This game has the bones of something great, but the finished product is bloated and confusing. It feels like a first draft, which is a shame because you can see how the final draft could have been spectacular. As is, though, it’s just ok.
É um game extremamente charmoso, lindíssimo e com uma ótima história e gameplay. Misturar Mother com Zelda foi uma escolha simplesmente genial, e eu amei tanto esse game, as mecânicas, os puzzles, o combate e principalmente os personagens.
A Sam é inocente, doce, carismática, muito fofa e divertida, e o John é um dos melhores protagonistas mudos e com mais personalidade que eu já vi na vida, amei essa dupla.
Mas esse jogo tem problemas, e os principais problemas se chamam capítulo 3 e capítulo 6. O terceiro capítulo em especial é TÃO arrastado e sem sentido que quase me fez dropar. E o problema se dá no fato do jogo simplesmente travar o progresso da história pra te jogar numa espécie de sidequest sem propósito nenhum, só pra alongar o tempo de jogo e é um porre, é literalmente um filler e é PÉSSIMO.
Mas quando o jogo não tá no modo filler ele é excepcional e incrível, o que é uma pena, perdeu de ser um jogo 10/10 por causa do tempo de jogo. É a prova viva de que menos SEMPRE é mais.
Ah, e antes que eu me esqueça: Não ter esse baita jogo localizado em português é uma DESGRAÇA. Espero que um dia adicionem português (e outros idiomas) em um patch de atualização, aí com certeza eu rejogo
A Sam é inocente, doce, carismática, muito fofa e divertida, e o John é um dos melhores protagonistas mudos e com mais personalidade que eu já vi na vida, amei essa dupla.
Mas esse jogo tem problemas, e os principais problemas se chamam capítulo 3 e capítulo 6. O terceiro capítulo em especial é TÃO arrastado e sem sentido que quase me fez dropar. E o problema se dá no fato do jogo simplesmente travar o progresso da história pra te jogar numa espécie de sidequest sem propósito nenhum, só pra alongar o tempo de jogo e é um porre, é literalmente um filler e é PÉSSIMO.
Mas quando o jogo não tá no modo filler ele é excepcional e incrível, o que é uma pena, perdeu de ser um jogo 10/10 por causa do tempo de jogo. É a prova viva de que menos SEMPRE é mais.
Ah, e antes que eu me esqueça: Não ter esse baita jogo localizado em português é uma DESGRAÇA. Espero que um dia adicionem português (e outros idiomas) em um patch de atualização, aí com certeza eu rejogo
Eastward really is the middlest of the middle-of-the-road games. While the art is beautiful and the soundtrack is great, the gameplay is consistently boring, the plot is lacking, and I felt that the ending got completely stomped on by certain scene after the game's credits.
While it was sparsely enjoyable, it's not a game I would seriously recommend to anyone.
While it was sparsely enjoyable, it's not a game I would seriously recommend to anyone.
3 years from now someone, somewhere on youtube is going to release a video essay about this game and title video is gonna be call something like, "Eastward, a flawed masterpiece"
Incredibly frustrating and unforgiving combat only made worse by the scarcity of food/health restoration opportunities and some controls don’t feel all that great, like aiming the gun or energy. There’s a point of no return to getting a health restore power, really annoying it’s not a little more obvious that that’s a thing. It did take away from the overall enjoyment of the game and the story felt lost at times, but otherwise it’s very charming, beautiful and has some decent puzzles. Very thankful it’s not another expensive indie game that’s under 10 hours, it’ll keep you busy. I’d recommend it if you’re up for a challenge that isn’t quick. I feel really mixed about it, the story is very disjointed, but it’s not bad.
With such mind-numbingly good pixel art and groovy music, it's a shame how Eastward presents itself in the long run.
What you have here is a decent, but too convoluted story that's stretched waaaaaaaaaaay out, with parts that would be better off cut out, with quirky characters who have nothing interesting to say.
It took me 3 attempts over the span of 2 years to make myself get through it.
What you have here is a decent, but too convoluted story that's stretched waaaaaaaaaaay out, with parts that would be better off cut out, with quirky characters who have nothing interesting to say.
It took me 3 attempts over the span of 2 years to make myself get through it.
La progresion en general va a trompicones. Son casi dos historias distintas: la primera mitad no se centra en nada, es mas vivir el momento; mientras que la segunda mitad ya se centra en una historia y va a fuego con ella, con algunas situaciones del estilo de la primera mitad. También el ritmo de desbloqueos, no es consistente. Pero visualmente es God y ha estado chulo. Creo que me encajara mejor el DLC
This review contains spoilers
When I started it, it was a tremendous surprise that kept me hooked until I put it aside because of the train boss (a bit pathetic, I know). Another quite significant surprise I had was that when I resumed and finished it in 3/4 days, I hadn't understood anything, and from what it seems, it wasn't just me; there are entire Reddit threads of people trying to figure out what the heck is going on. People criticize that it's very focused on the story; personally, that doesn't bother me. In fact, I think the story has been the biggest incentive that kept me expectant. The problem is that when you finish the game, you don't understand the ending, and so many points of that story that was gripping me remain open, making me feel cheated and disappointed. Such an extremely linear game (you can't go back at any time as you progress through chapters) can't have such a convoluted and inconclusive story, and you can't leave a large part of the narrative that helps you understand the game in side quests. On the other hand, noteworthy are the very competent soundtrack and beautiful graphics; the characters have a lot of life, and you believe in the world; the dungeons, while simple, are entertaining, and the story, if it didn't have so many loose ends, would be tremendous. I am very critical of what I play, and pointing out the negatives doesn't mean I haven't greatly enjoyed the game (that's why I gave it 3 and a half stars), but it has happened to me that the journey has been beautiful, and the ending has tarnished the experience. Nevertheless, I think it's a very interesting game, and you can tell they've put a lot of love and heart into it. I'm very glad that a friend of mine recommended it to me because if he hadn't, I would never have known it, and it has been an experience that has taught and inspired me a lot despite everything.
PS SPOILER ALERT: Please stop killing lesbians.
PS SPOILER ALERT: Please stop killing lesbians.
Great pixel graphics plus a soundtrack that’s charming and genuinely catchy go a long way, but this ultimately needs an editor to chop it down by at least half. The writing just isn’t good enough for there to be so much of it, sort of like a 700 page book that could have been great if only it were 300 pages instead. The plot is ambitious and odd, which was exciting for a while, but it just kept going without going anywhere particularly interesting, and then it decided to make me slog through not one but two different tedious Groundhog Day time loops in the final third when the story should have been accelerating to a finale instead. The combat and puzzle-y dungeon gameplay are similarly plagued by just not being deep enough to avoid becoming tedious well before it passes the twenty hour mark.
This might have been a really great 10 hour game, though, and still might be if you can make yourself stop after chapter 5 (of 8ish total).
This might have been a really great 10 hour game, though, and still might be if you can make yourself stop after chapter 5 (of 8ish total).
Uma mistura de Zelda e Earthbound com seu próprio charme.
Eu comecei a jogar ele por indicação de um amigo e tbm pq ela estava saindo do gamepass e fico triste de não ter jogado ele mais cedo.
A história ela e muito boa mantendo o mistério de o que aconteceu com o mundo ao mesmo tempo que vamos descobrindo o passado a Sam e sendo protegida pelo john. O clima da história e bem leve parece ate um anime slife of life de tão calmo, divertido e relaxante vai indo a história, mas tem momentos que eu fiquei supreso pois ele sabe ser pesado e mostrar que se algo ocorrer isso irar ser mantido certas consequências, e o final consegue ser tudo isso misturado.
A gameplay eu achei ela muito boa, no começo parece ate um pouco chato pois esta bem fácil as coisas mas com o passar do jogo ele fica muito desafiador em termos de combates e em ate em alguns puzzles pois nos dois casos temos que controlar tanto a sam como o jonh e achar essa sinergia de trocar entre os dois em alguns momentos tensos de combate e puzzles e muito difícil mas bem satisfatorio quando conseguirmos vencer.
Em termo de dificuldade eu acho o jogo bom no começo bem facil mas com o passar do tempo fica bem difícil mas não nada impossível ou que vc ve que aumentaram a dificuldade artificialmente para ter um desafio, quando eu morri pois por falta de de habilidade ou atenção.
A trilha sonora eu achei otima, bem calma e divertida mas com alguns banger para chefões e batalhas mais difíceis, mas dependendo da pessoa ela pode achar a trilha sonora um pouco repetitiva.
O unico ponto negativo que eu dou e que tem um capítulo perto do final do jogo que eu achei um porre de jogar, praticamente para mim foi um filler pois quando a história tava andando ela para, e nesse capítulo em si foi o unico que eu dormi jogando, passei raiva de uma mecânica específica e não achei bom como ela foi intregada na história.
Eastward e um jogo que eu curti muito jogar com uma pixel art lindíssima, realmente e uma hiddem gem dos games indies que vejo quase ninguém comenta, se puder vale muito apenas jogar.
Eu comecei a jogar ele por indicação de um amigo e tbm pq ela estava saindo do gamepass e fico triste de não ter jogado ele mais cedo.
A história ela e muito boa mantendo o mistério de o que aconteceu com o mundo ao mesmo tempo que vamos descobrindo o passado a Sam e sendo protegida pelo john. O clima da história e bem leve parece ate um anime slife of life de tão calmo, divertido e relaxante vai indo a história, mas tem momentos que eu fiquei supreso pois ele sabe ser pesado e mostrar que se algo ocorrer isso irar ser mantido certas consequências, e o final consegue ser tudo isso misturado.
A gameplay eu achei ela muito boa, no começo parece ate um pouco chato pois esta bem fácil as coisas mas com o passar do jogo ele fica muito desafiador em termos de combates e em ate em alguns puzzles pois nos dois casos temos que controlar tanto a sam como o jonh e achar essa sinergia de trocar entre os dois em alguns momentos tensos de combate e puzzles e muito difícil mas bem satisfatorio quando conseguirmos vencer.
Em termo de dificuldade eu acho o jogo bom no começo bem facil mas com o passar do tempo fica bem difícil mas não nada impossível ou que vc ve que aumentaram a dificuldade artificialmente para ter um desafio, quando eu morri pois por falta de de habilidade ou atenção.
A trilha sonora eu achei otima, bem calma e divertida mas com alguns banger para chefões e batalhas mais difíceis, mas dependendo da pessoa ela pode achar a trilha sonora um pouco repetitiva.
O unico ponto negativo que eu dou e que tem um capítulo perto do final do jogo que eu achei um porre de jogar, praticamente para mim foi um filler pois quando a história tava andando ela para, e nesse capítulo em si foi o unico que eu dormi jogando, passei raiva de uma mecânica específica e não achei bom como ela foi intregada na história.
Eastward e um jogo que eu curti muito jogar com uma pixel art lindíssima, realmente e uma hiddem gem dos games indies que vejo quase ninguém comenta, se puder vale muito apenas jogar.
This has been mentioned a lot already, but there's no way to overlook just how great Eastward's presentation is. Its pixel art is one of the best I've ever seen, and the music is versatile and mostly feels fresh across the game's lengthy playtime.
This makes it even more unfortunate that the story didn't reach its full potential, which I could sometimes catch a glimpse of, but never fully grasp. The pacing is really slow, but even with the game dragging along so many moments, I never felt like the story beats were developed beyond a shallow level.
There were many characters that I really liked, but they lack a context around them to really shine. One aspect of that is the plot itself, with few and badly paced interesting situations for the characters to act upon. Also, the there's almost no world-building on this game, especially on a smaller scale basis like towns, character relationships and past events, which weakens the characters surroundings story-wise.
That last bit, especially, could be greatly expanded upon, even more so if you consider Eastwards' graphics, and how capable they are of depicting the game's post-apocalyptic world as lively but cohesively as it does. This would allow for truly unique and well fleshed out sceneries.
The gameplay is decent, but quite bland and derivative, almost not evolving conceptually throughout the entirety of the game. It works and I was able to vibe with it at times, but there's not a lot worth mentioning.
I really wanted to love Eastward. But the truth is that, while I don't love it, I actually do like it. I really like the characters, it's just a shame that they don't come to full fruition. And the story, inconsistently developed as it is, allows for glimpses of something much more interesting as a whole. Even though it may seem that I like Eastward just for the potential of a game that isn't actually there, I in truth do enjoy it for what it is, since even if there is a good amount of wasted potential written all over it, that is only so because the game underlying it all is charming, enticing and unique most of the times.
This makes it even more unfortunate that the story didn't reach its full potential, which I could sometimes catch a glimpse of, but never fully grasp. The pacing is really slow, but even with the game dragging along so many moments, I never felt like the story beats were developed beyond a shallow level.
There were many characters that I really liked, but they lack a context around them to really shine. One aspect of that is the plot itself, with few and badly paced interesting situations for the characters to act upon. Also, the there's almost no world-building on this game, especially on a smaller scale basis like towns, character relationships and past events, which weakens the characters surroundings story-wise.
That last bit, especially, could be greatly expanded upon, even more so if you consider Eastwards' graphics, and how capable they are of depicting the game's post-apocalyptic world as lively but cohesively as it does. This would allow for truly unique and well fleshed out sceneries.
The gameplay is decent, but quite bland and derivative, almost not evolving conceptually throughout the entirety of the game. It works and I was able to vibe with it at times, but there's not a lot worth mentioning.
I really wanted to love Eastward. But the truth is that, while I don't love it, I actually do like it. I really like the characters, it's just a shame that they don't come to full fruition. And the story, inconsistently developed as it is, allows for glimpses of something much more interesting as a whole. Even though it may seem that I like Eastward just for the potential of a game that isn't actually there, I in truth do enjoy it for what it is, since even if there is a good amount of wasted potential written all over it, that is only so because the game underlying it all is charming, enticing and unique most of the times.
grabs you by the throat PLAY THIS GAME!!!!
everything about this game is so charming, it drew me in instantly. the world is just so full of life!!
everything about this game is so charming, it drew me in instantly. the world is just so full of life!!
This review contains spoilers
Combat is fun and I got into the story, but the achievements became a grind with killing 1 rare enemy at 5 gold a piece until you get 1k gold, or having to beat the Earth Born game and get all of the gatcha figurines for another achievement. Eventually this grid got boring and I wasn't even playing the game. Worth playing, but the grind is a bit much.
This zelda-like started super strong with great presentation and unique characters but throughout the half point the pacing starts to drag and the story becomes nonsensical with some clear plot holes and questions that never get answered.
Adding to that, there are some weird difficulty spikes throughout the game that almost made me drop the game several times before powering through them. The game was almost on track to become great but it sadly falls short.
Adding to that, there are some weird difficulty spikes throughout the game that almost made me drop the game several times before powering through them. The game was almost on track to become great but it sadly falls short.
Очень классный пиксель арт, но геймплей и история слабые
This review contains spoilers
I’ve never been so emotionally toyed with by a fish sandwich.
When I saw Uva made that stupid sandwich for John, with twenty signs pointing to her dying by the end of the chapter, I just knew I could never use it like any other consumable item. Look, maybe this is just one of my unhinged tendencies. Whenever I play through Pokemon’s Unova region, no matter the context, I never use any of those Fresh Waters, each a punchline the gym guide’s silly little jokes, or even buy extras that would meld into the “canonical” stash. But that sandwich, representing the blissful life John will never have, the woman who couldn’t profess her love to him until it was too late, was a memory that felt too powerful to wipe away like any other health item.
On that note, I initially wrote off those save quotes as intentionally indulgent filler, like “oh what if your memories were someone else’s really makes you think”. But even without any explicit story presence, they hint at the overall discussion of memories and the journeys we take to make them. You never get to stay in one place forever, so eventually the little events along the way, no matter how silly, are all that will be left of the characters cast aside by the story. The game’s own quirky side mode RPG, narratively, starts as a promise to interact more with the kids of Potcrock Isle until Sam is exiled, but after a while meets more kids because of their shared interest in the game.
I mention this because games and this sort of self reflection around them come up in this game’s narrative a lot more than I expected going in. The side mode RPG classes are echoed both by the New Dam City leaders’ knight and princess relationship, and the elders of Ester City having nerdy alter egos they don as they help you. I didn’t think much of it until the end, where due to some time loop shenanigans, everyone in Ester City fades away, as they would have if not for their one day in the city always repeating. The mainish antagonist Professor Solomon questions Sam on whether it’s worth anything to take the advice of what were basically illusions in her repeated effort to defy his end plan. And for fairly obvious reasons, those inhabitants of the city, and everyone in this game are just illusions to me too. Considering most people take it as a given that media can influence you, I wasn’t expecting to be asked across the screen whether any of that even matters when it’ll inevitably slip out of my mind for the last time.
But, well, behind the digital puppet show, a bunch of 0’s and 1’s remained unperturbed once two characters shared a fish sandwich. So my answer’s been laid bare.
When I saw Uva made that stupid sandwich for John, with twenty signs pointing to her dying by the end of the chapter, I just knew I could never use it like any other consumable item. Look, maybe this is just one of my unhinged tendencies. Whenever I play through Pokemon’s Unova region, no matter the context, I never use any of those Fresh Waters, each a punchline the gym guide’s silly little jokes, or even buy extras that would meld into the “canonical” stash. But that sandwich, representing the blissful life John will never have, the woman who couldn’t profess her love to him until it was too late, was a memory that felt too powerful to wipe away like any other health item.
On that note, I initially wrote off those save quotes as intentionally indulgent filler, like “oh what if your memories were someone else’s really makes you think”. But even without any explicit story presence, they hint at the overall discussion of memories and the journeys we take to make them. You never get to stay in one place forever, so eventually the little events along the way, no matter how silly, are all that will be left of the characters cast aside by the story. The game’s own quirky side mode RPG, narratively, starts as a promise to interact more with the kids of Potcrock Isle until Sam is exiled, but after a while meets more kids because of their shared interest in the game.
I mention this because games and this sort of self reflection around them come up in this game’s narrative a lot more than I expected going in. The side mode RPG classes are echoed both by the New Dam City leaders’ knight and princess relationship, and the elders of Ester City having nerdy alter egos they don as they help you. I didn’t think much of it until the end, where due to some time loop shenanigans, everyone in Ester City fades away, as they would have if not for their one day in the city always repeating. The mainish antagonist Professor Solomon questions Sam on whether it’s worth anything to take the advice of what were basically illusions in her repeated effort to defy his end plan. And for fairly obvious reasons, those inhabitants of the city, and everyone in this game are just illusions to me too. Considering most people take it as a given that media can influence you, I wasn’t expecting to be asked across the screen whether any of that even matters when it’ll inevitably slip out of my mind for the last time.
But, well, behind the digital puppet show, a bunch of 0’s and 1’s remained unperturbed once two characters shared a fish sandwich. So my answer’s been laid bare.
promis je continuerais un jour, les graphismes sont TOUT ce que j'aime
This long-awaited indie adventure was one of my biggest disappointments of the year. The narrative is its biggest fault, as it strings the player along while promising answers for hours and hours without really doing much to develop its world or characters. I felt increasingly frustrated by the lack of interesting revelations to its biggest mysteries. Combined with barebones combat, insulting design, and a beautiful yet empty game world, the road Eastward is better left untaken.
Full Review: https://neoncloudff.wordpress.com/2021/10/31/now-playing-october-2021-edition/
Full Review: https://neoncloudff.wordpress.com/2021/10/31/now-playing-october-2021-edition/
Es un buen juego, pero lamentablemente, solo eso, pues Eastward se ve más lindo de lo que se juega...
Primeramente, señalar que lo que más destaca del juego es su apartado visual. El estilo pixel art jamás se queda atrás, y este juego, junto con las referencias e influencias a las que se adhiere, funciona tanto visual como narrativamente hablando, sobre todo por su clara base de la saga Earthbound.
Ahora bien, el apartado sonoro no está mal, pero tampoco destaca; hay un par de canciones icónicas, pero no son obras de arte, aun así, pueden ser disfrutadas y, de vez en cuando, aportan muchísimo a la atmósfera del juego.
A nivel jugable, creo que es donde el juego más decae; el estilo de batalla y de exploración es bastante arcaico, y dentro este apartado, lo que salva un poco el día son los puzles.
En cuanto a la narrativa, el juego nuevamente toma sus referencias claras a videojuegos como Celeste, Earthbound, Undertale, y uno que otro indie más. En base a mis criterios, su guión no desborda originalidad, pero tampoco llega ser molesto, a excepción de algunos escenarios o capítulos como el de los monos, o los saltos en el tiempo reiterados, sin siquiera darle la opción al jugador de omitir diálogos exactamente idénticos.
Existen aspectos muy molestos de Eastward, como que algunos efectos de sonido se omitan (a mi juicio por mero capricho), y sobre todo los diálogos. El no poder adelantar voluntariamente el contenido es sin duda uno de los puntos más engorrosos del juego; de esta misma manera, existen ciertos diálogos que pasan a una gran velocidad (que por cierto no se es permitido retardar), y no siempre se es capaz de captar todo el mensaje, o de darle la oportunidad de analizarlo.
Relacionado con esto está otro aspecto que, por último, le da el cierre a mi reseña: la traducción.
¿De verdad siendo el español uno de los cinco idiomas más hablados en el mundo no existe una traducción oficial de este? Me parece una tomada de pelo la verdad.
En este momento, y por haberle puesto la vara tan alta a Eastward, no recomiendo comprar este juego por las horas invertidas (alrededor de 20) para un final no tan satisfactorio, un gameplay, apartado visual, y ost que no destacan, y por cierto, un precio que, a pesar de no estar caro del todo, puede invertirse para la compra de indies de mejor calidad, con más cariño en su desarrollo, y con una mayor preocupación por la comunidad hispanohablante.
Insisto que Eastward NO ES UN MAL JUEGO, NI TAMPOCO ES UNA PÉRDIDA DE TIEMPO, pero esperaba mucho más de un título que prometía básicamente ser uno de los grandes indies del año.
Primeramente, señalar que lo que más destaca del juego es su apartado visual. El estilo pixel art jamás se queda atrás, y este juego, junto con las referencias e influencias a las que se adhiere, funciona tanto visual como narrativamente hablando, sobre todo por su clara base de la saga Earthbound.
Ahora bien, el apartado sonoro no está mal, pero tampoco destaca; hay un par de canciones icónicas, pero no son obras de arte, aun así, pueden ser disfrutadas y, de vez en cuando, aportan muchísimo a la atmósfera del juego.
A nivel jugable, creo que es donde el juego más decae; el estilo de batalla y de exploración es bastante arcaico, y dentro este apartado, lo que salva un poco el día son los puzles.
En cuanto a la narrativa, el juego nuevamente toma sus referencias claras a videojuegos como Celeste, Earthbound, Undertale, y uno que otro indie más. En base a mis criterios, su guión no desborda originalidad, pero tampoco llega ser molesto, a excepción de algunos escenarios o capítulos como el de los monos, o los saltos en el tiempo reiterados, sin siquiera darle la opción al jugador de omitir diálogos exactamente idénticos.
Existen aspectos muy molestos de Eastward, como que algunos efectos de sonido se omitan (a mi juicio por mero capricho), y sobre todo los diálogos. El no poder adelantar voluntariamente el contenido es sin duda uno de los puntos más engorrosos del juego; de esta misma manera, existen ciertos diálogos que pasan a una gran velocidad (que por cierto no se es permitido retardar), y no siempre se es capaz de captar todo el mensaje, o de darle la oportunidad de analizarlo.
Relacionado con esto está otro aspecto que, por último, le da el cierre a mi reseña: la traducción.
¿De verdad siendo el español uno de los cinco idiomas más hablados en el mundo no existe una traducción oficial de este? Me parece una tomada de pelo la verdad.
En este momento, y por haberle puesto la vara tan alta a Eastward, no recomiendo comprar este juego por las horas invertidas (alrededor de 20) para un final no tan satisfactorio, un gameplay, apartado visual, y ost que no destacan, y por cierto, un precio que, a pesar de no estar caro del todo, puede invertirse para la compra de indies de mejor calidad, con más cariño en su desarrollo, y con una mayor preocupación por la comunidad hispanohablante.
Insisto que Eastward NO ES UN MAL JUEGO, NI TAMPOCO ES UNA PÉRDIDA DE TIEMPO, pero esperaba mucho más de un título que prometía básicamente ser uno de los grandes indies del año.
Fake "Hayao Miyazaki film" a** game.
Really fun game. I loved the style and overall gameplay. My only complaint is I wish there had been more time for exploration.
Overall very disappointing. The combat is clunky and annoying and the story is convoluted and kind of poorly written. The pixel art is beautiful and the animations are lovely to look at, but the game just can't hold up under the weak combat and undercooked story. The puzzle elements are usually well done, but it isn't enough to compensate.
I don't know who wants a weird farming sim within this world, but I sure don't. One playthrough was enough.
I don't know who wants a weird farming sim within this world, but I sure don't. One playthrough was enough.
I shelved this game for a while because it was kind of slow in the beginning even though I waited years for it to come out. The puzzles are really hard and it's hard to get through and I often have to look stuff up, but the art is beautiful and once you get to a specific part it becomes a lot more interesting. I like to go through games a lot slower and take my time but I'm finding that's making the game a lot longer for me. I still would recommend it and the intrigue and mystery push me through. I'm currently playing it so I'm unsure if my opinion will change from this but I'm enjoying my time playing it a lot.
Eastward made me sad. Not because the game wanted it to but because it's missing so much of its potential. I had been excited for this game for years, I remember seeing it pop up on my Twitter feed several years before it came out. Every new image and video, every new character, every piece of music had me increasingly excited. As time went on I forgot about it and it came to my attention again when it was added to Game Pass. It was finally time to satisfy this urge and play one of my most anticipated games in a long time.
And it was boring. Almost everything in this game is boring. The combat, the exploration, the writing, the side content. Almost nothing about this game is engaging. The art is downright gorgeous and straight up alive at times and the music is phenomenal and fitting at just about every single moment, but other than that this game just doesn't work. There is very little about this game that I will remember fondly but godDAMN this game is so good artistically. I want this team to make more games but I want them to learn how to make it fun first.
And it was boring. Almost everything in this game is boring. The combat, the exploration, the writing, the side content. Almost nothing about this game is engaging. The art is downright gorgeous and straight up alive at times and the music is phenomenal and fitting at just about every single moment, but other than that this game just doesn't work. There is very little about this game that I will remember fondly but godDAMN this game is so good artistically. I want this team to make more games but I want them to learn how to make it fun first.
The gameplay is meh and the story is a huge disappointment. 90% of the time you're doing side-quest-ish things but it's in the main storyline. When you have done enough random chores for NPCs a sudden catastrophy will engulf you and everyone else thus forcing the plot forward. So basically the quest structure of the game is mostly irrelevant to the plot.... and the main character is literally a mute who displays no emotion at all throughout the entire 20hr campaign.
The only strength of this game is the art, which is a nostalgic acid trip back into a mixture of 1960s Japan's retrofuturism and 1980-90s JRPG and anime references. I really wish the beautiful world it built didn't feel so empty and devoid of meaning because of how weak the writing is.
The only strength of this game is the art, which is a nostalgic acid trip back into a mixture of 1960s Japan's retrofuturism and 1980-90s JRPG and anime references. I really wish the beautiful world it built didn't feel so empty and devoid of meaning because of how weak the writing is.
Eastward is a game that I desperately wanted to like. The pixel art and artstyle of the game is unmatched and I was blown away when I first saw it on a Nintendo Indie direct. However I’ve attempted to play this game multiple times and I just have not been able to finish it. I started it closer to its original release in 2021 but dropped it. Partially due to not feeling the game but also partially due other games pulling me away from it. I started it again this year and the same exact thing happened. This time I was playing it on my steam deck to hopefully help me get through it but it simply just wasn’t pulling me in. Then along comes Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur’s Gate 3 and 400 hours of playing games later I still have no real desire to come back to it. I think this game has the potential to be someone’s favorite game. There’s a lot here to love but nothing fully clicks for me like I felt like it should.
TLDR at the end
What Is Eastward
Eastward is an indie game made by developer Pixpil. It’s largely inspired by both 2D Zelda games and Earthbound with some old school JRPG mixed in with it. I think this could be a major reason I don’t connect with it. As I haven’t played any of its major inspirations. I’ve never played a 2D Zelda and have not touched an Earthbound game. Without having played any of its major inspirations I’m unsure of how the game itself holds up to those. With the Earthbound inspiration it is mostly just the vibes and world of the game that are more like that. The game largely plays like a 2D Zelda. You get various items and weapons to help you solve puzzles and fight off various enemies. You also have items that are effectively heart containers and they essentially took the cooking system from Breath of the Wild (which is not a bad thing I love that cooking system). The game also operates with a dual protagonist system. That functions similarly to how the Mario and Luigi games work where you can control both John (your silent protagonist with a frying pan) and Sam (a cute little magical girl with a mysterious backstory). You can switch which one is in front or you can separate them to solve puzzles.
There’s also a whole other sub game in the game called Earthborn. It’s a game that is essentially a roguelike version of the old dragon quest games. The main character even kind of resembles the dragon quest artstyle. Which I’m sure is intentional. I played that for quite a bit on my original playthrough but I barely touched it on my revisit on the game this year. It is not by any means necessary for completing the game but I have heard that beating Earthborn in game does help contextualize the game as a whole. Which is a really interesting take on the idea of a true ending.
The Vibes
The vibes and artstyle of this game are really something else. I love looking at this game and the way the world looks and also the wonderful pixel art. Pixpil have done an outstanding job with the visual design of all the characters, the environments, the creatures and more. I truly can’t emphasize enough how much I love the way this game looks. It’s got a really cool and uplifting take on post apocalyptic. It’s so delightful and colorful. There are even creepy and bizarre moments in the game. One of the best creature designs I saw was one of the first bosses that’s rushing down John and Sam.
The boss design
I will say that in the aspect of vibes, what lacks a little is the music. The music that is in the game is actually really good but there’s not too much variety. A lot of the music is re-used, which of course is fine but I think a lil more variety in the music would’ve been nice. Which could very well be a result of me not getting far enough in the game. As I look up the soundtrack writing this there are 72 different tracks in the game. Which is actually quite impressive for an indie. So while it technically isn’t true I feel a little disconnected with what I’ve heard in game.
Story
As mentioned above, I did not finish the game. I usually like to try and finish a game before reviewing it. But sometimes a game doesn’t hit you right and I do feel like it’s a valid experience to write about if you did not mesh with it and did not finish it. It’s worth noting that I have 21 hours on record for the game. The average time for it on How Long to Beat is 20 hours. So I probably got about half way each time I played. I open this section with this just to let everyone know that I didn’t finish the story. There could be a huge plot reveal that makes it all worth it. And maybe I put it down right before it started to really real me in. Which does happen.
But the story of Eastward isn’t exactly a unique one. But it’s interesting and a good set up and the interest of the story largely comes from the uniqueness of the setting. It’s that of a single silent protagonist who’s a gruff looking man (maybe in their 30s-40s) who works in a mining post in this underground city. It opens up with Sam already being with John but it seems that John had found the girl. The girl has some sort of mysterious power and claims to have seen the surface. Which everyone in Potcrock Isle thinks is uninhabitable due to a deadly miasma. This turns out only to be partially true. There is a deadly miasma but it’s not everywhere. There’s pockets where people live. There is some sort of secret with Sam. There’s occasionally cutscenes where time freezes and she sees a red version of herself who is talking to her. And she has the power to travel during the frozen time. So when time unfreezes she’ll often have left. This is a mechanic explored in a lot of the puzzles with her and John being separated. She seems connected to the miasma somehow but I have never gotten far enough to see how.
The Issues
Here is where I end the praises of this game. I have a few main issues with the game. I think first and foremost is the pacing of the game. The pacing feels really slow when it doesn’t need to be. And since the story isn’t super interesting or unique there’s only so much the environment and world can do to combat poor pacing. There’s times when playing an hour that it feels like it’s very minimal gameplay and it’s a lot of talking. Which ordinarily with my love of RPGs I don’t mind but the story just doesn’t grip me the way I’d want it to to be able to sit there for an hour or so without playing. It especially feels bad once you get to New Dam City. To add to the poor pacing, the game likes to throw a lot of mini games at you. I'm never much of a fan of mandatory mini games in games. Even games with non mandatory mini games I rarely partake in them unless I’m really feeling it. And this game likes to use them a lot. My other main issue with the game is that it kind of just feels hard to play. I’m not well versed in the 2D Zelda style gameplay. So it very well could be a skill issue moment for me. And I accept that. But something about how it plays just feels a lil clunky to me. Not having much experience in the genre I don’t have much of a frame of reference of how it should feel.
TLDR
The game isn’t horrible and I think there’s plenty here that a lot of people will enjoy but ultimately the game just doesn’t do it for me. And that’s fine. I’m disappointed because the game is beautiful and I really wanted to love it. But after trying to play it twice and encountering the same issues and snags both times I figured it’s time to let myself drop the game. Since I didn’t finish it, it’s very possible the game could’ve grabbed at some point and I wouldn’t have been able to put it down. If none of the issues I wrote above bother you and you’re still interested I would recommend picking the game up and giving it a try but it just wasn’t a game for me in the end.
I usually try to finish the games I write reviews on and I think this is the first one that I’ve written where I haven’t. But I think it’s a good practice to write out my thoughts and feelings on games that don’t necessarily mesh with. Even if it’s not a scathing or super negative review.
TLDR at the end
What Is Eastward
Eastward is an indie game made by developer Pixpil. It’s largely inspired by both 2D Zelda games and Earthbound with some old school JRPG mixed in with it. I think this could be a major reason I don’t connect with it. As I haven’t played any of its major inspirations. I’ve never played a 2D Zelda and have not touched an Earthbound game. Without having played any of its major inspirations I’m unsure of how the game itself holds up to those. With the Earthbound inspiration it is mostly just the vibes and world of the game that are more like that. The game largely plays like a 2D Zelda. You get various items and weapons to help you solve puzzles and fight off various enemies. You also have items that are effectively heart containers and they essentially took the cooking system from Breath of the Wild (which is not a bad thing I love that cooking system). The game also operates with a dual protagonist system. That functions similarly to how the Mario and Luigi games work where you can control both John (your silent protagonist with a frying pan) and Sam (a cute little magical girl with a mysterious backstory). You can switch which one is in front or you can separate them to solve puzzles.
There’s also a whole other sub game in the game called Earthborn. It’s a game that is essentially a roguelike version of the old dragon quest games. The main character even kind of resembles the dragon quest artstyle. Which I’m sure is intentional. I played that for quite a bit on my original playthrough but I barely touched it on my revisit on the game this year. It is not by any means necessary for completing the game but I have heard that beating Earthborn in game does help contextualize the game as a whole. Which is a really interesting take on the idea of a true ending.
The Vibes
The vibes and artstyle of this game are really something else. I love looking at this game and the way the world looks and also the wonderful pixel art. Pixpil have done an outstanding job with the visual design of all the characters, the environments, the creatures and more. I truly can’t emphasize enough how much I love the way this game looks. It’s got a really cool and uplifting take on post apocalyptic. It’s so delightful and colorful. There are even creepy and bizarre moments in the game. One of the best creature designs I saw was one of the first bosses that’s rushing down John and Sam.
The boss design
I will say that in the aspect of vibes, what lacks a little is the music. The music that is in the game is actually really good but there’s not too much variety. A lot of the music is re-used, which of course is fine but I think a lil more variety in the music would’ve been nice. Which could very well be a result of me not getting far enough in the game. As I look up the soundtrack writing this there are 72 different tracks in the game. Which is actually quite impressive for an indie. So while it technically isn’t true I feel a little disconnected with what I’ve heard in game.
Story
As mentioned above, I did not finish the game. I usually like to try and finish a game before reviewing it. But sometimes a game doesn’t hit you right and I do feel like it’s a valid experience to write about if you did not mesh with it and did not finish it. It’s worth noting that I have 21 hours on record for the game. The average time for it on How Long to Beat is 20 hours. So I probably got about half way each time I played. I open this section with this just to let everyone know that I didn’t finish the story. There could be a huge plot reveal that makes it all worth it. And maybe I put it down right before it started to really real me in. Which does happen.
But the story of Eastward isn’t exactly a unique one. But it’s interesting and a good set up and the interest of the story largely comes from the uniqueness of the setting. It’s that of a single silent protagonist who’s a gruff looking man (maybe in their 30s-40s) who works in a mining post in this underground city. It opens up with Sam already being with John but it seems that John had found the girl. The girl has some sort of mysterious power and claims to have seen the surface. Which everyone in Potcrock Isle thinks is uninhabitable due to a deadly miasma. This turns out only to be partially true. There is a deadly miasma but it’s not everywhere. There’s pockets where people live. There is some sort of secret with Sam. There’s occasionally cutscenes where time freezes and she sees a red version of herself who is talking to her. And she has the power to travel during the frozen time. So when time unfreezes she’ll often have left. This is a mechanic explored in a lot of the puzzles with her and John being separated. She seems connected to the miasma somehow but I have never gotten far enough to see how.
The Issues
Here is where I end the praises of this game. I have a few main issues with the game. I think first and foremost is the pacing of the game. The pacing feels really slow when it doesn’t need to be. And since the story isn’t super interesting or unique there’s only so much the environment and world can do to combat poor pacing. There’s times when playing an hour that it feels like it’s very minimal gameplay and it’s a lot of talking. Which ordinarily with my love of RPGs I don’t mind but the story just doesn’t grip me the way I’d want it to to be able to sit there for an hour or so without playing. It especially feels bad once you get to New Dam City. To add to the poor pacing, the game likes to throw a lot of mini games at you. I'm never much of a fan of mandatory mini games in games. Even games with non mandatory mini games I rarely partake in them unless I’m really feeling it. And this game likes to use them a lot. My other main issue with the game is that it kind of just feels hard to play. I’m not well versed in the 2D Zelda style gameplay. So it very well could be a skill issue moment for me. And I accept that. But something about how it plays just feels a lil clunky to me. Not having much experience in the genre I don’t have much of a frame of reference of how it should feel.
TLDR
The game isn’t horrible and I think there’s plenty here that a lot of people will enjoy but ultimately the game just doesn’t do it for me. And that’s fine. I’m disappointed because the game is beautiful and I really wanted to love it. But after trying to play it twice and encountering the same issues and snags both times I figured it’s time to let myself drop the game. Since I didn’t finish it, it’s very possible the game could’ve grabbed at some point and I wouldn’t have been able to put it down. If none of the issues I wrote above bother you and you’re still interested I would recommend picking the game up and giving it a try but it just wasn’t a game for me in the end.
I usually try to finish the games I write reviews on and I think this is the first one that I’ve written where I haven’t. But I think it’s a good practice to write out my thoughts and feelings on games that don’t necessarily mesh with. Even if it’s not a scathing or super negative review.
Zelda-like with clear "Earthbound" influences. My biggest gripes of the game is how slow the game is, and the easy combat loop. The animation of the combat can be looped infinitely because there's no limit to how often you can swing, nor is there a pause between swings (unlike many fighters, or hack and slash games). That makes the game ridiculously easy.
I'd say it's definitely a fun game, and you should try it but at the same time you might as well play Zelda.
If it wasnt' so drawn out I think I'd be more willing to recommend this game.
I'd say it's definitely a fun game, and you should try it but at the same time you might as well play Zelda.
If it wasnt' so drawn out I think I'd be more willing to recommend this game.
digitando com os olhos fechados pra não ver povinho dando 3 pra essa perfeição bando de loucoooooooos
Lots of ambition and promise that mostly lands or pays off. The game feels let down by its combat, should have been turn based imo
it's a tough one to nail down, because it's got some points that bring it down. By far the best part for me were the dungeons, which were overall very well designed Zelda-like lock & key dungeons, which I like. It was also interesting having to use the abilities of both characters. The writing has overall a very consistent (I don't mean great, just consistent) quality. For the most part, it's not excellent and it has a few pace-killing moments (like a cooking errand run for part of Arc (I'm using arcs to navigate as some have several chapters) 3 and a SO annoying train ride movie star & terrible stealth section thing in Arc 4), but Arcs 5 & 6 have genuinely pretty good writing and gameplay. The final arc in particular was really good with one of the best chase sequences I've seen since, I don't know, Celeste maybe (which is my #1). I also really liked the cooking-based healing system. You don't pick up healing items, you pick up (and buy) food ingredients that you cook to get food to carry around at various places which give varying degrees of health. You'll discover more recipes and gain more ingredients as the game progresses. I really liked this.
Overall I enjoyed the game, it was not fantastic, but it was enjoyable.
Overall I enjoyed the game, it was not fantastic, but it was enjoyable.