Eastward is a great action-adventure game where the name of the game is actually what you do.
In this story-based game, you travel east to different towns and colonies while you try to run away from a calamity. The story plays out in a world that is already pretty advanced, with many robots who live among the civilization. Though the world almost feels post-apocalyptic. While you visit different places you get to know various different people, all of whom have their own personality and quirks.
The great pixel art is definitely one of the standouts from this game and I think it’s one of the best pixel art games out there.
The mechanics
At first the combat feels easy and simple, but as you progress further it gets harder and harder and you unlock more ways to combat enemies.
You control Sam, a little girl who shoots energy blasts that stun enemies, but do no damage. Additionally, you can control John: a bearded miner of many words who uses his frying pan and different utilities he gains over time.
Switching between characters is what makes the combat interesting and fun, though you can also split the characters up and play as them individually to solve puzzles and find secrets.
Overall, I’ll say the combat is fun and a joy to use. However, it can get a little boring over time. Fortunately, it seems the developers thought of this: you can always skip enemies and the bosses are always great fun with different ways to beat them. Pixpil did a great job developing the mechanics and keeping the game interesting.
Story based
This game is very story-based and there are many cutscenes and lots of dialogue, so if you don’t like that this game might not be for you.
Half of the game, you are walking around through the beautiful vibrant world solving someone’s problem in town, as well as finding rare items that you need for quests. For the other half you are watching the story unfold and talking to people.
The dialogue is well written and stays interesting. Just immersing yourself in the story, you will realise that the developers cared deeply to craft a compelling narrative to guide the player with.
Verdict
Eastward is a fun story game with great – albeit slightly repetitive – combat. I would highly recommend this game if you love pixel art games and don’t mind a good story.
As you make your way east, you cook, shoot, explore and make your way through a tale about calamities and friendship.
The tale has many twists and turns and I especially loved a part where you get to a train filled with monkeys called Monkollywood.
I really enjoyed my time with Eastward and it’s definitely worth the time to complete.
