THE MIASMAAA
This game is fun. I love this game. Even if it's flawed. Even if I can't understand shit. It's a great time.
Lets start with the bad. It can be a bit repetitive. And the story derails probably midway through. I still don't understand what the hell is going on. I'm torn on the ending. I... like it? Don't like it? It's complicated.
Also- the characters aren't as deep as I'd like. (Most of them, anyway.) But man if they aren't funny and entertaining.
Anyway- onto the good! Gameplay is fun! Art is absolutely beautiful. Sam and John are such a cute duo. I adore them so much.
I understand this game isn't for everyone. Again- the story is rather confusing. And the characters can be rather silly. It's... long. A little too long. Yet- is it weird that I loved every second of it?
Perhaps its the characters. Even the comic relief ones feel like people you might come across in your day to day life. They do all these shenanigans- and then drop some real serious shit out of the blue that make you go- wow. thats some nuance there. I really respect you, random citizen.
I also love that- when the story needs to get serious- it gets serious. (Even if you don't entirely understand what is happening.)
It's a memorable experience, at the very least, regardless of how you view it.
This game is fun. I love this game. Even if it's flawed. Even if I can't understand shit. It's a great time.
Lets start with the bad. It can be a bit repetitive. And the story derails probably midway through. I still don't understand what the hell is going on. I'm torn on the ending. I... like it? Don't like it? It's complicated.
Also- the characters aren't as deep as I'd like. (Most of them, anyway.) But man if they aren't funny and entertaining.
Anyway- onto the good! Gameplay is fun! Art is absolutely beautiful. Sam and John are such a cute duo. I adore them so much.
I understand this game isn't for everyone. Again- the story is rather confusing. And the characters can be rather silly. It's... long. A little too long. Yet- is it weird that I loved every second of it?
Perhaps its the characters. Even the comic relief ones feel like people you might come across in your day to day life. They do all these shenanigans- and then drop some real serious shit out of the blue that make you go- wow. thats some nuance there. I really respect you, random citizen.
I also love that- when the story needs to get serious- it gets serious. (Even if you don't entirely understand what is happening.)
It's a memorable experience, at the very least, regardless of how you view it.
pretty but so boring
Really liked the story and gameplay. Hoping we get a sequel seeing how it ended.
Played from – to: (2022-01-18 – 2022-02-07) – PC controller.
‣ 10/10 – It will all pan out in the end.
‣ Game Audio / Soundtrack - 10/10
‣ Graphics – 10/10
‣ Atmosphere – 10/10
‣ Main Story / Characters – 10/10
‣ Side Activities / Exploration – 10/10
‣ AI – 9/10
‣ Ragdolls / Physics – 10/10
‣ Movement – 8/10
‣ Combat – 8/10
‣ Final notes: It is rare for a game to have so many characters and make them feel unique and interesting. However, I am glad to announce that Eastward nailed it. Well maybe not the monkeys, but anyone else you meet will be great. They have their unique motivations, back stories, and fantastic visual design. Eastward shines in its artwork and carefully crafted facial animations and more. The journey I took with this game was long and very interesting. I won’t deny the story did leave me confused at times, especially when the time concept got introduced, but overall, it was great and really felt outstanding in the pile of 2021 games that I have played. Honestly, as you play the game you see how much love and care the developers put into this. I got nothing but praise for this apart from a few nitpicks here and there. The soundtrack is always fitting and memorable, beautiful even. Food cooking reminded me of Zelda but had its own use and we will leave it at that. My only complaint is the combat. Even if it is a big part of the game, something more puzzle like would’ve suited it more. The last few boss fights really showed how a more pattern-based combat could’ve been more enjoyable even if repetitive. I would have rather had pattern-based combat of some sorts than a one move-based combat. Yes, you have a nice arsenal of tools at your disposal, but in the end it all comes down to John swinging his pan in the same motion repeatedly. In any case, the nice balance between puzzle solving, fighting, and exploring made combat a nice change of pace and the boss fights were great that I am willing to accept the version we have even if I would have loved a dodge button. Overall Eastward is a very interesting game, at first, I had no idea what I had gotten myself into, but the more I played it the more invested I got. At times it felt like a children’s story and at times it rivaled the seriousness of games like God of War.
‣ 10/10 – It will all pan out in the end.
‣ Game Audio / Soundtrack - 10/10
‣ Graphics – 10/10
‣ Atmosphere – 10/10
‣ Main Story / Characters – 10/10
‣ Side Activities / Exploration – 10/10
‣ AI – 9/10
‣ Ragdolls / Physics – 10/10
‣ Movement – 8/10
‣ Combat – 8/10
‣ Final notes: It is rare for a game to have so many characters and make them feel unique and interesting. However, I am glad to announce that Eastward nailed it. Well maybe not the monkeys, but anyone else you meet will be great. They have their unique motivations, back stories, and fantastic visual design. Eastward shines in its artwork and carefully crafted facial animations and more. The journey I took with this game was long and very interesting. I won’t deny the story did leave me confused at times, especially when the time concept got introduced, but overall, it was great and really felt outstanding in the pile of 2021 games that I have played. Honestly, as you play the game you see how much love and care the developers put into this. I got nothing but praise for this apart from a few nitpicks here and there. The soundtrack is always fitting and memorable, beautiful even. Food cooking reminded me of Zelda but had its own use and we will leave it at that. My only complaint is the combat. Even if it is a big part of the game, something more puzzle like would’ve suited it more. The last few boss fights really showed how a more pattern-based combat could’ve been more enjoyable even if repetitive. I would have rather had pattern-based combat of some sorts than a one move-based combat. Yes, you have a nice arsenal of tools at your disposal, but in the end it all comes down to John swinging his pan in the same motion repeatedly. In any case, the nice balance between puzzle solving, fighting, and exploring made combat a nice change of pace and the boss fights were great that I am willing to accept the version we have even if I would have loved a dodge button. Overall Eastward is a very interesting game, at first, I had no idea what I had gotten myself into, but the more I played it the more invested I got. At times it felt like a children’s story and at times it rivaled the seriousness of games like God of War.
pretty sure i clocked more hours in the rpg mini-game than the actual main story. beautiful art style nonetheless
This review contains spoilers
This game's somewhat underwhelming in my opinion. It looks like something I would like and does start off promising in the first half. It has some of the best environmental design I've seen for a 2D game made in pixel art, decently memorable characters with varied and unique designs, a world that seems to be a mixture of Mother 3, NieR: Automata, and Futurama with a Japanese or Eastern code of paint, and decently fun dungeon and puzzle design as well as a nice cooking system and some good boss fights.
Unfortunately, it's everything after New Dam City (Chapters 3-5) that prevents the game from being as good as it could have been. I won't spoil anything but the story basically looses focus on what it's doing due to a specific character (hint: he's on the side of the promo art) that becomes more involved, resulting in many unanswered or unexplored questions by the end, the world feeling underdeveloped due to barely learning anything about it despite what the beginning presents, and the ending being rather unsatisfying. I still give it a 3/5 as the gameplay does remain consistent throughout, which is good but it's not enough to save the second half. Also one minor gripe I have personally: why did New Dam City need to have 3 chapters? The last two were nothing but dungeons with some plot developments and the first being the longest in the game (in a game with only 8 chapters). They all could have been 1 chapter, allowing for more cities or locations to be possibly explored.
So overall, it's still a good game, but it could have been much more and is one of the more disappointing games I've played.
Unfortunately, it's everything after New Dam City (Chapters 3-5) that prevents the game from being as good as it could have been. I won't spoil anything but the story basically looses focus on what it's doing due to a specific character (hint: he's on the side of the promo art) that becomes more involved, resulting in many unanswered or unexplored questions by the end, the world feeling underdeveloped due to barely learning anything about it despite what the beginning presents, and the ending being rather unsatisfying. I still give it a 3/5 as the gameplay does remain consistent throughout, which is good but it's not enough to save the second half. Also one minor gripe I have personally: why did New Dam City need to have 3 chapters? The last two were nothing but dungeons with some plot developments and the first being the longest in the game (in a game with only 8 chapters). They all could have been 1 chapter, allowing for more cities or locations to be possibly explored.
So overall, it's still a good game, but it could have been much more and is one of the more disappointing games I've played.
Really enjoyed my time playing this game. The art is gorgeous, the character designs are unique and the music is consistently fantastic. Moreover, the puzzles and dungeons are well thought-out and just challenging enough in my opinion. The cooking mechanic is also quite fun and encourages you to experiment with the many ingredients you can pick up at various stores in order to find all the recipes. The combat is decent, but sometimes frustrating, and definitely not the game’s strong suit.
Where it shines, however, are the characters. Sam is a charming lead who worms herself into your heart fast. She is talkative and full of life, but naïve and trusting to a fault at the same time. Hence, she complements the other main character, John, in a great way, as he is the silent, weary type with a heart of gold and distinctive protective streak. The side characters are pretty great too and feel alive with their own background stories and motives. Overall, the game is extremely narrative heavy and expects you to read a lot of dialogue. So if that’s not your thing, this game is probably not for you.
There is one chapter in the game that feels somewhat out of place (Once Upon a Time in Monkollywood). It really slows down the pacing of the story and features an exasperating stealth section. Otherwise, I enjoyed the story overall and its bittersweet conclusion. Although, I think the ending may probably be too vague and open-ended for many.
Sadly, the game crashed seven times during my entire playthrough. It mostly happened right after or before loading cutscenes. I never lost any real progression as the autosave feature is super solid. Still, it was a little annoying. So as others have already pointed out, probably play the PC or Xbox version instead if you have the choice.
Where it shines, however, are the characters. Sam is a charming lead who worms herself into your heart fast. She is talkative and full of life, but naïve and trusting to a fault at the same time. Hence, she complements the other main character, John, in a great way, as he is the silent, weary type with a heart of gold and distinctive protective streak. The side characters are pretty great too and feel alive with their own background stories and motives. Overall, the game is extremely narrative heavy and expects you to read a lot of dialogue. So if that’s not your thing, this game is probably not for you.
There is one chapter in the game that feels somewhat out of place (Once Upon a Time in Monkollywood). It really slows down the pacing of the story and features an exasperating stealth section. Otherwise, I enjoyed the story overall and its bittersweet conclusion. Although, I think the ending may probably be too vague and open-ended for many.
Sadly, the game crashed seven times during my entire playthrough. It mostly happened right after or before loading cutscenes. I never lost any real progression as the autosave feature is super solid. Still, it was a little annoying. So as others have already pointed out, probably play the PC or Xbox version instead if you have the choice.
digitando com os olhos fechados pra não ver povinho dando 3 pra essa perfeição bando de loucoooooooos
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
NSO Game Trials (Switch)
Me gustó bastante, aunque creo que tiene demasiados momentos en los que la historia se alarga con secciones y niveles innecesarios, además de que aunque me genera bastante intriga la historia, creo que es más de esas historias que se sobrecomplican demasiado y no saben atar los cabos.
Pero aún así lo disfruté bastante y tengo muchos más buenos recuerdos que malos.
Pero aún así lo disfruté bastante y tengo muchos más buenos recuerdos que malos.
Lo bueno:
Los gráficos son extremadamente bonitos y la música crea una atmósfera perfecta para el tono que intentan crear.
Parece que la historia "principal" es interesante
Tiene algunos detalles que, sin entrar en spoilers. muestran que los desarrolladores han puesto mucho cariño el apartado gráfico.
Los pocos puzles que vi no estaban mal, lástima que te los esparzan tanto.
Lo malo:
El sistema de combate es tan simple que prácticamente podrían eliminarlo. Aun así han decidido centrar el juego en torno al mismo, no me lo explico.
La historia principal parece interesante, pero te la cuentan con un ritmo pésimo y saturándola de personajes irrelevantes, genéricos, con diálogos totalmente ridículos o todas a la vez.
Los bosses son un chiste.
Que se corte el gameplay cada poco tiempo para enseñarte una animación de una puerta abriéndose para que tu personaje haga una pose puede ser gracioso la primera vez, pero a la tercera se convierte en algo cansino que rompe con la inmersión y el ritmo del juego.
Si tienes que poner un botón de cámara rápida en tus cinemáticas igual deberías de revisar si tienes un problema de ritmo.
Poner que los diálogos se pasen automáticamente en una historia contada a través de texto es criminal.
Resumen: no le pongo un 5 porque el arte y la música son buenos y confío en que la historia principal será interesante, pero está tan enterrado en unas mecánicas aburridas que no soy capaz de seguir jugándolo. He estado dos semanas para jugar algo menos de 5 horas porque sólo con pensar en jugarlo se me quitaban las ganas.
Los gráficos son extremadamente bonitos y la música crea una atmósfera perfecta para el tono que intentan crear.
Parece que la historia "principal" es interesante
Tiene algunos detalles que, sin entrar en spoilers. muestran que los desarrolladores han puesto mucho cariño el apartado gráfico.
Los pocos puzles que vi no estaban mal, lástima que te los esparzan tanto.
Lo malo:
El sistema de combate es tan simple que prácticamente podrían eliminarlo. Aun así han decidido centrar el juego en torno al mismo, no me lo explico.
La historia principal parece interesante, pero te la cuentan con un ritmo pésimo y saturándola de personajes irrelevantes, genéricos, con diálogos totalmente ridículos o todas a la vez.
Los bosses son un chiste.
Que se corte el gameplay cada poco tiempo para enseñarte una animación de una puerta abriéndose para que tu personaje haga una pose puede ser gracioso la primera vez, pero a la tercera se convierte en algo cansino que rompe con la inmersión y el ritmo del juego.
Si tienes que poner un botón de cámara rápida en tus cinemáticas igual deberías de revisar si tienes un problema de ritmo.
Poner que los diálogos se pasen automáticamente en una historia contada a través de texto es criminal.
Resumen: no le pongo un 5 porque el arte y la música son buenos y confío en que la historia principal será interesante, pero está tan enterrado en unas mecánicas aburridas que no soy capaz de seguir jugándolo. He estado dos semanas para jugar algo menos de 5 horas porque sólo con pensar en jugarlo se me quitaban las ganas.
É um jogo bom com alguns problemas claros em sua narrativa. Se você conseguir relevar esses pontos narrativos, o que sobra é uma ótima gameplay.
No es una obra maestra pero muy buen juego
single father simulator. amazing art and even has dragon quest
amazing music and visuals, with solid gameplay troughout. great world and characters, with a interesting story, that gets confusing towards the end, but still feels meaningfull
it ok
Cool art, interesting story, mostly not fun.
关卡设计有点拉 音乐和美术不错
This is a very special game.
Admito que tem qualidade, mas a gameplay foi bem sem graça para mim.
Очень классный пиксель арт, но геймплей и история слабые
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!!
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.
Absolutely beautiful pixel art but unfortunately I didn't find the narrative particularly compelling
Touching tale of a father who refuses to hug his daughter
Cool game that somewhat overstayed its welcome; and most of the areas of the game after New Dam City feel underbaked. pacing was odd but the art is beautiful and is a perfect 2d Zelda-like experience. Would have enjoyed more types of puzzles and items for said puzzles though, outside of weapons or bombs you don't get any new gadgets
Larga fetta del gioco non è scritta bene, il suo essere estremamente derivativo sotto ogni aspetto con mother 3 per giunta non aiuta. Si intuiscono sia i pregi (sostanzialmente l'estetica e più in generale l'uso della pixel art, ma anche la sua atmosfera molto nostalgica) ma questi non tengono in piedi il gioco, seppure devo dire che né i puzzle ne i combattimenti abbiano reali problemi il gioco mi crolla immediatamente sulla scrittura. Manca completamente l'aspetto tragico che una situazione del genere merita, si cerca di far provare empatia costruendo dei rapporti in 5 secondi. Il gioca ti urla, ti prega, di provare qualcosa per loro ma semplicemente è impossibile perché oltre alle scritture assolutamente anonime dei protagonisti anche i rapporti che hanno sia tra loro che altri sono acerbi. Comprendo comunque le ragioni di chi lo ama ben più di chi lo odia, perché per quel che riguarda estetica, citazionismo e nostalgia è stato realizzato un pacchetto ad hoc
ending flopped
I think I'm done with quirky Earthbound/Ghibli/Dragon Quest/Zelda-inspired RPGs after this