“Like leaves chasing the mighty ocean current. That at any moment, could find themselves plunged beneath the water. But one day… yes… if we could only wash ashore. We could sprout. Bud. Grow strong roots that burrow beneath the earth…”
We are born into this world as very little. A blank slate in which the experiences we are exposed to initially shape who we are and the trajectory of what we seek to become. These individual defining moments we reflect on become known as ‘memory’. We find this mosaic of fragments in which we are comprised is never truly cemented. We continue to experience, accumulating more of ourselves. We find pieces to cherish and deliberately seek to embody forever. Others instead we forget or choose to forsake, expelling bits of which we once were. This transient nature of self leaves our pathways through life to be ambiguous. We are never quite certain of our eventual destinations, only perhaps the direction in which we are headed. Eastward is a game that celebrates the spirit of this journey. A game about collecting memories, preserving them, and eventually letting them go.
“Ah so someone’s finally decided to learn things again, hm? Don’t you think it’s a little late for that, John?”
John, who comprises half the duology of ambivalent protagonists, is a confronting character to play as. Silent as the grave in this breathing world founded upon dialogue. The emotionless exoskeleton he embodies jarringly contrasts against the vibrant landscapes and the people contained within. You are made to feel he does not belong in this world in which he travels. This is deliberately so, the journey in which he partakes is not being driven from his own volition. He is instead a willing passenger along for the ride. This mostly blank slate known as John has been calcified over a lifetime of empty experiences accumulated prior to the start of the adventure. For a self and identity to manifest, there must be components, internalized ‘memories’, in which to build with. Due to the circumstances of John’s existence, very few of these were ever formed, and therefore he is unable to exude self nor manifest agency. The acquisition and internalization of new memories in which to do so is a slow and gradual process. Eastward is partially a game about growing the stagnant universe that is John
“Isn’t this just another dome? Higher than the one in Potcrock Isle, but still. What could be on the other side of that dome?”
Instead, this train’s driver is of the other half of the duology, Sam. This child John found by complete happenstance. Although we are born with very little it is not nothing. For a while at least, we possess an innate curiosity. A desire to experience all that we can. We seek to fill ourselves, this empty vessel, with memory. To grow and become more of ourselves. This youthful inquisitiveness that is often framed as ‘naivety’ before being supplanted by ‘experience’ is a quality of which Sam projects. While any latent desire John might have once possessed to expand past the dome that encloses him has been crushed, Sam in contrast cannot, and will not, be contained by any such dome. John, as her designated caretaker, must follow as she so casually shatters anything that seeks to bind her, and in doing so frees himself from long rusted shackles. Through a foundation built upon mutual trust, the two journey. Accumulating memory together. Building that which they are and becoming so much more.
P: “You’ve saved the world!” K: “That was only a happy byproduct.” P: ”……” K: “All I really wanted was to save you.”
The dichotomy of this relationship that is shared between these two is not an isolated case, rather instead a reoccurring theme of the work. This dynamic is further explored, mirrored, and contrasted against by a few other pairs among the cast. A codependency of which is consistently framed to be akin to the romanticized notion of a Princess with that of her Knight. A Princess whom leads, serving as a catalyst for experiences, an intoxicating fountain from which ‘memory’ freely flows. Who can conceptualize purpose to the struggle of existence, the nature of the world, and find their place within it. And a devoted Knight who willingly follows, living vicariously through their muse, enabling and accommodating her ambitions. Seeking to protect her from harm at all costs knowing that without her they are lost. While this is far from the only relationship dynamic examined, it is the one this work seeks to emphasize and elaborate extensively upon. Both reveling in its beauty and lamenting in the tragedy left in its wake.
“Every once in a while, we run into something that seems strangely familiar. Don’t question it. There’s definitely meaning behind it.”
The memories that form us so in turn are used to form the world around us. That which we are moved by motivates us to move others. Lingering memories of the past are propagated into the future through the actions of those living in a transient present. Within the imagined world of Eastward lies another imagined world, Earthborn. A game within a game. The in-game designers of Earthborn weaving their memories into their creation. This essence of themselves becoming absorbed as new memory by all those who engage in the work. A shared experience immortalizing a singular and contrived moment in time. So too the world of Eastward seeks to be perceived. A reflected and abstracted memory of the living world we exist in right now. Memories and the ideas we extrapolate from them we are made to find are as living and breathing as both you and I.
“As for me, I’ll stay here. Watching over her. Protecting her until the end of time”
There is an inevitability to the nature of memory that we must eventually confront however. That because memory is living so too must it eventually succumb and fade. In time we will forget all and in turn be forgotten. Memory is found to be a contradiction. Designed to be preserved yet fated to expire. So what good are they then? We experience, only to eventually forget? It is to find value in the journey itself, to live in these moments as they pass through you. To have memory propel you forward seeking out more in kind, which in turn propel you further. Memory, and all it entails, is both the fuel and pursuit in the journey that is life. Allow it to push you onward even as you must look back.
(Eastward is an amalgamation of experiences that have resonated with its creators, which have then been deliberately sought to be propagated. Reconstructed and reimagined memories of other works as well as our lived reality, cohesively combined into a creatively distinct journey. The work conveys a broad range of ideas and themes, very few of which are delved into deeply and none of which given a definitive conclusion. To many who play it, this has been perceived as a breach of trust, a failure of the work to satisfy the expectations of those who were enticed to engage with it. To me, this would be a complete misunderstanding of the value of the work. What it is fundamentally about and seeks to encapsulate. This is a game that seeks to show you beauty in the mundane. The value of passing moments that we so casually dismiss as inconsequential but ultimately are of unfathomable value to the journey that is our lives. It shows you the expansiveness of a world not to taunt you with your inability to comprehend it but so that you may dismiss it in pursuit of the fleeting more personal connections in which you care. I would recommend this game to absolutely everyone but from critical consensus it is clear the reality is this work is divisive. Instead, I begrudgingly suggest it should only be pursued by those who can find value in a work that asks no questions nor seeks to provide any answers.)
“…Until one day, a mighty wave comes crashing down, swallowing us once more. And then even more leaves set sail, searching for their own land in which to bloom.”
We are born into this world as very little. A blank slate in which the experiences we are exposed to initially shape who we are and the trajectory of what we seek to become. These individual defining moments we reflect on become known as ‘memory’. We find this mosaic of fragments in which we are comprised is never truly cemented. We continue to experience, accumulating more of ourselves. We find pieces to cherish and deliberately seek to embody forever. Others instead we forget or choose to forsake, expelling bits of which we once were. This transient nature of self leaves our pathways through life to be ambiguous. We are never quite certain of our eventual destinations, only perhaps the direction in which we are headed. Eastward is a game that celebrates the spirit of this journey. A game about collecting memories, preserving them, and eventually letting them go.
“Ah so someone’s finally decided to learn things again, hm? Don’t you think it’s a little late for that, John?”
John, who comprises half the duology of ambivalent protagonists, is a confronting character to play as. Silent as the grave in this breathing world founded upon dialogue. The emotionless exoskeleton he embodies jarringly contrasts against the vibrant landscapes and the people contained within. You are made to feel he does not belong in this world in which he travels. This is deliberately so, the journey in which he partakes is not being driven from his own volition. He is instead a willing passenger along for the ride. This mostly blank slate known as John has been calcified over a lifetime of empty experiences accumulated prior to the start of the adventure. For a self and identity to manifest, there must be components, internalized ‘memories’, in which to build with. Due to the circumstances of John’s existence, very few of these were ever formed, and therefore he is unable to exude self nor manifest agency. The acquisition and internalization of new memories in which to do so is a slow and gradual process. Eastward is partially a game about growing the stagnant universe that is John
“Isn’t this just another dome? Higher than the one in Potcrock Isle, but still. What could be on the other side of that dome?”
Instead, this train’s driver is of the other half of the duology, Sam. This child John found by complete happenstance. Although we are born with very little it is not nothing. For a while at least, we possess an innate curiosity. A desire to experience all that we can. We seek to fill ourselves, this empty vessel, with memory. To grow and become more of ourselves. This youthful inquisitiveness that is often framed as ‘naivety’ before being supplanted by ‘experience’ is a quality of which Sam projects. While any latent desire John might have once possessed to expand past the dome that encloses him has been crushed, Sam in contrast cannot, and will not, be contained by any such dome. John, as her designated caretaker, must follow as she so casually shatters anything that seeks to bind her, and in doing so frees himself from long rusted shackles. Through a foundation built upon mutual trust, the two journey. Accumulating memory together. Building that which they are and becoming so much more.
P: “You’ve saved the world!” K: “That was only a happy byproduct.” P: ”……” K: “All I really wanted was to save you.”
The dichotomy of this relationship that is shared between these two is not an isolated case, rather instead a reoccurring theme of the work. This dynamic is further explored, mirrored, and contrasted against by a few other pairs among the cast. A codependency of which is consistently framed to be akin to the romanticized notion of a Princess with that of her Knight. A Princess whom leads, serving as a catalyst for experiences, an intoxicating fountain from which ‘memory’ freely flows. Who can conceptualize purpose to the struggle of existence, the nature of the world, and find their place within it. And a devoted Knight who willingly follows, living vicariously through their muse, enabling and accommodating her ambitions. Seeking to protect her from harm at all costs knowing that without her they are lost. While this is far from the only relationship dynamic examined, it is the one this work seeks to emphasize and elaborate extensively upon. Both reveling in its beauty and lamenting in the tragedy left in its wake.
“Every once in a while, we run into something that seems strangely familiar. Don’t question it. There’s definitely meaning behind it.”
The memories that form us so in turn are used to form the world around us. That which we are moved by motivates us to move others. Lingering memories of the past are propagated into the future through the actions of those living in a transient present. Within the imagined world of Eastward lies another imagined world, Earthborn. A game within a game. The in-game designers of Earthborn weaving their memories into their creation. This essence of themselves becoming absorbed as new memory by all those who engage in the work. A shared experience immortalizing a singular and contrived moment in time. So too the world of Eastward seeks to be perceived. A reflected and abstracted memory of the living world we exist in right now. Memories and the ideas we extrapolate from them we are made to find are as living and breathing as both you and I.
“As for me, I’ll stay here. Watching over her. Protecting her until the end of time”
There is an inevitability to the nature of memory that we must eventually confront however. That because memory is living so too must it eventually succumb and fade. In time we will forget all and in turn be forgotten. Memory is found to be a contradiction. Designed to be preserved yet fated to expire. So what good are they then? We experience, only to eventually forget? It is to find value in the journey itself, to live in these moments as they pass through you. To have memory propel you forward seeking out more in kind, which in turn propel you further. Memory, and all it entails, is both the fuel and pursuit in the journey that is life. Allow it to push you onward even as you must look back.
(Eastward is an amalgamation of experiences that have resonated with its creators, which have then been deliberately sought to be propagated. Reconstructed and reimagined memories of other works as well as our lived reality, cohesively combined into a creatively distinct journey. The work conveys a broad range of ideas and themes, very few of which are delved into deeply and none of which given a definitive conclusion. To many who play it, this has been perceived as a breach of trust, a failure of the work to satisfy the expectations of those who were enticed to engage with it. To me, this would be a complete misunderstanding of the value of the work. What it is fundamentally about and seeks to encapsulate. This is a game that seeks to show you beauty in the mundane. The value of passing moments that we so casually dismiss as inconsequential but ultimately are of unfathomable value to the journey that is our lives. It shows you the expansiveness of a world not to taunt you with your inability to comprehend it but so that you may dismiss it in pursuit of the fleeting more personal connections in which you care. I would recommend this game to absolutely everyone but from critical consensus it is clear the reality is this work is divisive. Instead, I begrudgingly suggest it should only be pursued by those who can find value in a work that asks no questions nor seeks to provide any answers.)
“…Until one day, a mighty wave comes crashing down, swallowing us once more. And then even more leaves set sail, searching for their own land in which to bloom.”
This review contains spoilers
PORQUÉ ESTE JUEGO TIENE UN STEALTH SECTION!? 😫😫😫😫 Y PORQUÉ LO DEVUELVE AL INICIO DE LA SECCIÓN SI LO AGARRAN?!
Diossanto, los juegos que cometen estos errores garrafales me dan ganas de restarles tres estrellas de una. No se porqué la gente insiste en que estas secciones son necesarias para juegos que otherwise son bien decentes! Que dicha que esa sección es corta por lo menos.
Rant aside, creo que Eastward es de los juegos mas buen ride, coloridos e imaginativos en el area indie. Amo que los diálogos sean witty y lighthearted sin llegar a ser muy childish o necios (aunque a veces creo que si hubo mucho diálogo for my taste). Y mae tiene toda una mecánica de cocina! Su main weapon es un sartén. Soy 100% el público meta jajaja
El gameplay es bastante fluido y muy pocas veces me aburrí del combate. Aunque si pasa eso de que a uno le dan varios tipos de weapons pero los bichos que salen se pueden matar con cualquier weapon.
Siento que el pacing de la historia puede ser muy desgarradora (lento), pero es muy al estilo de studio Ghibli en el sentido de que todo se ve y se escucha fantástico, pero la historia es lenta abstracta y difícil de entender. Special mention al soundtrack que está lleno de arpegios ochenteros e intercambios modales ❤️
Un very flawed masterpiece 3.5 tintes de pelo blanco out of 5 👩🦳👩🦳👩🦳
Diossanto, los juegos que cometen estos errores garrafales me dan ganas de restarles tres estrellas de una. No se porqué la gente insiste en que estas secciones son necesarias para juegos que otherwise son bien decentes! Que dicha que esa sección es corta por lo menos.
Rant aside, creo que Eastward es de los juegos mas buen ride, coloridos e imaginativos en el area indie. Amo que los diálogos sean witty y lighthearted sin llegar a ser muy childish o necios (aunque a veces creo que si hubo mucho diálogo for my taste). Y mae tiene toda una mecánica de cocina! Su main weapon es un sartén. Soy 100% el público meta jajaja
El gameplay es bastante fluido y muy pocas veces me aburrí del combate. Aunque si pasa eso de que a uno le dan varios tipos de weapons pero los bichos que salen se pueden matar con cualquier weapon.
Siento que el pacing de la historia puede ser muy desgarradora (lento), pero es muy al estilo de studio Ghibli en el sentido de que todo se ve y se escucha fantástico, pero la historia es lenta abstracta y difícil de entender. Special mention al soundtrack que está lleno de arpegios ochenteros e intercambios modales ❤️
Un very flawed masterpiece 3.5 tintes de pelo blanco out of 5 👩🦳👩🦳👩🦳
Man, I love this game. It turned me into a pixel art lover!
I loved every aspect of this game except for some minor issues, the character's design, the sometimes goofy, sometimes serious dialogue, the pixel art, and the gameplay.
You will be John who lives in a city called Potcrock isle, deep underground, built to escape the apocalypse. Our story starts many years after the apocalypse. He meets a strange girl named Sam on one of his trips to the mines and decides to adopt her, but strangely she has some mystery powers, so a mix of wanting to explore the outside world and to find out what is so special about Sam is the core of the first act of the story.
The gameplay is extremely fun and they always throw a new Idea for you to play with, at first you play with a pan as your weapon, but as you progress more, they will introduce new weapons, new enemies, new puzzles and much more. As for me, I loved it and never felt bored except for the times they overdid it, For example, before you enter a boss room, for instance, they make you go three routes to power up some generator and it gets stile after the fourth or fifth time.
The characters and the places you go to in the adventure are always cool, a village using old boats as houses, a city built on a dam, or the starting city, Potcrock Isle. all of them are unique and Man, they are beautiful!
you will meet all sorts of people in your adventure and ALL of them have a unique look and personality, you have Jasper the silly clown, Sam the cheerful child, Captain Pam with his pirate lingo and bright nature, Alva the scientist/princess, Isabela, the adventurer and the knight of the princess, and many MANY more.
Don't get me started on the art because they nailed every aspect of it, and dare, I say the best pixel art game I've ever played! every city has an identity, every place is special. I can not praise it enough.
Now the music is very well handled especially with the cooking mechanic, but I feel like they have been reused A LOT, they are wonderful don't get me wrong, great to hear but if I hear the same boss music ever again...
Anyway, the music is good.
it took me around 30 hours to beat it because I went everywhere twice and almost finished the game inside of the game, oh yeah, didn't I mention that? They made a full-fledged game inside of the game It's crazy! but you could easily finish it in 15 hours or even less.
I didn't understand the story much, but I just fully embraced the vibes of the story and that's it.
Idc when it was published it's my game of the year for now, I can easily give it 9.5/10 loved it
I loved every aspect of this game except for some minor issues, the character's design, the sometimes goofy, sometimes serious dialogue, the pixel art, and the gameplay.
You will be John who lives in a city called Potcrock isle, deep underground, built to escape the apocalypse. Our story starts many years after the apocalypse. He meets a strange girl named Sam on one of his trips to the mines and decides to adopt her, but strangely she has some mystery powers, so a mix of wanting to explore the outside world and to find out what is so special about Sam is the core of the first act of the story.
The gameplay is extremely fun and they always throw a new Idea for you to play with, at first you play with a pan as your weapon, but as you progress more, they will introduce new weapons, new enemies, new puzzles and much more. As for me, I loved it and never felt bored except for the times they overdid it, For example, before you enter a boss room, for instance, they make you go three routes to power up some generator and it gets stile after the fourth or fifth time.
The characters and the places you go to in the adventure are always cool, a village using old boats as houses, a city built on a dam, or the starting city, Potcrock Isle. all of them are unique and Man, they are beautiful!
you will meet all sorts of people in your adventure and ALL of them have a unique look and personality, you have Jasper the silly clown, Sam the cheerful child, Captain Pam with his pirate lingo and bright nature, Alva the scientist/princess, Isabela, the adventurer and the knight of the princess, and many MANY more.
Don't get me started on the art because they nailed every aspect of it, and dare, I say the best pixel art game I've ever played! every city has an identity, every place is special. I can not praise it enough.
Now the music is very well handled especially with the cooking mechanic, but I feel like they have been reused A LOT, they are wonderful don't get me wrong, great to hear but if I hear the same boss music ever again...
Anyway, the music is good.
it took me around 30 hours to beat it because I went everywhere twice and almost finished the game inside of the game, oh yeah, didn't I mention that? They made a full-fledged game inside of the game It's crazy! but you could easily finish it in 15 hours or even less.
I didn't understand the story much, but I just fully embraced the vibes of the story and that's it.
Idc when it was published it's my game of the year for now, I can easily give it 9.5/10 loved it
Eastward shines with both a gorgeous artstyle and catchy soundtrack but the uninspired combat and puzzles alongside the awfully paced story make much of it feel like a chore to play.
played it at a very bad moment so i didnt really enjoy it
All style, no substance, I want to care for the protags, the kid is charming and her dialogues are fun, but WHY MAKE THE GUY YOU CONTROL SO BORING, how am I supposed to care about him when he's such a blank slate, even the traits other characters comment about him are extremely basic, he's a good cook, he's brave and... what else? you see almost nothing about his past and he's completely unfazed by anything that happens and the funny thing is that YOU CAN make a silent character show some emotions, see Mother 3 for example, when Flint is told that his wife died, he's enraged and you SEE him thrashing everything on his path, give me something so that I can believe this guy cares about anything.
Unfortunately, the rest of the characters don't get a better treatment with the exception of William you have to assume that everyone else is ok (the people on the underground, the people on the city, Isabel, etc) because after the antagonist is defeated you don't see them in a epilogue or anything
The gameplay is fine, nothing impressive but it's not bad either, can't really say I got bored with it but besides unlocking new weapons every now and then, most of the time you'll use the default one
The artstyle is gorgeous at least, it makes you wish the rest of the game had this much care put into.
Finally the story and the world is barebones, for a story about a world destroyed by a catastrophe, you don't see much of it, 3 major cities and a few places here and there, not much is explained about the world besides the info dump almost at the end of the game
Honestly, what a shame, I wishlisted this game back in the day when it was announced and I saw promise. Recently with this new DLC, judging from the steam description and the trailer, I don't think I'm going to bother with it anymore, I wish the best for the devs but this isn't for me
Unfortunately, the rest of the characters don't get a better treatment with the exception of William you have to assume that everyone else is ok (the people on the underground, the people on the city, Isabel, etc) because after the antagonist is defeated you don't see them in a epilogue or anything
The gameplay is fine, nothing impressive but it's not bad either, can't really say I got bored with it but besides unlocking new weapons every now and then, most of the time you'll use the default one
The artstyle is gorgeous at least, it makes you wish the rest of the game had this much care put into.
Finally the story and the world is barebones, for a story about a world destroyed by a catastrophe, you don't see much of it, 3 major cities and a few places here and there, not much is explained about the world besides the info dump almost at the end of the game
Honestly, what a shame, I wishlisted this game back in the day when it was announced and I saw promise. Recently with this new DLC, judging from the steam description and the trailer, I don't think I'm going to bother with it anymore, I wish the best for the devs but this isn't for me
I hate to abandon games, especially this one but...
I so badly wanted to love this game. The art style, the humor and the gameplay all seemed perfect to me. This game looked like it was made for me. I first played this towards the end of last year and for the most part I was enjoying it but then I played it more..
As I write this review I have 17 hours into it. In the nicest way possible this game is SO boring... (storywise). My favorite parts about this game is exploring, the combat and the puzzles. I could literally care less about the story unfortunately. I didn't see this game as anything longer than like.. 8 hours, and me being at 17 hours and barely being halfway.. this game is a slog. It has too much for what it is. Filler areas that the game can do without, all these characters and such that don't give an emotional pull.. Thank god that this game has a fast forward button and you can pretty much skip all dialogue. It's unfortunate because this game is absolutely beautiful, stunning even, but lacks in so many ways. When it comes to music, it's terrible and very annoying. I swear there's like only 4 songs and they play over and over and over to where I had to eventually play the game on mute. The music just fills me with rage I don't know why LOL.
Also.. this game kinda runs bad. I don't know if me playing on switch has anything to do with it but the game stutters from time to time and there's input lag..? You'll be walking around and the game skips like a scratched dvd or something, it's weird.
The pluses about this game are the bosses, they're actually a challenge and it's rewarding when you defeat them. The pixel art is gorgeous, very reminiscent of the Mother series and I love that. Anything other than combat/artstyle is really a hit or miss with this game AND there's dlc that I'm not gonna check out even though it's just like a farming sim? I don't know..
I don't find myself picking this game back up because I genuinely was not having fun, it feels like a huge chore to get through which is not what I was expecting. Not the worst, it's just so mediocre that even ragging on this game makes me feel bad.
I so badly wanted to love this game. The art style, the humor and the gameplay all seemed perfect to me. This game looked like it was made for me. I first played this towards the end of last year and for the most part I was enjoying it but then I played it more..
As I write this review I have 17 hours into it. In the nicest way possible this game is SO boring... (storywise). My favorite parts about this game is exploring, the combat and the puzzles. I could literally care less about the story unfortunately. I didn't see this game as anything longer than like.. 8 hours, and me being at 17 hours and barely being halfway.. this game is a slog. It has too much for what it is. Filler areas that the game can do without, all these characters and such that don't give an emotional pull.. Thank god that this game has a fast forward button and you can pretty much skip all dialogue. It's unfortunate because this game is absolutely beautiful, stunning even, but lacks in so many ways. When it comes to music, it's terrible and very annoying. I swear there's like only 4 songs and they play over and over and over to where I had to eventually play the game on mute. The music just fills me with rage I don't know why LOL.
Also.. this game kinda runs bad. I don't know if me playing on switch has anything to do with it but the game stutters from time to time and there's input lag..? You'll be walking around and the game skips like a scratched dvd or something, it's weird.
The pluses about this game are the bosses, they're actually a challenge and it's rewarding when you defeat them. The pixel art is gorgeous, very reminiscent of the Mother series and I love that. Anything other than combat/artstyle is really a hit or miss with this game AND there's dlc that I'm not gonna check out even though it's just like a farming sim? I don't know..
I don't find myself picking this game back up because I genuinely was not having fun, it feels like a huge chore to get through which is not what I was expecting. Not the worst, it's just so mediocre that even ragging on this game makes me feel bad.
I bought this game based purely on the art style and I absolutely don't regret my decision! I was really invested in this game, I finished it in a week!
Eastward is an action adventure RPG. You play a father, John, and his adoptive daughter Sam. John is the one you will be playing the most, since it's him that has the ability to attack, with guns, bombs or in melee combat with a frying pan. Sam on the other hand uses magic to freeze enemies. Gameplay alternates between exploration-combat and puzzle solving, using the abilities of the 2 characters.
Like I said, I picked up this game because of it's art style and omg it's beautiful!!
The game is in pixel art, but a very detailed kind of pixel art. Characters are very expressive and over animated, backgrounds are filled with details everywhere and the colors are very soft to the eyes.
I really dig this kind of pixel art, but what makes this game even more beautiful is it's effects! The game may look and play like a 2D game, but it is actually running in 3D. This allowed the devs to create impressive light / shadow VFXs. Every sprite in the game reacts to light sources and can receive shadows according to the general shape it should have. For exemple, when trees cast a shadow on top of a train, the shadow isn't the same on the side and on the top of the train, because the surface isn't inclined the same way. This creates a great sense of depth while keeping the 2D pixel art look intact and I am really impressed by this technique!
This game is a RPG, so its story and setting are very important. And wow, once again, I was amazed by the beauty and creativity put in the environments you traverse. The story is set in a post-apocaliptycal world, where humanity is doomed by a mysterious miasm that kills everyone it touches. But post-apocaliptycal doesn't mean dark and muddy, quite the contrary in fact! The world of Eastward is very natural, with a lot of vibrant colors and filled wih strange structures and creatures. Characters all have A LOT of charm and the general mood of the game is pretty upbeat. This contrast between the looks and the real nature of the world makes the tragic events all the more impactful and brutal.
Pacing is also really good, with a great mix of action, exploration, puzzle solving and story progression. There is only one chapter that felt a bit too long, because you are stuck in a time loop, seeing the same cutscenes over and over and with pratically nothing but walking and talking to NPCs between the cutscenes.
I won't say I understood all of the plot, because I didn't (there is quite a lot of things happening at the end), but I really enjoyed my adventure alongside John and Sam. The duo really feels complementary, both in story and in gameplay! The perpetual flee in a train going toward east is a great concept, and it is well executed.
There are some strange decision here and there, like wanting to have a playable character that never talks or express anything begin to show regrets and trauma, but nothing breaking the immersion.
For at least half of the game, I was thinking that audio was the weakest part of the game. But after finishing it, I'm not as sure about that. Audio in the game definetly feels a bit weak, even more so in epic or dramatic scenes, but I think the problem mostly comes from SFXs and not from the music.
There are a lot of tracks in the game, but I had a feeling of constantly hearing the same ones in every cutscenes. BUT, it may be because I played the whole game in 5 or 6 long sessions :'). The intro and final chapter also contains some really good chiptune bangers!
And by the way I think I'm being picky: bear in mind that while I said that audio is the weakest part of the game, the rest is absolutely amazing, so it's not really that bad.
There is one final thing I would like to applaud: accessibility!
This game is pretty easy if you use all the tools at your disposal, but remain challenging for all players depending on how they choose to play. If you decide to invest a little bit of time in cooking, you can create food that heals + buff your attack or defense for 1-2 minutes. You can also buy refill items that you can use to completely refill your ammo at any time.
When exploring, if you don't like fighting you can also choose to evade monsters and don't deal with them. And during bosses, you can either try to optimize and hit the boss while it attacks you, or you can focus on evasion and you will always get a large window where the boss just lets you damage it.
I think that the game can adapt itself to a large variety of play style and skills and this is a good thing! It allows people not very experienced with action games to enjoy the story without feeling frustrated, and other players will not feel the need to abuse this because the fights are fun and engaging.
There is one boss that doesn't follow this rule. It requires to do perfectely timed parries. But the timing windows are very generous and the fight comes very late in the game, so I think even less experienced players can beat it, maybe with a couple tries.
All in all, I loved this game! It's cute, it's beautiful, it's fun, it's exciting! A perfect introduction to RPGs, without the boring Excel stats and complicated turn-based gameplay or combo systems!
Eastward is an action adventure RPG. You play a father, John, and his adoptive daughter Sam. John is the one you will be playing the most, since it's him that has the ability to attack, with guns, bombs or in melee combat with a frying pan. Sam on the other hand uses magic to freeze enemies. Gameplay alternates between exploration-combat and puzzle solving, using the abilities of the 2 characters.
Like I said, I picked up this game because of it's art style and omg it's beautiful!!
The game is in pixel art, but a very detailed kind of pixel art. Characters are very expressive and over animated, backgrounds are filled with details everywhere and the colors are very soft to the eyes.
I really dig this kind of pixel art, but what makes this game even more beautiful is it's effects! The game may look and play like a 2D game, but it is actually running in 3D. This allowed the devs to create impressive light / shadow VFXs. Every sprite in the game reacts to light sources and can receive shadows according to the general shape it should have. For exemple, when trees cast a shadow on top of a train, the shadow isn't the same on the side and on the top of the train, because the surface isn't inclined the same way. This creates a great sense of depth while keeping the 2D pixel art look intact and I am really impressed by this technique!
This game is a RPG, so its story and setting are very important. And wow, once again, I was amazed by the beauty and creativity put in the environments you traverse. The story is set in a post-apocaliptycal world, where humanity is doomed by a mysterious miasm that kills everyone it touches. But post-apocaliptycal doesn't mean dark and muddy, quite the contrary in fact! The world of Eastward is very natural, with a lot of vibrant colors and filled wih strange structures and creatures. Characters all have A LOT of charm and the general mood of the game is pretty upbeat. This contrast between the looks and the real nature of the world makes the tragic events all the more impactful and brutal.
Pacing is also really good, with a great mix of action, exploration, puzzle solving and story progression. There is only one chapter that felt a bit too long, because you are stuck in a time loop, seeing the same cutscenes over and over and with pratically nothing but walking and talking to NPCs between the cutscenes.
I won't say I understood all of the plot, because I didn't (there is quite a lot of things happening at the end), but I really enjoyed my adventure alongside John and Sam. The duo really feels complementary, both in story and in gameplay! The perpetual flee in a train going toward east is a great concept, and it is well executed.
There are some strange decision here and there, like wanting to have a playable character that never talks or express anything begin to show regrets and trauma, but nothing breaking the immersion.
For at least half of the game, I was thinking that audio was the weakest part of the game. But after finishing it, I'm not as sure about that. Audio in the game definetly feels a bit weak, even more so in epic or dramatic scenes, but I think the problem mostly comes from SFXs and not from the music.
There are a lot of tracks in the game, but I had a feeling of constantly hearing the same ones in every cutscenes. BUT, it may be because I played the whole game in 5 or 6 long sessions :'). The intro and final chapter also contains some really good chiptune bangers!
And by the way I think I'm being picky: bear in mind that while I said that audio is the weakest part of the game, the rest is absolutely amazing, so it's not really that bad.
There is one final thing I would like to applaud: accessibility!
This game is pretty easy if you use all the tools at your disposal, but remain challenging for all players depending on how they choose to play. If you decide to invest a little bit of time in cooking, you can create food that heals + buff your attack or defense for 1-2 minutes. You can also buy refill items that you can use to completely refill your ammo at any time.
When exploring, if you don't like fighting you can also choose to evade monsters and don't deal with them. And during bosses, you can either try to optimize and hit the boss while it attacks you, or you can focus on evasion and you will always get a large window where the boss just lets you damage it.
I think that the game can adapt itself to a large variety of play style and skills and this is a good thing! It allows people not very experienced with action games to enjoy the story without feeling frustrated, and other players will not feel the need to abuse this because the fights are fun and engaging.
There is one boss that doesn't follow this rule. It requires to do perfectely timed parries. But the timing windows are very generous and the fight comes very late in the game, so I think even less experienced players can beat it, maybe with a couple tries.
All in all, I loved this game! It's cute, it's beautiful, it's fun, it's exciting! A perfect introduction to RPGs, without the boring Excel stats and complicated turn-based gameplay or combo systems!
makes SO many missteps and yet SOOOOO wildly charming, I just can’t help but adoring it!! Also - best looking pixel art, ever.
Aventura bastante divertida estilo pixel, y con un minijuego que engancha bastante.
La historia es entretenida, y algún punto se torna algo oscura. Ojalá una parte 2 que expliquen mejor algunas cosas.
Es un juego de aventuras donde irás turnando entre dos personajes. Jhon y Sam, cada uno con su jugabilidad, que tendrás que usar para avanzar.
La historia es entretenida, y algún punto se torna algo oscura. Ojalá una parte 2 que expliquen mejor algunas cosas.
Es un juego de aventuras donde irás turnando entre dos personajes. Jhon y Sam, cada uno con su jugabilidad, que tendrás que usar para avanzar.
Ending ruined it