Eastward

Eastward is a 2D action-adventure game set in a sci-fi futuristic world, featuring diagonal-down perspective gameplay with puzzle elements, RPG mechanics, and direct control in beautifully illustrated scrolling environments. Players guide protagonists through underground strongholds and mysterious surface realms, battling foes and unraveling the story in this single-player title developed by Pixpil and published by Chucklefish.

Eastward: Review

Introduction

In a gaming landscape dominated by sprawling open-world epics and live-service grindfests, Eastward arrives like a whispered secret from a forgotten subway station—a pixelated postcard from a dying world, where a gruff miner named John shoulders a mute girl named Sam toward an uncertain horizon. Released in 2021 by Shanghai-based indie studio Pixpil in their debut effort, this action-adventure RPG channels the spirit of SNES-era classics like The Legend of Zelda, EarthBound, and Dragon Quest while weaving a tapestry of post-apocalyptic melancholy and quiet wonder. Its legacy as a “slow-burn masterpiece” has only deepened with time, earning cult status among pixel art enthusiasts and narrative-driven gamers. My thesis: Eastward transcends nostalgic mimicry to deliver a profoundly human story of found family, cyclical destruction, and fragile hope, cementing Pixpil’s place as a vital voice in global indie development.

Development History & Context

Pixpil, founded in 2013 by director Tommo Zhou, lead artist Moran Hong, and programmer Ye Feng in a modest Shanghai apartment, embodies the scrappy ethos of China’s burgeoning indie scene. Development on Eastward kicked off in 2015 with just three core members prototyping ideas around Hong’s haunting sketches of a “weird monster dormitory” evoking Hong Kong’s Kowloon Walled City—a dense, decaying urban labyrinth reclaimed by nature. Initial concepts ranged from mobile puzzlers to dual-stick shooters, but the team settled on a plot-driven RPG, coining “Eastward” as a directional motif symbolizing inexorable progress amid apocalypse.

The studio ballooned to around 12 full-time staff by launch, juggling art, code, and narrative in a custom engine called Gii (built on C++/Lua with open-source MOAI middleware for efficient 3D lighting on 2D sprites). Tools like Photoshop for designs and Aseprite for pixel art allowed hand-crafted animations that pop with personality, while FMOD handled Joel Corelitz’s outsourced soundtrack—sourced externally due to Pixpil’s inability to hire local composers matching the retro-orchestral vibe. Technological constraints were indie staples: a tiny team meant multi-role overload, and COVID-19 ravaged progress in 2020, shuttering offices and wiping servers, forcing remote iteration.

Chucklefish (publishers of Stardew Valley and Wargroove) came aboard in 2018 post-Steam Greenlight buzz, handling global marketing with trailers at Nintendo Indie World showcases. Launching September 16, 2021, on PC, Mac, and Switch (Xbox in 2022), Eastward timed into a post-pandemic surge for cozy-yet-dark indies amid a market bloated with AAA disappointments like Cyberpunk 2077‘s rocky debut. Pixpil’s Eastern influences—1990s anime (Akira, Ghibli), Showa-era Japan, Shanghai’s neon grit—clashed beautifully with Western RPG homage, positioning it as a cultural bridge in an era of rising Chinese exports like Black Myth: Wukong.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Eastward‘s plot is a masterful slow-simmering mystery, unfolding across 10 chapters in a near-future Earth gutted by the sentient Miasma—a toxic plague that devours surface civilizations, forcing survivors underground. John, a red-nosed everyman miner from claustrophobic Potcrock Isle, discovers Sam—a wide-eyed, amnesiac girl in a flask—adopting her as kin. Expelled for her surface-yearning curiosity (sparked by visions of “Mother,” her spectral doppelgänger), they’re exiled eastward via the rickety Charon train, unearthing a world of verdant ruins, time-warped cities, and human folly.

The duo’s odyssey spans idyllic Greenberg (Miasma’d into oblivion), inventive New Dam City (home to princess-engineer Alva and her lover Isabel), freakish Monkollywood circus-train, and illusory Ester City—trapped in Solomon’s time-loop “utopia.” Revelations cascade: Sam is a benevolent fragment of Mother, an AI overseeing humanity’s factory-rebirth cycles via Miasma resets. Charon? A mobile ark of experiments. Alva merges with it; Isabel, possibly a clone, seeks resurrection; Solomon, a multi-temporal zealot, engineers “perfect” mankind per Mother’s edict. Sam’s sacrifice shatters the loop, promising reunion in a bittersweet epilogue.

Characters shine through dialogue that’s equal parts whimsical banter, poignant philosophy, and gut-punch tragedy. John’s silent stoicism contrasts Sam’s childlike glee (her expressive animations convey volumes), forging a The Last of Us-esque father-daughter bond—tender hugs amid horror. Side cast like optimistic chef Gui, robot Daniel, and time-lost William add levity and loss; even fridges dispense frog-like (Mother-inspired) existential musings. Themes probe cycles of creation/destruction (Miasma as misanthropic reset button), found family vs. engineered perfection, and eastward “progress” as futile illusion—echoing EarthBound‘s surreal suburbia and Ghibli’s eco-fables. Pacing falters in dialogue bloat, and time shenanigans (multiple Solomons, prophetic dreams) invite Steam-forum head-scratching, but emotional peaks—like Greenberg’s fall or Sam’s farewell—demand tissues, elevating tropes into poetry.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Eastward‘s core loop blends Zelda-esque directed exploration, real-time combat, and duo-synergy puzzles across chaptered hubs/maps with fast travel. Switch between John (pan-melee, bombs for crowds/obstacles, block-pushing) and Sam (energy blasts stun Miasma-mutants, clear hazards/illuminate, squeeze vents)—mandatory for progression, like Sam powering switches while John hauls crates. Chapters gate abilities (shotgun, flamethrower for plants), evolving loops: early mines demand bomb-toss precision; later ruins mix timed escapes, raft chases, and multi-phase switches.

Combat is serviceable but shallow—real-time hack-n-slash with dodges, weapon swaps (pan > guns > bombs), and cooking buffs (slot-machine mini-game yields HP/ATK pots from foraged ingredients). Weak foes encourage farming gold for upgrades (backpack slots, heart containers via spheres), but bosses demand patterns: Solomon’s phases or Charon’s multi-form frenzy. UI is clean—radial inventory pauses action, map tracks quests—but no difficulty options expose flaws; post-patch fast travel mitigates backtracking tedium.

Innovations sparkle: Earth Born, a nested Dragon Quest homage (roguelite RPG with Pixballs unlocking heroes/items), playable till Chapter 7 then post-game. Cooking (Breath of the Wild-inspired randomization) ties foraging to survival; mini-games (fishing, blimpig-herding, arcade baseball) reward tokens for Earth Born. Flaws? Combat lacks depth (no combos/parries), puzzles repeat (bomb walls galore), and 20-30 hour runtime drags sans skips. Yet synergy shines—stun with Sam, bomb with John—making duos feel alive.

World-Building, Art & Sound

Eastward‘s world is a post-Miasma mosaic: subterranean hives like Potcrock (fluorescent drudgery) yield to surface splendor—overgrown Greenberg farms, steampunk New Dam (Buddha Fan megastructure), fog-shrouded Ester illusions. Linear yet dense, each chapter bursts secrets: alley NPCs spin lore, ruins hide recipes/spheres. Atmosphere nails decline—population crash evokes EarthBound‘s eerie normalcy amid extinction.

Moran Hong’s pixel art is transcendent: 16-bit sprites with MOAI 3D lighting yield dynamic fog, god rays, bump-mapped buildings evoking Kowloon decay. Animations (Sam’s hair-flips, John’s sighs) ooze charm; palettes shift from underground teal to surface emerald-to-crimson Miasma. Soundscape elevates: Corelitz’s 70+ tracks fuse chiptune (Mother nostalgia) with orchestral swells—”Terminal” finale weeps strings. FMOD ambiences (dripping caves, rail-clatter) immerse; quirky SFX (pan-thwacks) delight. Together, they craft cozy despair—Ghibli whimsy in apocalypse.

Reception & Legacy

Critically, Eastward bowed to acclaim: MobyGames 7.7/10 (#5,031 overall, #540 Switch), Metacritic 79/100 (Switch), 82/100 (PC). Noisy Pixel/Way Too Many Games (95%) hailed “standout action/exploration/emotion”; Nintendo Life/RPG Site/Siliconera (80%) praised Zelda-mashup charm despite “lethargic pace.” Dings: GameStar/Edge (70-72%) decried “verworren” plot/confusing quests; Jump Dash Roll (60%) slammed “overlong story.” Commercially solid—Steam peak 13k concurrents, ~484k sales (~$9M)—boosted by demos, bundles.

Reputation evolved glowingly: 2022 BAFTA/IGF noms (Debut Art), 2022 IndiePlay wins (Best Game/Visuals). Octopia DLC (2024, $6) shifted to cozy farming (Metacritic 74), refreshing legacy. Influence? Sparked pixel-RPG renaissance (Tunic, Sea of Stars echoes); Pixpil’s success spotlights Chinese indies amid Tencent dominance. No direct sequels, but epilogue teases more; cult endures via merch/OST sales.

Conclusion

Eastward masterfully fuses homage with innovation—Zelda puzzles, EarthBound heart, Ghibli soul—into a 20-30 hour elegy for humanity’s remnants. Strengths (art, narrative intimacy, world density) eclipse flaws (pacing, combat simplicity), birthing an unforgettable duo’s tale. As Pixpil’s debut, it proves indies thrive on passion over polish. Definitive verdict: A modern classic, ranking among 2020s best—like Hades for roguelites—essential for RPG historians, securing Pixpil’s eastward ascent in gaming pantheon. Score: 9.2/10