When I was a kid, I would read any book I could get my hands on - stories of astronauts, fantastical knights and wizards, strange and mysterious worlds, other kids in other places doing other things that I could only dream of. It's impossible to recall them all, yet I still get wisps of memories from time-to-time of forgotten books, characters, and scenes that float into my head like clouds forming fuzzy shapes for me to decipher before succumbing to the winds of time and memory and leaving me again. It's a strange sensation to feel nostalgia, wonder, and comfort from universes I'll never fully remember, but I am always left with some sense of longing. Eastward personifies and projects this feeling.

Although the actual gameplay of Eastward resembles, and was marketed as, the top-down Zelda formula of Link to the Past, that really isn't where the game's success lies. In fact, through most of the game you won't be exploring dungeons, solving puzzles, or swapping through your weapons. You'll be doing, well, nothing. You'll run errands, chat with characters, and learn about the world you've been dropped into. Eastward's charm is its greatest achievement - this strange, mish-mash universe of science-fiction, post-apocalyptic dystopia, high-fantasy, parody, and everything in between. The pixel art is obviously beautiful upon first glance, but the art design of the world itself has a unique yet familiar quality that comes off as pure magic. The soundtrack by Joel Corelitz similarly impresses and seems at once brand new yet nostalgic. Many of the songs he has crafted are not just impressive for a video game soundtrack, but on a song-writing level as well. So many tracks are packed completely full with emotion, build-up, and soulfulness that lend an otherworldly quality to Eastward. These things, the art design and soundtrack, are how Eastward tangibly interacts with the player, and they lay the ground work for everything else, specifically when anchoring the emotional impact of the game's characters.

There is a lot of dialogue in Eastward. Much of it is charming and endearing towards both the world-at-large as well as the characters involved, using humor to alleviate the darker tones of the story, much like one of the game's influences, Earthbound. This is not a game that can be pushed through to get through to the action bits. The best course of action is just to relax and give yourself over to the game - become the silent go-with-the-flow character that John is. I do recommend setting the text speed to fast in the menu, but ultimately enjoyment of the game will come from how much you like the characters and dialogue. Which works well because they are endearing when they need to be endearing, tragic when tragedy is needed, and frustrating when conflict arises. I was honestly surprised how much I cared about most of the characters, how angry I was with the antagonists, and how much I absolutely adored Sam. I began the game thinking that I would have fun swinging a pan and meet some funny characters, and ended with a lump in my throat. Eastward understands its strengths lie in emotion and connection and shows no fear in choosing to make you feel rather than understand when unpacking its main narrative. Its storytelling style does leave the player with a lot of work, but I think this is actually a good thing - it allows players to be able to make their own meaning of the world and its characters' choices. It also allows, particularly in the later stages of the game, for exploration into the esoteric - it's more important for things to be grounded in emotion and feeling rather than concrete reality. This willingness to go weird, as well as the art design and OST, give Eastward a dreamlike quality that is both beautiful and compelling.

Though the game heavily tilts towards dialogue and character-rich storytelling, when actual gameplay emerges, it is exciting and fun. The combat follows the standard top-down Zelda format with a melee option, ranged option, and bombs to switch between, as well as a few items and abilities used for puzzle solving. The bare bones combat acts as a one-two combo between Sam's ability to freeze enemies, and John's ability to shoot, smash, slice, and burn enemies. Weapons are upgradeable for both damage and ammo, and Sam has several hidden puzzle dungeons in which to find and upgrade abilities. Eastward does have quite a large enemy variety for such a simple combat system as well, which helps keep things from getting stale. As far as combat difficulty, I found it fairly moderate-to-easy for all things, including most bosses. Health pickups are given out regularly at low-health, and there is a cooking system which allows you to make health-replenishing items for cheap. The puzzles themselves are much the same - not terribly difficult, but interesting enough to mix things up and require a solid plan to execute. The game does get more difficult as it goes on, and I do believe a dodge action would be a welcome addition to the combat, but encounters are always manageable, especially if you've bothered to upgrade your weapons. This level of difficulty does make the bosses more fun experiences in storytelling and combat rather than challenges of skill, though it is still fulfilling to capture a victory. The game also mixes up the action by providing short chase sequences as well as a stealth sequence, so slamming enemies with a pan is not always your best option.

Eastward can come off as a bit of a fever dream at times, in the best way possible. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and yet it still contains emotional weight within its narrative and character arcs. The world truly feels alive with many small spiraling events, concepts, and people. The sheer amount of dialogue may mean that the game is not for everyone, but those that do enjoy it may find themselves lost in a new, unique story of charm, curiosity, and cast-iron.

Reviewed on May 28, 2022


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