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!
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.
Eastward is a beautiful game and has some of the best pixel art I've seen. Every screen is so vividly detailed and the game's design of abandoned urban locations really strike. There was definitively a lot of work put into this aspect.
It's not the best action or exploration game with both limited gameplay and level design, but it's a JRPG full of interactions before anything. It's essentially a travelling game with Mother-like vibes and characters. You move to a place, meet goofy characters and so on. The grand overarching story isn't much but every location offers its own story and I really enjoyed completing the quests and getting to know more about the characters.
Unfortunately, one specific chapter of the game gets the short end of the stick and I wish it had been longer, considering the importance it's supposed to have in the context of the story. The conclusion and overarching story also have quite a bit of plotholes but overall they work and provided an emotional closure to the game.
I'm very satisfied to have played Eastward and it's one of the most enjoyable Mother-like I played.
It's not the best action or exploration game with both limited gameplay and level design, but it's a JRPG full of interactions before anything. It's essentially a travelling game with Mother-like vibes and characters. You move to a place, meet goofy characters and so on. The grand overarching story isn't much but every location offers its own story and I really enjoyed completing the quests and getting to know more about the characters.
Unfortunately, one specific chapter of the game gets the short end of the stick and I wish it had been longer, considering the importance it's supposed to have in the context of the story. The conclusion and overarching story also have quite a bit of plotholes but overall they work and provided an emotional closure to the game.
I'm very satisfied to have played Eastward and it's one of the most enjoyable Mother-like I played.
kept starting and stopping this one over months but just could not get into it. story never picked up for me.
Sam e John, uma dupla maravilhosa.
Eastward é um jogo incrível, gameplay, historia, personagens, musica e arte incrível.
Mas ele tem muitos puzzles, e alguns bosses, principalmente na parte final, pode te fazer passar raiva, mas num geral, é um jogo incrível e que merece sua atenção.
Eastward é um jogo incrível, gameplay, historia, personagens, musica e arte incrível.
Mas ele tem muitos puzzles, e alguns bosses, principalmente na parte final, pode te fazer passar raiva, mas num geral, é um jogo incrível e que merece sua atenção.
Eastward feels like a natural, smooth step up from Mother 3, (although a small step down in a slightly more simplified story and focused, uh, focus,) a perfect blend of more mature references and modern gameplay applying. It hits a number of similar beats, having a very familiar Chapter structure, and deals with its themes and characters both seriously and humorously, switching/blending easily.
Combat is simple while still having room for variation in playstyle, ammo rarely being a problem. The inspirations are clear and references hit nicely, feeling well-integrated and never taking you out of it. Puzzles and exploration are smart and exciting, secret passages and stray chests abound! Lighting and sound design are of special note, 3D rumble does some really subtle things with heartbeats pumping and train tracks clacking along...
It isn't perfect, a few little loose ends stay that way, a couple beats can be confusing, the combat stays simple and clean, but has no room for much personality or improvisation. But pretty much all of these things are negligible, barely affecting the strength of the experience.
The depth, feel, character and score create an incredible world teetering on the brink, a real place with people I learned to care about...
Well done PixPil, what a fantastic experience, and only your first game as well! An excellent addition to the Motherlike genre!
Combat is simple while still having room for variation in playstyle, ammo rarely being a problem. The inspirations are clear and references hit nicely, feeling well-integrated and never taking you out of it. Puzzles and exploration are smart and exciting, secret passages and stray chests abound! Lighting and sound design are of special note, 3D rumble does some really subtle things with heartbeats pumping and train tracks clacking along...
It isn't perfect, a few little loose ends stay that way, a couple beats can be confusing, the combat stays simple and clean, but has no room for much personality or improvisation. But pretty much all of these things are negligible, barely affecting the strength of the experience.
The depth, feel, character and score create an incredible world teetering on the brink, a real place with people I learned to care about...
Well done PixPil, what a fantastic experience, and only your first game as well! An excellent addition to the Motherlike genre!
This review contains spoilers
I struggled with giving this a score because I didn't finish the game. I am at 7 hours and am bored out of my gosh darn mind. The game is overloaded with dialogue and none of it has been exciting at all to me. Every time I turn on the game I'm stuck reading text for 5+ minutes and it's not enjoyable. There are some weird oddities too, like when Jon discovers the pods in the first town, why doesn't he alert them? The writing feels juvenile and broken in continuity and logic at times.
To make matters worse, the puzzles and combat are entirely forgettable. I haven't enjoyed any of them to this point and I'm now in the second city. After 30+ minutes of mashing b through the bad dialogue I'm given a mediocre action puzzle experience.
It's a shame because the art is gorgeous, but after multiple sessions of trying and trying to enjoy this, I have to admit that focusing on playing this is killing my motivation to game.
I'm giving it the highest of the negative scores because I have a negative view of it, but think there's potential.
To make matters worse, the puzzles and combat are entirely forgettable. I haven't enjoyed any of them to this point and I'm now in the second city. After 30+ minutes of mashing b through the bad dialogue I'm given a mediocre action puzzle experience.
It's a shame because the art is gorgeous, but after multiple sessions of trying and trying to enjoy this, I have to admit that focusing on playing this is killing my motivation to game.
I'm giving it the highest of the negative scores because I have a negative view of it, but think there's potential.
RPG with slow and nonsense story, good graphics, good animations, good color palettes.
El juego es muy bueno y el pixel art es precioso.
El gran problema del juego es que dura demasiado para lo que es la historia haciendo que puedan llegar a ser tediosas algunas partes.
Es un juego que disfrute gran parte, pero veo poco probable que lo juegue denuevo.
El gran problema del juego es que dura demasiado para lo que es la historia haciendo que puedan llegar a ser tediosas algunas partes.
Es un juego que disfrute gran parte, pero veo poco probable que lo juegue denuevo.
was kinda into it at first and then realized oh right i dont even like this kind of game. mfw every single new idea a game introduces is clever nod to the audience that, dont worry, its taking influence from games you probably love. zzzzzz
Eastward ou Jornada para o leste é um dos melhores indie games que joguei nos ultimos tempos, contando com uma historia divertida e com boas pitadas de misterio e personagens cativante(sério AMEI a Sam, ela é MUITO FOFINHA!! <3), belos graficos em pixel art e uma trilha sonora muito gostosinha de ouvir. A gameplay do jogo é basicamente um dunngen-crawler estilo Zelda, na verdade eu diria que ele é um adventure-crawler(nem sei se esse termo existe) já que ao inves de termos um mundo ''aberto'' como em Zelda, temos um mundo dividido em capitulos na qual cada capitulo somos apresentados a novos personagens e lugares, fora isso de diferente o resto é tudo muito Zelda, temos corações pra conquistar que encontramos durante o jogo ou adquirimos ao derrotar algum chefão, temos tambem uma pequena variedade de armas que vão desde uma PANELA até um Lança-Chamas e as classicas bombas de Zelda que assim como em Zelda servem não só para derrotar inimigos mas para abrir caminhos e resolver puzzles, alem disso temos os poderes psiquicos(?) da Sam que são usados tanto para resolver alguns puzzles como para deixar inimigos presos nos lugares pra podermos descer o pau neles. Por falar em poderes da Sam, essa dinamica de dupla, de termos dois protagonistas é uma coisa que foi muito bem feita no jogo, é muito gostosinho fazer os puzzles com eles e alternalos pra derrotar inimigos, alem dos dois serem muito carismaticos, mesmo o John sendo o classico protagonista mudo, você percebe que ele é um personagem de verdade atraves de suas ações, seus poucos gestos e seus atos fazem você se importar com o personagem. Eu ja falei que a trilha sonora é muito gostosinha, ela junto com o estilo visual do jogo fazem você parecer que esta jogando um game do studio ghibli(a inclusive um personagem que é uma clara referencia a Hayao Miyazaki) ou um classico desenho dos anos 90, destacam-se as musicas ''Eastward''(tema do jogo), ''Cooking'', o tema da Sam, Wheather Talk, Bar, Ruin, Relax, entre tantas outras, a trilha sonora foi composta por Joel Corelitz o mesmo comporsitor de Halo: Infinite e esta disponivel no Spotify. Alem disso tudo o jogo é uma verdadeira homenagem aos classicos RPG's de video-game de era SNES/NES como The Legend of Zelda, Earthbound, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, etc...com varias homenagens ao logo do game a esses jogos. O jogo conta até com um ''mini-game'' chamado Earthborne que é uma bélissima homenagem aos crassicos Dragon Quest, Earthbound e Final Fantasy e que poderia até muito bem ser um jogo a parte visto o quão ''profundo'' ele pode ser. Apesar da historia ser bem fechadinha, ela fica com um gostinho de quero mais no final de tão bem construido que o mundo de Eastward é de tão carismaticos seus personagens são, mesmo os NPC's como Alva, Samuel, Daniel, etc... tem seus momentos de brilho.
Enfim um PUTA JOGO indie, muito gostosinho de jogar que recomendo a todos os fãs de Zelda ou de RPG's da era SNES.
Enfim um PUTA JOGO indie, muito gostosinho de jogar que recomendo a todos os fãs de Zelda ou de RPG's da era SNES.
I wanted to like Eastward a lot more than I did. The story, setting, and characters were really interesting, and the architecture design and art were stellar. But the combat, oh that combat really sucked, and was never any fun. The game also just went on far too long, and the ending really didn't pay off the hours of frustration that went into playing the game.
It looks so cool, but I was having so little if any fun :(
This review contains spoilers
It started out as Spongebob The Movie and ended like Stranger Things.
That was an unexpected mashup.
That was an unexpected mashup.
tout mimi
Sometimes you have to keep moving on. Even in the tough times. Even in the face of loss. And even when things are at their best. But that doesn't mean the journey wasn't worth it. That doesn't mean we can't enjoy what we've done, where we've been, and who we've met. And it also doesn't mean it won't hurt like hell.
I bought Eastward on sale, having no real idea what to expect, but knowing that it seemed interesting. It may seem like a "dad simulator," what with starring as gruff, perpetually silent John alongside his surrogate daughter and endless ball of joy and energy Sam, but it's so much more than that. If anything, while we hear a lot about indie RPGs being "Earthbound likes," I think this is the first one to really capture the essence and spirit of Mother 3. The air to the dialogue, the fantastical locations, and the groundedness and heavy turn things can take really remind me of that game in the best ways. Even if you primarily play as John, Sam is the real lead here, as the story centers on her not just because of her mysterious origins and connections to a red-tinted spectral version of herself that talks quite villainously, but because of how infectious her energy and brightness is and how fun she is with every character, even her silent father figure John.
The game's combat is solid, though I do admittedly have my problems with it: sometimes there aren't enough i frames and you can just get combo'd into oblivion and hearts barely drop out in the world, leaving you to contend with a rough backpack size when it comes to storing items to heal you. One weapon you get you get startlingly late, but considering how strong it is, I can let it slide.
The cast of characters and the story itself is truly where it shines. Though it gets a bit exposition-y to explain some big things at the end, the way the story is handled is incredibly excellent, with some absolutely incredible shots to let the visual aspect do the talking over text. I didn't expect this game about a silly looking girl with big eyebrows and big red boots to have such a heartwarming and heartbreaking cast of characters. I won't go much more into it because of spoilers, but this features some really wonderful relationships between characters.
The locations are absolutely beautiful and varied, and it was a treat going to each new location and expanding upon the world from how we first see it in Potcrock Isle.
This game is, honestly, just a wonderful experience. Even my small complaints aren't enough to detract from my enjoyment playing the game. Great puzzles, great writing, great art, this is really an all-timer, and I 1000% recommend playing it the first chance you get. Sam is a character for the ages, and I'm so happy (and, well, heartbroken) to see her journey through.
I bought Eastward on sale, having no real idea what to expect, but knowing that it seemed interesting. It may seem like a "dad simulator," what with starring as gruff, perpetually silent John alongside his surrogate daughter and endless ball of joy and energy Sam, but it's so much more than that. If anything, while we hear a lot about indie RPGs being "Earthbound likes," I think this is the first one to really capture the essence and spirit of Mother 3. The air to the dialogue, the fantastical locations, and the groundedness and heavy turn things can take really remind me of that game in the best ways. Even if you primarily play as John, Sam is the real lead here, as the story centers on her not just because of her mysterious origins and connections to a red-tinted spectral version of herself that talks quite villainously, but because of how infectious her energy and brightness is and how fun she is with every character, even her silent father figure John.
The game's combat is solid, though I do admittedly have my problems with it: sometimes there aren't enough i frames and you can just get combo'd into oblivion and hearts barely drop out in the world, leaving you to contend with a rough backpack size when it comes to storing items to heal you. One weapon you get you get startlingly late, but considering how strong it is, I can let it slide.
The cast of characters and the story itself is truly where it shines. Though it gets a bit exposition-y to explain some big things at the end, the way the story is handled is incredibly excellent, with some absolutely incredible shots to let the visual aspect do the talking over text. I didn't expect this game about a silly looking girl with big eyebrows and big red boots to have such a heartwarming and heartbreaking cast of characters. I won't go much more into it because of spoilers, but this features some really wonderful relationships between characters.
The locations are absolutely beautiful and varied, and it was a treat going to each new location and expanding upon the world from how we first see it in Potcrock Isle.
This game is, honestly, just a wonderful experience. Even my small complaints aren't enough to detract from my enjoyment playing the game. Great puzzles, great writing, great art, this is really an all-timer, and I 1000% recommend playing it the first chance you get. Sam is a character for the ages, and I'm so happy (and, well, heartbroken) to see her journey through.
While Eastward looks and sounds amazing, it fails to capture anything else on that level. The gameplay in Eastward ends up being nothing too special and the story can have a lot to be desired. Each chapter of the game can have so much potential but it seems like it just moves on sometimes leaving major characters with no time to grow connections. I only wished Eastward would've expanded on the great ideas it had and maybe then it could've been a better game.
Classique jeu qui se renouvelle sans cesse, des mécanismes apparaissent régulièrement rendant impossible de s'en lasser. Histoire bien écrite sauf qu'on est une chialeuse qui peut pas rester concentré sur un dialogue plus de 10 secondes (matrixé par tiktok).
Bref, Classique jeu, excellent RPG, je recommande.
Bref, Classique jeu, excellent RPG, je recommande.
This review contains spoilers
Man...it's been quite a road to here. Eastward initially caught my eye two years ago in a Summer indie direct. The trailer music was banging, and the vibrant, detailed pixel art helped it stand out to me amongst all the revolving door of dull indie games.
If there's one thing I can't gush enough about Eastward, it's just how pretty it is. Seriously, I took like over 100 screenshots during my 23 hrs of playing because I could not help myself. I really enjoyed the puzzles, although it felt like the devs could have went a bit more ham with some of the level mechanics at points.
The combat really kills this game as it is just not very exciting or deep. The entirety of the game boils down to Sam for stun and john for job done. John's attack windup is also somewhat sluggish which makes dealing with swarming enemies a little annoying at times. I much preferred fighting the bosses over the mobs as I thought pretty much every boss was well designed, simple fun.
I am debating on whether or not if I like the overall story as it still feels very typical of the rpg "end of humanity/civilisation" trope. Regardless, I still found myself endeared to a couple of the characters and it helped me enjoy the adventure more.
This game isn't perfect but it is comfy, and sometimes that's all you really need.
If there's one thing I can't gush enough about Eastward, it's just how pretty it is. Seriously, I took like over 100 screenshots during my 23 hrs of playing because I could not help myself. I really enjoyed the puzzles, although it felt like the devs could have went a bit more ham with some of the level mechanics at points.
The combat really kills this game as it is just not very exciting or deep. The entirety of the game boils down to Sam for stun and john for job done. John's attack windup is also somewhat sluggish which makes dealing with swarming enemies a little annoying at times. I much preferred fighting the bosses over the mobs as I thought pretty much every boss was well designed, simple fun.
I am debating on whether or not if I like the overall story as it still feels very typical of the rpg "end of humanity/civilisation" trope. Regardless, I still found myself endeared to a couple of the characters and it helped me enjoy the adventure more.
This game isn't perfect but it is comfy, and sometimes that's all you really need.
extremely underrated masterpiece. 2021's goty for me. voted for this game in almost every single category on steam's goty award.
the graphics and visuals are un-fucking-believable, if i open up the game now, ill be flabbergasted, even if i've already played 40 hours of it.
The OST, too, is fucking PERFECT, you have perfectly writed songs for EVERY situation in the game.
I CAN NOT express enough, how good the artistic side of this game is.
the gameplay is simple, but it works wonders and it's simply fun, without unnecessary video-game-complexity. reminded me of old zelda games.
The story is really good, it isn't any MGS tho, it's like an old japanese anime or movie. It's kinda dark, silly, and keeps you entertained through the whole game. A good father-"daughter" relationship, as well as a dark mystery.
I should say tho, it isn't perfect, obivously. Sometimes, the pacing of the game gets completely fucked up because of some situation in the story that should be a side-quest or something. You are right at one of the climaxes of the story, and suddenly, you have to cook to some mafia mob??? what the fuck??? i know that they put that in the game so you could appreciate the little moments, but still... it should be a sidequest.
writing this while listening to the game's ost made me remember how good this shit was. from the bottom of my heart, a masterpiece.
literally everyone should at least give it a try, SPECIALLY folks who likes indie/old games and japanese things.
the graphics and visuals are un-fucking-believable, if i open up the game now, ill be flabbergasted, even if i've already played 40 hours of it.
The OST, too, is fucking PERFECT, you have perfectly writed songs for EVERY situation in the game.
I CAN NOT express enough, how good the artistic side of this game is.
the gameplay is simple, but it works wonders and it's simply fun, without unnecessary video-game-complexity. reminded me of old zelda games.
The story is really good, it isn't any MGS tho, it's like an old japanese anime or movie. It's kinda dark, silly, and keeps you entertained through the whole game. A good father-"daughter" relationship, as well as a dark mystery.
I should say tho, it isn't perfect, obivously. Sometimes, the pacing of the game gets completely fucked up because of some situation in the story that should be a side-quest or something. You are right at one of the climaxes of the story, and suddenly, you have to cook to some mafia mob??? what the fuck??? i know that they put that in the game so you could appreciate the little moments, but still... it should be a sidequest.
writing this while listening to the game's ost made me remember how good this shit was. from the bottom of my heart, a masterpiece.
literally everyone should at least give it a try, SPECIALLY folks who likes indie/old games and japanese things.
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
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
I really want to love this game! It's beautiful, got great characters, the puzzles are fun, combat is decent, and has a nice story. But four things prevent me from really loving it.
First, it is an extremely linear game with Xenogears Disk 2 levels of lengthy cutscenes. That's normally okay except between the very linear cutscenes and fetch quests there's also dungeons that are more Zelda-like with secrets and abilities and puzzles stuff, and there is zero ability to backtrack through them to collect things you miss. Those two things work but also clash with each other.
Second, there's also a tonal clash. It's somewhat humorous and funny and look at these monkeys on a train lol. It's also... extremely sad. Like characters will die and genocide is a thing in the game. The clash is weird.
Third, speaking of monkeys on a train: there's an entire mostly comedic chapter right before the final area. It's unnecessary and tedious and half of it is an annoying as hell stealth section. That's an entire star off right there. There's just way too much padding. There are times when the padding is interesting, but not enough times.
Lastly, while the boss designs (especially towards the end) are very good, there are several boss fights that are essentially quicktime events where you have to smash a button repeatedly and there are no accessibility settings for that. Boo.
Also there are a couple weirdly racist things like the floating meditating turbaned guy that serves as set dressing?!?!
So yeah, I mostly enjoyed my time through it and glad I finished it, but it was frustrating as some points and I just... don't love it.
First, it is an extremely linear game with Xenogears Disk 2 levels of lengthy cutscenes. That's normally okay except between the very linear cutscenes and fetch quests there's also dungeons that are more Zelda-like with secrets and abilities and puzzles stuff, and there is zero ability to backtrack through them to collect things you miss. Those two things work but also clash with each other.
Second, there's also a tonal clash. It's somewhat humorous and funny and look at these monkeys on a train lol. It's also... extremely sad. Like characters will die and genocide is a thing in the game. The clash is weird.
Third, speaking of monkeys on a train: there's an entire mostly comedic chapter right before the final area. It's unnecessary and tedious and half of it is an annoying as hell stealth section. That's an entire star off right there. There's just way too much padding. There are times when the padding is interesting, but not enough times.
Lastly, while the boss designs (especially towards the end) are very good, there are several boss fights that are essentially quicktime events where you have to smash a button repeatedly and there are no accessibility settings for that. Boo.
Also there are a couple weirdly racist things like the floating meditating turbaned guy that serves as set dressing?!?!
So yeah, I mostly enjoyed my time through it and glad I finished it, but it was frustrating as some points and I just... don't love it.
Scoring 0/5 on my “one star means it’s stuff worth it” method, eastward is upsetting.
It’s beautiful!
The character designs are charming!
The music is a constant rotation of bops!
The gameplay, when you get to, ya know, play it, is fun!
Unfortunately every single time you get into the groove it SCREECHES to a halt for several minutes of inane dialog. It’s no epic tale, no real story so much. Just blah blah blah.
I really wanted to like this one but I just cannot be bothered to try to stick around.
It’s beautiful!
The character designs are charming!
The music is a constant rotation of bops!
The gameplay, when you get to, ya know, play it, is fun!
Unfortunately every single time you get into the groove it SCREECHES to a halt for several minutes of inane dialog. It’s no epic tale, no real story so much. Just blah blah blah.
I really wanted to like this one but I just cannot be bothered to try to stick around.
Played up until the last part of the game… then dropped it. Don’t know why. It was your fun and charming and the pixel art is AMAZING! Character were charming and I really wanted to learn more about them and the world. Oh well maybe I’ll return to it someday.
holy fuck the boring dialogue... like... hours of boring unskippable dialogue. the combat is meh and the story is alright, until a character starts talking about seafood for 30 minutes fucking hell... and people compare it to loz..blasphemy istg
The Kojima-esque cutscene to gameplay ratio might be bearable if the dialogue didn't reek of half baked fanfiction. I looked past these annoyances until it set in that the combat was not at all entertaining, and the story seemed to be going nowhere fast. I adore the music and art style but I forced myself to play this game for about 4 hours before I couldn't bear the boredom anymore.
Played some 7 hours of it. Gameplay is a bit meh, but you're mostly around for the story, the characters and the vibe. It is very charming, but so incredibly slow that I just lost interest and cannot be bothered to pick it back up. I do love the characters, but a loop of having 2 min of dialogue followed by 5 min of going from point A to B with nothing interesting happening in between kinda gets old. It's really a shame because again it is very charming, and if the same characters in the same art style were in a slice-of-life show or something like that I would love it.
the artwork is stunning. New Dam City and it's citizens feel very alive.
This one's a tricky one, because the game has so much charm that it almost outweighs its negatives. The characters are absolutely wonderful, the art is amazing, the music is gorgeous, the game has some fun puzzles and great world design. However, the overarching story is lacking. It has a great setup, which is then marred by poor pacing, some nonsensical story beats, and a lack of any sort of conclusion for the majority of the story's setups. Additionally, while the moment to moment gameplay is fairly enjoyable, it does feel unfair when facing groups of enemies. However, despite these flaws, the game was still quite good, and I'm hopeful for what this team tackles next.
Picked this up during the Switch game trial and bought it near immediately after the trial ended.
Eastward is such a charming little game that manages to be haunting as well, both in the beautiful and scary sense. The spritework is positively gorgeous and the color palette manages to hit you in all the feels, from the bright colors of the cityscape to the dark & brooding miasma. The gameplay is simple enough (top-down Zelda inspired), though it's the characters that keeps the player engaged throughout the journey. There are just so many wonderful characters in this game: William, Lee, Alva, Isabel, and, of course, Sam. Although there were a few slower sections (Chapter 3 comes to mind), and the writing isn't the best, the game never fails to continue to drive momentum more and more...eastward, if you will, until the end. And though the ending does raise some questions that are left unanswered, the leadup to both the second to last and final bosses are both a ton of fun.
Overall this was a solid 9/10 experience that gets brought down to an 8/10 due to the random crashes that would happen to me throughout the game. I'm not sure if this is something unique to the Switch version, but if it is, I'd advise you to unfortunately play this game on another platform, if that sort of thing bugs you.
Eastward is such a charming little game that manages to be haunting as well, both in the beautiful and scary sense. The spritework is positively gorgeous and the color palette manages to hit you in all the feels, from the bright colors of the cityscape to the dark & brooding miasma. The gameplay is simple enough (top-down Zelda inspired), though it's the characters that keeps the player engaged throughout the journey. There are just so many wonderful characters in this game: William, Lee, Alva, Isabel, and, of course, Sam. Although there were a few slower sections (Chapter 3 comes to mind), and the writing isn't the best, the game never fails to continue to drive momentum more and more...eastward, if you will, until the end. And though the ending does raise some questions that are left unanswered, the leadup to both the second to last and final bosses are both a ton of fun.
Overall this was a solid 9/10 experience that gets brought down to an 8/10 due to the random crashes that would happen to me throughout the game. I'm not sure if this is something unique to the Switch version, but if it is, I'd advise you to unfortunately play this game on another platform, if that sort of thing bugs you.