like hyper-technological playgrounds, while for John, and consequently also for the player, their mysterious and threatening nature is very evident. It’s all surprisingly effective as far as Game Dad character interactions go.
Eastward is a post-apocalyptic setting fraught with danger, but dotted along the tracks are pockets of humanity small and large, towns and cities with cultures cultivated over time in isolation. Each is inhabited by characters that are of course quirky, but surprisingly fleshed out and genuinely memorable. It’s been a very long time since a game world has felt so alive and well-told down to its minute details, helped in no small part to the stellar pixel work in the meticulously realised characters and environments. Some of the best pixel art I have ever seen. Honestly, it left me genuinely inspired - to take in every inch of the world, but also to create for myself.
I often found myself thinking back to the steps on the path I had already walked, about the characters I could no longer return to, and wondering what they were doing while I was not there to watch. Personally speaking, I can ask nothing more of a game. Eastward acted as a beacon of positive vibrations and inspiration to me. As someone who has never grown out of pinning himself to a train window and imagining the lives of the people in the towns I zoom by, the experience of this game was incisive to something I hold dear. Favourite game of 2021 by far.
Eastward is an adventure RPG revolving around the story of John, a stoic, taciturn miner and his mysterious wide-eyed adoptive daughter named Sam - each born into an isolated town deep beneath the surface. The narrative is ostensibly a one-way ticket on a train powered by Sam’s positive energy and curiosity as she yearns to see the sun for the first time with a thoroughly convincing and endearing childlike wonderment. Upon reaching the surface, I was right there with her.
The world is presented through the dichotomy of John and Sam’s polar opposite personalities. Sam is contagiously cheerful and childishly chatty, but she often fails to perceive the more adult dramas and contradictions. Despite John being ghoulishly silent throughout the game, he exhibits warmth and intelligence at points that the player can fill in themselves. This is particularly noticeable in moments like when Sam and John encounter incubators for artificial human beings hidden deep within ruins for the first time. For Sam, those seem almost like hyper-technological playgrounds, while for John, and consequently also for the player, their mysterious and threatening nature is very evident. It’s all surprisingly effective as far as Game Dad character interactions go.
Eastward is a post-apocalyptic setting fraught with danger, but dotted along the tracks are pockets of humanity small and large, towns and cities with cultures cultivated over time in isolation. Each is inhabited by characters that are of course quirky, but surprisingly fleshed out and genuinely memorable. It’s been a very long time since a game world has felt so alive and well-told down to its minute details, helped in no small part to the stellar pixel work in the meticulously realised characters and environments. Some of the best pixel art I have ever seen. Honestly, it left me genuinely inspired - to take in every inch of the world, but also to create for myself.
I often found myself thinking back to the steps on the path I had already walked, about the characters I could no longer return to, and wondering what they were doing while I was not there to watch. Personally speaking, I can ask nothing more of a game. Eastward acted as a beacon of positive vibrations and inspiration to me. As someone who has never grown out of pinning himself to a train window and imagining the lives of the people in the towns I zoom by, the experience of this game was incisive to something I hold dear. Favourite game of 2021 by far.
It looks so cool, but I was having so little if any fun :(
the artwork is stunning. New Dam City and it's citizens feel very alive.
Incredible rpg here. It wears its Mother 3 influence on its sleeve while also doing its own thing. The dungeon segments worked really well and felt fresher than other Zelda-likes. Of course the plot/atmosphere/characters/music/vibe are the real stars.
It’s a slow game for sure, It took me ~32hrs, this is a full length rpg. The town segments have a lot of running back and forth. There’s so much charm and magic in the world that I didn’t really mind it, it’s just rare for a Zelda-like to be this length.
I got the true ending of Earthborn, the interesting and cool randomized arcade-style 8bit rpg in the game. It took me a while to figure out all the mechanics to it, for so long it felt like it wouldn’t happen, but once it clicked I beat the true dark lord on the first try. Really cool extra-rpg experience. For people who played it the one time and the story and weren’t into it, you can skip it, the only awards are two achievements.
Overall I enjoyed my time with this game a lot. It didn’t rip out my heart and leave me emotionally wrecked the way Mother 3 did, but there’s a lot of tears and laughs and love in there, with fun gameplay, beautiful graphics and music and charming writing and just a whole lot of good stuff going for it. It’s not for everyone, but if you’re a fan of long rpgs and 2d Zelda games, this is one for you.
It’s a slow game for sure, It took me ~32hrs, this is a full length rpg. The town segments have a lot of running back and forth. There’s so much charm and magic in the world that I didn’t really mind it, it’s just rare for a Zelda-like to be this length.
I got the true ending of Earthborn, the interesting and cool randomized arcade-style 8bit rpg in the game. It took me a while to figure out all the mechanics to it, for so long it felt like it wouldn’t happen, but once it clicked I beat the true dark lord on the first try. Really cool extra-rpg experience. For people who played it the one time and the story and weren’t into it, you can skip it, the only awards are two achievements.
Overall I enjoyed my time with this game a lot. It didn’t rip out my heart and leave me emotionally wrecked the way Mother 3 did, but there’s a lot of tears and laughs and love in there, with fun gameplay, beautiful graphics and music and charming writing and just a whole lot of good stuff going for it. It’s not for everyone, but if you’re a fan of long rpgs and 2d Zelda games, this is one for you.
Eastward, or "Eastbound" as it really should have been called, is so gosh darn pretty. It just looks real nice. It has a unique, detailed look. It feels alive, it moves, you might say it breathes, even. It has some frame drops on Switch here and there, but it is in the whole a visual treat all the way through. The music is pretty good, and the character arcs are nice enough. Unfortunately, the game suffers throughout from a pretty bad sense of pacing and overall odd or incoherent moods.
Eastbound takes a lot of inspiration from the Mother series, a series of JRPGs from the late 90s and early 200s. There's a pretty fun mini game based on classic JRPGs in Eastbound, and some important characters are referred to as "Mother" in the game. Eastbound also takes inspiration from these games by making you spend hours doing gopher tasks that don't really progress the story at all, and having a story that seems like it was only translated halfway. There were far too many moments where a serious plot point--a character death, or several character deaths--would get undercut by the cheery music cue and a change in topic. It seemed like the dissonance was intentional at first, maybe, but it never developed. I don't know.
I think if you really dig the story this game would be fun. I liked the characters well enough, and the gameplay was fine, it all just too way too long. And in the end it didn't really feel worth it. Still it looks nice, and gives very strong Miyazaki vibes. Or perhaps shitty Miyazaki ripoff vibes.
Eastbound takes a lot of inspiration from the Mother series, a series of JRPGs from the late 90s and early 200s. There's a pretty fun mini game based on classic JRPGs in Eastbound, and some important characters are referred to as "Mother" in the game. Eastbound also takes inspiration from these games by making you spend hours doing gopher tasks that don't really progress the story at all, and having a story that seems like it was only translated halfway. There were far too many moments where a serious plot point--a character death, or several character deaths--would get undercut by the cheery music cue and a change in topic. It seemed like the dissonance was intentional at first, maybe, but it never developed. I don't know.
I think if you really dig the story this game would be fun. I liked the characters well enough, and the gameplay was fine, it all just too way too long. And in the end it didn't really feel worth it. Still it looks nice, and gives very strong Miyazaki vibes. Or perhaps shitty Miyazaki ripoff vibes.
what a cute game but it did crash on me 3 times