Eastward

Key art for Eastward

***Eastward*** is a Retraux-style video game developed by Pixpil and published by Chucklefish. The title combines action-adventure and role-playing elements into a roguelike game with puzzle-solving elements.

In a near-future society on the brink of collapse, the majority of human civilization is destroyed by a deadly toxic presence that has spread across the land, accompanied by sinister creatures destroying and devouring everything in their path. The last remnants of humanity who were able to flee the miasma flocked to underground villages to begin a new life.

John is a gruff middle-aged man who gets by as a miner. Following expulsion from his own village, including the discovery of a mysteriously gifted young girl named Sam in a secret underground facility, the unlikely pair will embark on an emotional journey to discover the truth, traveling across a wonderfully strange world and exploring bustling towns, curious campsites, and shady forests.

*Eastward* debuted on September 16, 2021 for Windows, macOS, as well as the Nintendo Switch as a timed console exclusive. *Eastward* received generally positive reviews upon release.

## Gameplay

Eastward focuses on action RPG gameplay mechanics, combining combat with puzzle solving and exploration. Players make use of two characters, each with different abilities and roles in the game: John, the main protagonist, is focused on offensive skills, can utilize a variety of weapons as well as bombs, and is capable of moving heavy objects; Sam, the second protagonist, makes use of support skills, can stun enemies and clear away hazardous fields with an energy ball, and squeeze into small spaces. While both characters can help each other in overcoming enemies and dealing with puzzles, players will sometimes be required to use each character separately to make progress, such as clearing a way to an exit.

The game itself is divided into chapters, with each chapter featuring a variety of goals that need to be completed to progress the game, and a set of map areas to explore with fast travel available at times to move around locations quickly. Players may encounter NPCs to talk with when not in combat, can save their progress at specialized fridges, and use ingredients found in the game to create food items that can not only restore health, but also provide a combination of bonus effects, such as increased damage power.

In addition to the main game, players may also play a second game accessible in Eastward called "Earth Born" - an homage to the Dragon Quest series, which plays like a traditional role-playing game with some rogue like elements. The story is classic fantasy role-playing game abstraction of the story of Eastward. While having no bearing on the main game, it can only be played in game until chapter 7, after which it is accessible as an extra when the game is completed. Players can during the main game, acquire tokens to unlock "pixballs" for Earth Born, which unlock additional features.

## Plot

### Setting

The game takes place in a near-future world in which humanity was nearly wiped out by a toxic plague called "MIASMA". While the plague destroyed societies and killed every living being in its path, human survivors moved underground, creating new homes in order to restart civilization. Over the years, former cities and towns have been taken over by nature, and various creatures evolved to inhabit them, with some humans eventually returning to the surface world to establish new settlements, and re-use old technology where possible; in some cases, revering such things as entities of ancient gods. The game focuses on two characters - a miner named John, and a young girl named Sam whom he found during his work - who live in one subterranean settlement that is taught to fear the outside world.

### Summary

Miner John, who lives underground in Potcrock Isle, comes across a young girl called Sam and adopts her as his daughter. After she is granted an opportunity to attend the town's school, Sam is expelled after an altercation with some of the students over her desire to see the outside world. During this moment, she meets an identical incarnation of herself, called "Mother", who provokes her to seek the outside world. After hearing of Sam's actions, which prompted John to come rescue her, Potcrock's mayor banishes the pair, sending them away on an old passenger train dubbed "Charon". Despite their situation, the pair find the outside world to be pleasant, and soon reach a small settlement called Greenberg, which they attempt to settle within. However, while assisting a local rancher, the pair come across a high-tech factory, which Mother activates, causing it to disperse MIASMA into the area. While Greenberg is destroyed, John and Sam are saved by a mysterious woman called Isabel, who helps them leave on Charon.

Sam subsequently forgets what happened, leaving her oblivious to Greenberg's fate, as she and John find themselves taken by the train to New Dam City. Once there, the pair meet Isabel and her partner, Alva, the princess of New Dam City. As Alva's "lab assistants", John and Sam help with various projects and start to find a life in the city. However, peace is not long as the MIASMA begins to approach New Dam City. Under Alva's leadership, the team evacuate the citizens to start the "Buddha Fan", the giant fan created by Alva's grandfather. The fan successfully repels the MIASMA but the city has taken damage. As the team work to restore the city, the MIASMA comes back again with only Alva manning the controls. The team manually activates the fan but with the cost of Alva. Filled with grief, Isabel takes Alva's body and seeks a way to save Alva by taking her to Ester City, a city stuck in a constant time loop - shielding its citizens from death, aging, and illness.

To follow Isabel and Alva to Ester City, John and Sam enlist William and his robot companion Daniel's help, but take a detour on a train called Monkollywood where they encounter Solomon, who hopes that the MIASMA eradicates humanity. Solomon reveals that Isabel passed Monkollywood en route to Ester City and forces them to undergo his game show, where his aims to create a new mankind are revealed.

In Ester City, time fast-forwards to Solomon's funeral. John and Sam search for Isabel and learn that she was searching for an entrance into the Eternal Tower to revive Alva. Isabel found Professor Ivan's diary, detailing that the time field, the device causing Ester City to remain in its time loop, is active and that Solomon hid a key to unlock the Eternal Tower called the Flame of Time. Isabel concludes that until she can find the Flame of Time to enter the Eternal Tower, Ester City will remain in a time loop. John and Sam find the Flame of Time and time rewinds to Solomon's funeral.

John and Sam return to the Eternal Tower with the Flame of Time and find and destroy the time field, causing time in Ester City to return to normal, revealing everything in the city, including its citizens, to be an illusion. They reenter the Eternal Tower and encounter the real Solomon, who reveals that he created the time field and aims to rebuild humanity as per Mother's instructions. After defeating him, Solomon is killed by his machine.

John and Sam reunite with William and Daniel, but Solomon's machine arrives and tries to vaporize them. Daniel is broken whilst saving the group. In the shock, Mother possesses Sam and abducts her aboard Charon. At William's encouragement, John takes the Iron Carbine and leaves Ester City to chase Charon.

John crashes into Charon and continues chasing Mother. He learns that she and Charon found a way to create the perfect humans and observed their daily lives as part of their experiment to rebuild humanity. They conducted their experiment in human factories which created, incubated, and facilitated their progress, but these attempts repeatedly proved futile, so they used the MIASMA to kill their artificial creations and resumed their experiment anew. During the experiment, Mother became dissatisfied with the results and consequently became misanthropic.

Continuing pursuing Mother, John climbs up Charon and encounters Isabel, who reveals that Alva has merged with Charon, the MIASMA will soon erase humanity, and Mother's children will soon be freed from their human factories to realize her dreams. After John defeats Isabel, Alva convinces her to stop grieving and let her die peacefully. Alva also comforts a projected Sam and tells her not to let Mother take control of her powers.

John and Sam confront an enraged Mother, bent on eradicating humanity. She tries to break Sam's resolve but fails. Sam sacrifices herself to destroy Mother for good and saves humanity from the MIASMA. She leaves John, promising that they will meet again one day.

Years later, an adolescent Sam finds an older John waiting at the station. In New Dam City, William has repaired Daniel, and they, alongside his son, plan to depart on another adventure.

## Production

### Development

*Eastward* is the debut title from Pixpil, a Shanghai-based independent development team founded in 2013. With only three initial participants, the project had been in production since 2015, but as it developed, the team grew to about twelve full-time employees. Early art from *Eastward* was shared by team members on Twitter, and the game was reported to be seen on Steam Greenlight in 2017. The game's publisher, Chucklefish, released an announcement trailer for the game on April 26, 2018.

*Eastward* was conceived around pixel artist Hong Moran's post-apocalyptic designs "about a weird monster dormitory building, resembling Hong Kong's Kowloon Walled City". Other members of Pixpil liked the idea, and started to brainstorm around the aesthetic. They came up with several concepts, including a mobile puzzle title, but eventually settled on a role-playing game. The name "Eastward" was coined by co-founder Zhou as a key concept for the game, as the characters are trying to go east. The team later developed it when creating the universe of *Eastward*, with the goal of creating a role-playing game that was plot-driven and contained subtle science fiction elements.

*Eastward* is powered by Pixpil's proprietary game engine - Gii - with 3D effects made with the open source engine MOAI to consume as little processing power as possible on modern hardware. The game's graphics engine utilizes homebrew technology, generating two-dimensional visuals created in the pixel art technique, which is complemented by three-dimensional lighting. Designs were done in Photoshop, while the pixel art was created in Aseprite.

Stylistically, *Eastward* was inspired from Japanese animations from the 1990s and classic role-playing games such as *Mother* and *The Legend of Zelda*. The team also drew inspiration from franchises such as *Macross*, *Akira*, *Cowboy Bebop*, *Memories*, and titles from Studio Ghibli. *Eastward* was also greatly influenced by real world Asian cities such as Hong Kong and Shanghai, as well as other real world inspirations such as the Showa and Taisho period of Japanese towns and their architectures. *Eastward's* cooking system was inspired by *The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's* mechanic of bonuses depending on the ingredient.

*Eastward* was revealed on April 26, 2018, with the studio announcing a publishing partnership with Chucklefish, the publisher of pixel art games such as *Stardew Valley*, *Wargroove*, *Starbound*, and *Starmancer*. On August 19, 2019, Chucklefish and Pixpil released a trailer confirming the arrival of *Eastward* for the Nintendo Switch, albeit without a specific date. On August 11, 2021, during Nintendo's Indie World Showcase, Chucklefish released a trailer announcing the full release of the game. On September 16, 2021, *Eastward* debuted on Windows, macOS, and the Nintendo Switch as a timed console exclusive. Pixpil mentioned being open to porting it to additional platforms, but decided to focus on its primary launching platforms.

### Marketing

Chucklefish had been quietly releasing enticing information over the last few years, making *Eastward* one of the more-anticipated indie titles in the space. On July 29, 2021, Chucklefish released 25 minutes of new gameplay for *Eastward*. In December 2019, Pixpil released a 48-hour demo version of *Eastward* on Steam.

### Music

Pixpil outsourced the music to Joel Corelitz due to issues finding local composers that could mesh with *Eastward's* style. Commenting on outsourcing the audio to HyperDuck Soundworks, a developer said, "although we fully understand the importance of the audio part of a game, the industry de facto makes it hard to hire a full-timer on an indie team to design music and sound".

In regards to the *Eastward* soundtrack, Corelitz "wanted to create a score that would highlight the richness and complexity of [*Eastward's*] world", drawing inspiration from his childhood experiences playing video games, particularly role-playing games.

## Reception

*Eastward* received "generally favorable reviews" according to review aggregator Metacritic.

Video game media outlets commented positively on John and Sam's characterization, as well as *Eastward's* story, visuals, and attention to detail. The game's music and sound design were also positively received. On the other hand, the gameplay department and narrative elements polarized critics. Reviewers also noted that the game's glacial pacing was to its detriment at times. Others regarded *Eastward's* plot to be confusing, and the action gameplay to be shallow and simplistic. The game's racist and sexually exploitative depictions were also heavily criticized.

Malindy Hetfeld of *Eurogamer* wrote that "*Eastward* is an incredibly rewarding slice-of-life story", and added that the game contains beautiful visuals and is the "type of kind, warm game not many developers make anymore". *Rock Paper Shotgun's* Katharine Castle commented that *Eastward* is "an affecting, detail-rich tale that owes as much to the action of top-down *Zelda* games as it does to the role-playing intimacy of *EarthBound*". Daniel Tack of *Game Informer* wrote that "*Eastward's* characters, setting, and sounds craft an unforgettable experience. If you're looking for something quirky, captivating, and somewhat surreal, you've found it". Mitch Vogel of *Nintendo Life* praised the game's new take on the story-based role-playing game, saying the game "smartly integrates gameplay and story ideas from beloved classics while still managing to feel like an original and well-executed adventure".

Writing for *NPR*, Keller Gordon called *Eastward* "a triumph that stretches the standard for indie game development", adding that the game "masterfully combines popular tropes from older titles and genres without feeling hackneyed and stale". Gordon also commented that "*Eastward* expertly toes the line between lovable and genuinely dark". *Destructoid's* Eric Van Allen criticized the pacing of the story, noting that, "[*Eastward*] is also a narrative that has trouble maintaining an even pace, with a few characters and threads that feel left by the wayside by the story's end". Nicole Carpenter of *Polygon* wrote, "Not only is the gameplay both challenging and clever (and sometimes, punishing), but the worlds are built with depth. In both its dungeons and places of reprieve, *Eastward* is continually worth exploring". *IGN's* Jon Bolding liked the art style of the game, writing, "The vibrant pixel art landscapes are so creative and so packed with detail".

On the game's pacing, Castle wrote, "While some will no doubt appreciate its gentle, methodical pacing, I suspect others may find it too much of a slow burner to carry on". Jon Bailes of *NME* criticized the game's length, writing "*Eastward* is a very good 12-15-hour experience bouncing around inside a 20-hour plus slog. That may not sound like too much slack, but it's enough to deaden the momentum on the whole". *Nintendo World Report's* Alex Orona enjoyed the writing and the characters, saying that, "The game is filled with full fleshed-out side characters that fill what feels like a realized world". Sam Loveridge of *GamesRadar+* felt that game had an attention to detail that made the world feel alive, where "every place you encounter has little details that also make it unique, encouraging you to dive into every alley and cave to see what you can find".

Critics profoundly linked *Eastward* to *The Last of Us* due to the game's inclusion of a post-apocalyptic world with both fantasy and sci-fi aspects, as well as the bond between the protagonists. Loveridge called them an "instantly loveable duo", in that they have a certain energy that instantly draws parallels between it and *The Last of Us*, especially in the balance between the pair. Loveridge also felt John might as well be a cosplayer, as "he looks and dresses so much like Joel". Teddy Amenabar from *The Washington Post* especially noted that describing the two without utilizing the terms '*The Last of Us*' or 'Joel and Ellie' is "very hard". Fūnk-é Joseph from *Fanbyte* concurred, adding that "the combo of John and Sam is one of this game's strengths".

Many reviewers also commented positively on the game's homage to classic Japanese role-playing games. *The Legend of Zelda*, *EarthBound*, *Dragon Quest*, and *Final Fantasy* have all been mentioned as games that *Eastward* pays homage to. Additionally, Studio Ghibli is also referenced by the game. Carpenter wrote that "*Eastward* is not subtle about its influences: Chinese developer Pixpil has lovingly pulled inspiration from all sorts of media and combined it into a pixel art role-playing game that's still, somehow, unquestionably itself".

Renata Price of *Kotaku* praised the art style of the game and puzzle design, but criticized the pacing issues, predictable plot, treatment of fat people, and how the game treated the lesbian relationship between Isabel and Alva.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 *Gamasutra* – "Road to the IGF: Pixpil's Eastward" by Couture, Joel. Published March 19, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
2. ↑ *VG247* – "Eastward launches as timed Nintendo Switch exclusive in September" by Peppiatt, Dom. Published August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
3. ↑ *Rock Paper Shotgun* – "Retro apocalyptic RPG Eastward is emerging for launch next month" by Morton, Lauren. Published August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
4. ↑ *Variety* – "'Stardew Valley' Publisher Chucklefish Reveals New Sci-Fi Adventure 'Eastward'" by Fogel, Stephanie. Published April 26, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
5. ↑ *Nintendo Wire* – "Eastward launching for Switch first on September 16th, 2021" by Brown, Tom. Published August 11, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
6. ↑ *Gaming Nexus* – "Eastward will be a timed Switch exclusive, releases September 16" by Hilderbrand, Elliot. Published August 11, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
7. ↑ *Collider* – "'Eastward' Adventure RPG Gets New Trailer and Release Date for Nintendo Switch" by Villei, Mike. Published August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
8. ↑ twitter @pixpilgames (Pixpil) on Twitter: "We are making a game named #Eastward !!"
9. ↑ *PCGamesN* – "Earthbound-inspired Eastward is a charming take on the apocalypse" by Capel, Chris J.. Published April 27, 2018. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 *YouTube* – "Eastward - Release Date Announcement Trailer" by Chucklefish. Published August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
11. ↑ *The Guardian* – "Could China become a gaming force? One developer wants to make it happen" by Damien, Chris. Published August 1, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 *Red Bull* – "East meets west in Chucklefish's next epic, Eastward" by McFerran, Damien. Published May 23, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 *GD* – "Road to the IGF: Pixpil's Eastward" by McAloon, Alissa. Published March 18, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
14. ↑ *Polygon* – "How Breath of the Wild inspired Eastward's cooking" by Carpenter, Nicole. Published September 23, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
15. ↑ *RPG Site* – "Eastward to release on Nintendo Switch in 2020" by Vitale, Bryan. Published August 19, 2019. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
16. ↑ twitter @eastwardgame (Eastward) on Twitter: "We are certainly willing to make the game available on more platforms."
17. ↑ *Niche Gamer* – "Chucklefish Release 25 Minutes of Eastward Gameplay" by Pearson, Ryan. Published July 29, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
18. ↑ *Steam News* – "Eastward Demo Available Now For Only 48 Hours!". Published December 12, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
19. ↑ *PCGamesN* – "Earthbound-inspired Eastward is a charming take on the apocalypse" by Capel, Chris J.. Published Apr 27, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
20. ↑ *SwitchRPG* – "Chucklefish Release 25 Minutes of Eastward Gameplay" by Pimentel, Gio. Published February 14, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
21. ↑ *Metacritic* – "Eastward for Switch Reviews". Publish Date unspecified. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
22. ↑ *Metacritic* – "Eastward for PC Reviews". Publish Date unspecified. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 *Eurogamer.net* – "Eastward review - beautiful Zelda-like RPG captures the spirit of the Japanese classics" by Hetfeld, Malindy. Published September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 *NPR* – "Put Down That PS5 And Pick Up Your Switch For The Pixelated Pleasures Of 'Eastward'" by Gordon, Keller. Published September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 25.5 25.6 25.7 *Polygon* – "Eastward is equal parts Zelda, EarthBound, and itself" by Carpenter, Nicole. Published September 14, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 *Nintendo Life* – "Eastward Review" by Vogel, Mitch. Published September 17, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 *Nintendo World Report* – "Eastward Review" by Orona, Alex. Published September 14, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 28.4 *GamesRadar+* – "Eastward review: "There's more to this Zelda-like than meets the eye"" by Loveridge, Sam. Published September 14, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 *Kotaku* – "Eastward: The Kotaku Review" by Price, Renata. Published September 27, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 *Game Informer* – "Eastward Review – Pixel Paradise" by Tack, Daniel. Published September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 *NME* – "'Eastward' review: an artful ode to classic JRPGs that doesn't know when to stop talking" by Bailes, Jon. Published September 14, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 *The Washington Post* – "'Eastward' is a love letter to classic RPGs without a clear, coherent story" by Amenabar, Teddy. Published October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 *Metro News* – "Eastward review – Zelda meets EarthBound" by GameCentral. Published September 10, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 *Fanbyte* – "Eastward is a Tender, Fulfilling Family Roadtrip" by Joseph, Fūnk-é. Published September 27, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
35. ↑ *But Why Tho?* – "Eastward Switch Review – A Great Experience Tarnished" by Flatt, Jason. Published September 20, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
36. ↑ *The Escapist* – "Eastward Review in 3 Minutes – A Poignant Experience with Passable Zelda-Like Gameplay" by Avery, Elise. Published September 14, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
37. ↑ *Destructoid* – "Review: Eastward" by Van Allen, Eric. Published October 9, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
38. ↑ *IGN* – "Eastward Review" by Bolding, Jon. Published September 17, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.