Sam has her PSI abilities that allow her to shoot out energy blasts that can freeze enemies and destroy certain obstacles, while John has a frying pan for beating the stuffing out of enemies along with his limited-use guns and bombs. The main rub of these sequences is that you’re often required to alternate (with a quick tap of a shoulder button) between playing as Sam and John, each of which have unique abilities. When you finally get to some gameplay, things unfold quite a bit like a 2D Zelda game, as you wander your way through labyrinthine environments rife with treasure, enemies, and puzzles. Luckily, this doesn’t sink Eastward, but it does take some wind out of the sails. The story is well-written and most of the characters are quite lovable, but they’re foisted upon you so much in endless unskippable dialogue sequences that it starts to erode your connection with the narrative. Then you’re finally given control back, only to walk John to the next cutscene that goes on for just as long.Įastward is thus a great example for illustrating the need for good pacing. Gameplay segments are frequently broken up by relatively lengthy cutscenes that go on for long enough that it starts to feel more like you’re watching the game rather than playing it as you frantically mash ‘A’ to cut through the jungle of text.
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It needs to be said, however, that the story often feels a bit too much like a slog in several places. There’s quite a diverse cast on offer over this adventure, but these two are far and away the highlight of the experience. And when the story takes some shockingly dark turns, Sam is there to keep the mood hopeful and see how many times she can fit the word “John” in a single piece of dialogue. Although John never says a word, it’s abundantly clear how deeply he cares for Sam in his protective actions and stoic loyalty. Over the 30-or-so hours that it takes to clear Eastward, one thing that keeps the story consistently engaging is the heartwarming relationship between Sam and John. It turns out that things aren’t quite as bad up there as they were led to believe, although there’s a mysterious force called miasma that’s slowly rolling over the land and destroying everything in its path. The two live happily together in a small subterranean village and enjoy a quasi father/daughter relationship, but things quickly take a turn when certain events lead to them arriving at the surface that they were told is such a dangerous and awful place. The inaugural release from Shanghai-based Pixpil smartly integrates gameplay and story ideas from beloved classics while still managing to feel like an original and well-executed adventure.Įastward follows the story of John, a gruff man of action not words, and his companion, Sam, an energetic and white-haired little girl who he found underground. Instead of offering creative new takes on favored concepts, these games are more content to prod you with a sharp elbow as they say “ ’member?” over and over. The line between an homage and a copycat can often be a blurry one, and it feels like all too often that new games borrowing ideas from old games fall on the wrong side of it.
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)
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