Board 8 > Eastward Review Zone

(+) Yeah! (+)

Eastwards world, spread across a variety of cities and biomes, also pays homage to the post-apocalyptic world of Studio Ghibli, the spirit of childhood adventure films like The Sandlot and The Goonies, and the ritualistic mystery of occult grimoires.

• Nicole Carpenter, Polygon (Recommends)

Surprisingly, Eastward does not live and die by its combat or puzzles. Eastward builds a world that feels real, heartfelt, and intriguing. Many game worlds are crafted around archetypal building blocks that draw upon established fantasy, sci-fi, and other well-traveled ground. Refreshingly, Eastward goes in a bizarre and quirky direction and took me on a ride where I never knew exactly where things were headed.

• Daniel Tack, Game Informer (8.5)

Eastward is stunningly original to the point of near overambition. Yes, not all of its ideas are novel. Yes, it will, often and almost brazenly, be comparable to its vast wealth of influences - it even has a minigame called Earth Born with an internal combat system that is remarkably similar to another relatively popular Earth game, with all the necessary mother lingo that comes with it. And yes, there will be occasions during which you will feel as if this is something you have seen before. Through it all, however, Eastward remains committed to carving out its own distinct identity, and, for the most part, it succeeds spectacularly.

• Cian Maher, The Gamer (4.5/5)

It's my first time doing a review zone, sorry if I did it wrong.

About an hour in myself, and this is extremely my shit. Full of references and homages, but it does it in a very smart way, while also being original enough in its own right to make it feel like more than just a nostalgia game.

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I have very little understanding of what this is but it sounds like it stands out.

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paperwarior posted...

I have very little understanding of what this is but it sounds like it stands out.

The combat is mostly 2D Zelda. Haven't really played long enough to say anything about the story or the tone, but so far it's a magical dystopian future with echoes of Miyazaki, Gurren Lagann, and Last of Us.

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Good reviews! The art style is gorgeous.

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I like how this looks but I don't think the trailers have done a good job of showing what the game is. Like I'm down for the vibes and all but what is the actual gameplay >_> Aside from the 2D Zelda combat of course

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The beginning of this is super slow.

However, there is a "game within a game" that puts a pretty neat spin on the Dragon Quest formula.

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Soundtrack hype

Waiting for the region free Japanese physical in November

Ok yeah, this game is really good. Chapter 1 was slow but chapter 2 so far is really cool.

I mentioned LttP earlier, but actually this game is more Illusion of Gaia. As for how it plays, I'm prepared to say it's those old Quintet dungeons with Earthbound-esque story beats in between.

It's also very much like the Mario and Luigi RPG's in terms of not only its humor (though it is not as funny as those games) but mostly in the partner/switch mechanic.

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