While not quite able to pull off the effortless charm, quirk, and wit of Earthbound—to me its biggest inspiration—Eastward still makes a hell of an impression with its wonderful art, satisfying game design, strong writing, and oh my god such a killer soundtrack. John is perhaps my favorite silent protagonist of all time, and Sam is endearing to an extent that almost feels manipulative…but I still can’t help caring about her

I can’t shake the feeling that the narrative didn’t quite get to where it should’ve gone though. Upon finishing, it was a bit awing to reflect on how much despair and loss pervades the game given its bubbly demeanor, but I feel like it could’ve reached even further. Its story is really what gives it a leg up on something like Earthbound, and it seemed like it was swinging for the fences and was gonna give you a lot to chew on, but then it just…kind of didn’t. And I’m really not sure what to make of the epilogue either

Still one of the best of the year