No seriously, the first thing you’ll notice of this game is: PIXEL ART. This game isn’t quite Breath of Fire 4 but it sure is trying to go up there with the greats. It is possibly the most cheesy thing one can say when it comes to a game like this because obviously there is some modern idea interventions across the design, but “This game brings me back” specifically to that weird period between 1996-2001 where you’d see Zelda clones around the 5th generation of videos, the few cult classics that got obscured by the ones that went fully to 3D but had this amazing blend of 2D detailed sprite artwork and 3D effects. It is so rare to see such passion put into a project nowadays like this, apparently this game took 5 years to make, and it really came out of nowhere for me, some were waiting a long time for it to come out but it just came out for me, I honestly pity all of the demographics for this game who would love to experience such a game which is just as good as what it is inspired from, but know nothing of it, seriously, don’t zelda fans beg every year for a game like this? Yeah uh, get back to me when you’ve played all of the Zelda clones on the Sega Saturn, no but really this is an indie game that is on par with the quality of a Nintendo title, it is no joke that it somehow manages to capture the innocent charm of those type of games, even though, I’d say the game reminds me of something else besides the obvious inspirations. Also, the game within the game is super fun. But don't let that discourage you! Eastward has a lot of heart, and I'd definitely recommend it to just about anyone. It definitely could have used another three or four months to iron out some small things that hamper the experience, and it would've been nice if a few more sections were playable instead of being cutscenes. Sometimes it's a little silly in how it does that, but it's generally in a fun way. But that's not a bad thing! The game does a pretty good job of justifying adventure gameplay with plot. Eastward bucks this and will have you spending two hours in a story section, 10 minutes of adventure gameplay, then another hour of story section, followed by an hour of adventure gameplay. The whole journey feels pretty uneven, but in kind of an interesting way? Most games have even mixes of gameplay, story sections, secondary gameplay type, etc. Less 0ĭo you want bizarre characters who grow on you over time? Beautiful art and a quirky soundtrack? Fun gameplay? COOKING MECHANICS?! Well, then maybe play this game. Switch version crashes every hour or two, though the game's constant auto-save function means you'll lose 2 minutes of gameplay at worst. Hopefully Pixpil will learn from Eastward and create a new game in the future that can be more fun to play through in its moment to moment. I can only hope one day that I can create something with as much love and care as was put into this title. It is genuinely the most gorgeous pixel art game I have ever played. Hopefully Pixpil will learn from … Moreĭespite these notable gameplay flaws, and its messy story, it is difficult to dislike a game with as much passion put into it as Eastward. But I digress.ĭespite these notable gameplay flaws, and its messy story, it is difficult to dislike a game with as much passion put into it as Eastward. These are the best regular enemies in the game as they employ more mechanics to defeat while mitigating damage. Most enemies can be dispatched with pan-spamming though a few late game enemies use erratic attack patterns to encourage use of Sam's magical stunning abilities. The best puzzles in the game typically revolve around controlling your two characers at once and splitting them up, though this only happens a handful of times. Saw gun is useful for the chapter it is introduced in, and one puzzle room in the future. Flamethrower stops being useful outside of 1 or 2 gameplay segments after its introduction. Original bombs become useless once remote bombs are handed over. In addition, puzzles remain relatively simple, and most do not return in meaningful ways or evolve in interesting degrees as the game chugs towards its conclusion. Unfortunately, the game is easy to break mechanically, and a lot of its attempted depth with combat is mitigated by how easy it is to eat food and face tank most attacks. The gameplay to dialogue ratio is bordering on unpleasant during its first 4 chapters, but this is remedied as the game progresses. The story, while a little confusing and messy, has core themes about the passage of time and moving on, which echo through its its characters and core plot.

Eastward release date