Eastward

I finished this game and I liked it, before I saw the ending.. I never understood how a little piece of content at the end could destroy all good past expirience, until Eastward showed me. The ending negated the whole adventure for me, as if it were all a dream of some dog [spoiler], a dog named John [/spoiler] [spoiler] At the end, all that charming characters we met died, all beautiful places we've been in our way was destroyed, and that would be fine, if not one of the most important characters, who survived with John, who was like a daughter for him and for us, Sam, doesn't remember our adventure or even John at the end, it's like it all was just a John's dream, and any of that never existed, or even worse, like all that feelings that Sam had for every character we met, for every loss we had been through, for all that happend to us and all that personal growth she had in that adventure were fake, like she never truly cared for any of that [/spoiler] At the end, even if I liked this game while I was playing it, ending just ruined it, I wanted at least answers but all I got is feeling that all that hours I spend on the story and characters was worthless

It's a cute game, but after 10 hours played it hasn't grabbed me. The combat is fine, the puzzles are extremely easy. There's too much walking and talking for my liking; I inevitably got impatient with how long it takes to get through scenes with no actual gameplay. The gameplay is fit for children (not an insult), but as a kid I would have gotten bored with the dialog.

Eastward is a beautiful contradiction: a post-apocalyptic world brimming with color, a melancholy story told with whimsy, and a retro-style game that feels fresh. Developed by Shanghai-based studio Pixpil, Eastward takes you on a heartfelt, occasionally haunting journey with two unforgettable protagonists—John and Sam. It’s equal parts EarthBound, Zelda, and Studio Ghibli, but manages to carve out a space that’s entirely its own. The narrative follows silent, stoic John and the energetic, mysterious Sam as they leave the underground town of Potcrock Isle and venture eastward (yes, the title is literal) through a world ravaged by the toxic Miasma. As they travel, they meet quirky NPCs, battle monsters, and uncover a surprisingly deep mystery. The writing is clever, heartfelt, and often bittersweet. Characters feel alive and distinct—even the minor ones. While the plot occasionally veers into convoluted territory near the end, its emotional core remains strong throughout. At its heart, Eastward is an action-adventure game with real-time combat, environmental puzzles, and light RPG mechanics. You control both John and Sam—swapping between them to solve puzzles and fight enemies: -John uses frying pans, bombs, and flamethrowers (yes, really). -Sam wields psychic powers that can freeze enemies or activate switches. Combat is simple but satisfying, especially when you're using both characters strategically. The puzzles are clever without being frustrating, and boss battles are well-designed and memorable. There’s also a fully playable in-game RPG called Earth Born, a loving tribute to Dragon Quest, complete with pixel loot and random encounters. It’s surprisingly addictive—and a meta-game worth exploring on its own. This is where Eastward absolutely shines. The pixel art is some of the best in modern gaming—rich in detail, lush in color, and expressive in emotion. Every town, train station, and decaying ruin is crafted with care. It’s like watching a moving painting. The soundtrack by Joel Corelitz (of The Unfinished Swan and Death Stranding) is equally stunning—sometimes nostalgic, sometimes eerie, always evocative. It enhances the atmosphere and story beats perfectly. Highlights: -Masterfully detailed pixel art -Deep, emotional storytelling with strong worldbuilding -Fun, accessible puzzles and combat -Excellent character development and dialogue -One of the best soundtracks in indie gaming Drawbacks: -Some pacing issues—especially in the second half -Minor backtracking can get tedious -Combat, while fun, doesn’t evolve much over time -Ending may feel abrupt or confusing for some Eastward is a love letter to classic gaming wrapped in a gorgeous, melancholic package. It’s not just nostalgia—it’s thoughtful storytelling, artistic ambition, and charming gameplay. It doesn't try to reinvent the genre; instead, it refines it with care and creativity. If you’re a fan of character-driven adventures with a mix of action and heart, Eastward is a journey worth taking. Recommended for fans of EarthBound, Zelda: A Link to the Past, pixel art lovers, and anyone who enjoys thoughtful indie storytelling with a touch of sci-fi weirdness. Rating: 8/0

Do not buy this game. It has so many crashes that have been going on for years and the game devs stopped responding or fixing anything. In my case I wasn't even able to finish the prologue and the game crashed making it impossible to keep playing past certain point. I've tried rebooting the PC, uninstalling the game and reinstalling it on the Steam page, deleting my first played file and starting the game again. Nothing works.

Eastward is a game that does not live up to its potential. The art is stunning. The setting seems interesting. Several gameplay elements are creative and fun. However, the game overall is just not fun. The writing is not good, and the control is very annoying if you don't have a controller. I tried to finish this game to give it a more thorough review, but I just couldn't get myself to play it anymore. In one of the starting screens of this game, it says something like this: “for the best gameplay experience, use a controller". The truth is, for PLAYABLE gameplay experience, use a controller. Lots of combat and puzzle solving involve directing your weapon to a specific angle and using a mouse to do that is an absolute nightmare. There is a lot of coordination between WASD and the mouse, and the design of this game penalizes you for not getting the perfect coordination. For example, John, one of the protagonists you play, will need to swing a frying pan to launch a bomb you drop across a barrier. Sometimes, I had my mouse at 2'o clock and John facing 3'o clock, but the character would look like he's swinging the pan to hit at 3'o clock. What happened was the bomb did not fly into the 2’o clock direction, and it failed to trigger a switch. This problem can be avoided by having a bomb throwing mechanism that is triggered by a hotkey, and then the player can use the mouse to aim the bomb. Throwing a bomb also makes more sense than using a fry pan to launch a bomb. After getting frustrated with this game, I borrowed my friend’s controller to play it once, and the game became significantly easier, since one joystick would control both the character's movement and the aiming direction, and the joystick would also give you more diverse directions compared to WASD. So, if you don’t have a controller, stay away from this game. Another big issue with this game is that it is boring. The gameplay is lacking, and many contents are just fillers. I have played two chapters. There are dungeons in each chapter, but there’s no incentive for you to go in there, since your characters John and Sam would not gain experience or loot from combat. Before you can trigger the boss fight in these dungeons, you have to go through scenes that are irrelevant to the main plot to progress. These scenes are also badly written and unskippable. In one chapter, the game even told me to find something to do to pass time, except there’s nothing to do in game. There is no side quest. Talking to the NPCs won’t do anything. I really want to continue playing this game because I like the pixel art a lot, but the gameplay and story are so lackluster that they deter me from playing.

The game has problems here and there but I think eastward one of the best on pc of it's genre, the gameplay of stunning enemies with sam and then beating up with john is pretty solid throughout the game. Some parts feel too long at times but they don't overstay their welcome too much. Overall, especially with the DLC, this game's pretty awesome

This is an amazing adventure. The soundtrack is great and the combat feels strangely similar to a game called Spiral Knights. Which is a good thing because it lacks all the problems Spiral Knights has. The soundtrack for this game is the best part, which is saying something because the rest is already great. One of my favorite games. If you've got a bit of time and are looking for an adventure that's a bit cryptic but awesome, try this.

This game is one of my absolute favorites. The graphic is cute, the music is very well done, the characters are lovable and the story keeps you invested. The only points that i could critizise are the difficulty. I wouldnt have mind different difficulty setting so make the game a bigger challenge, at least the bossfights that is. The other thing is that the text in the speechbubbles sometimes go with a high speed that make reading them hard and reading them out loud, while i was streaming, impossible. But these are just minor things. Overall i can only recommand the game.

Absolutely lovely little game. One of my favourite games ever after playing it. The art is amazing and I really enjoyed taking my time and just taking in the game slowly, talking to each NPC, looking at the world, enjoying what was going on. I enjoyed that the game wasn't just all slice of life, but also not just a constant high stakes plot, there's a bit of both in the game. The gameplay wasn't anything special, but it also isn't as bad as a number of people seem to claim. Going into the game with tempered expectations, much like many things, is recommended. Just keep an open mind, don't expect too much but also don't expect too little. That's a good way to ruin things for yourself.

Needs either more DLC or a full on sequel. Rich with story and the gameplay on it's own is also very fun as well. Cannot stop recommending this masterpiece to people LOL.

I really love this game. Sam and John are so cute, and the fighting mechanic was fun and smooth to play. My only critique is the story is that kind of nonsensical story that you can only understand the basics of what is going on. Everything else is so convoluted I was really lost. The writing is funny though, and even though there is a lot of unnecessary filler, it never felt boring. It just felt confusing. I would definitely recommend it though. The main characters, art style, and game play are all amazing.

It is an amazing game and I would highly recommend it to others

just finished chapter one. this game has beautiful pixel art, compelling storyline, engaging dialogue, fun gameplay...love it, looking forward to chapter 2.

- It's a pretty good game if you're looking for medium length story telling game. - the gameplay itself is pretty simple, a puzzle that aren't so hard but the combat feel a little bit wonky because all you can do in combat is a normal attack and a charged attack there's no dodge or parry and the control is a little bit confused tho. - for the art style is absolutely good, from map to character design i really like how each character express them self for how they are, who they are, i also like how quirkiness for some character, and the art for each map is pretty good, each area really has their own character. - for story i mean it's good, the game introduce you a slow story progression to let you get to know each characters that the game introduce you at that time while it's continue to reveal it's plot, the plot itself is pretty great slightly twist but sometime the game introduce you some potential story elements but refuse to explain further and continue just like that but overall it's a good story with a little bit of confusing element(FOR ME).

Its a good game, much more than what I expected when going in. The fighting mechanics I think is what really is one of the stars of the show, amazingly satisfying pan-wielding. The exploration aspect is great. What I consider a minus is the extensive amount of lore-dumping and just slop, I ended up skipping most of the conversations in the end-game.

+ Art style is amazing + I love the charcter design of John (he never talks but he is chill) + Good for people who like to talk to a lot of random characters (I would hate to miss something) + I like the cooking system. (Combine ingredients of different "classes" to get a new recipe etc...) o Story is alright. The premise is nothing new but i like that its kind of myterious and weird?! especially in the beginning - The fighting feels a little bit weird. There is no proper way to block and no real dodge mechanic. That would have made it a bit more dynamic.

The artwork is absolutely breathtaking and somehow gets better throughout the story. The storyline begins as something sweet and harmless, then takes a dramatic turn. I think it’s overall very poetic. A lot of people say the story is confusing, but I find talking to all the NPCs helps move the story forward. It’s definitely not a straightforward story. It requires the player to put all the pieces together and pay close attention to the dialogues. Didn’t expect to love the game so much. Loved it so much I left my first review

If you like old school zelda/adventure games, then this is the game for you. The characters are all really enjoyable, the gameplay fun, and the story is great for an indie game. 10/10

Amazing story with a amazining artstyle. I love the story. I cant comment much without spoiling anything

Eastward was a delightful, dark, and hopeful experience filled with an amount of personality that will live rent free in your mind for days if not weeks after you finish it. If you are a fan of character-centric adventures, I'd highly recommend picking this up.

Pretty ass pixel game from an indie team, but story is mid

beautiful experience i wish to delete my memory and play it again

Mid section of the game is a little slow. Nice ending. 6/10

Beautiful Art Style. Amazing Soundtrack. Charming NPCS. Cool storyline.

画风真好看！！剧情很很完美呜呜呜！很喜欢！！！！

its called eastward cuz u travel east. get it

looks good, plays like shit

Love Pixel Games? you cant die without playing this

Absolutely breathtaking experience

10/10 great game!!!!

Excellent game!

This Game is hidden Gem.

its fun