Eastward plot cracked#
Eastward plot cracker#
Eastward plot series#

The most interesting part of Earth Born is the capsule toy system. This all happens over the course of seven in-game days, after which you’re forced to start the game again if you haven’t beaten the main boss, giving Earth Born a roguelike feel. You’ll go from screen to screen, battling random monsters in a turn-based fashion, finding new party members with different classes, levelling up, shopping and equipping new gear. The classic RPG inspo is even more apparent here, with the player character looking almost identical to the protagonist of Dragon Quest III (the spiky-haired alternate costume for Hero in Super Smash Bros Ultimate for those who don’t know). And Earth Born has a surprising level of depth. But Eastward goes the extra mile, letting you play a fully-fledged 8-bit RPG any chance you get.

Eastward plot series#

The characters in Eastward are always abuzz about a series called Earth Born, and in any other game this would just be a throwaway reference to EarthBound. One thing which caught me completely off guard was a game within the game. It’s a very cohesive mix of features, all coming together to create some real engaging gameplay. Interestingly, Eastward also has a cooking system very similar to Breath of the Wild’s, with a robust menu of dishes with different properties and a nice, little jingle as they cook. Not to mention collecting four ‘heart orbs’ to gain an additional heart.

Eastward plot cracked#

The exploration of dungeons is also very Zelda, with cracked walls needing a good bombing, perfectly timed hits of switches, and pressure plates abound. That means you’ll be smacking baddies with John’s trusty frying pan in real time. But Pixpil has opted-out of the classic JRPG turn-based battle system used by Ness and pals in favour of an action-adventure style of fighting akin to the 2D Zelda games. Exploring a town and letting yourself into a resident’s house for a chat is very RPG, as is the way the plot chugs along, with important characters asking John and Sam for big favours in bigger cities, alongside optional side quests from the local animated oddballs. There’s even some promotional pics on Eastward’s official website showing the characters in the style of clay figurines, just like EarthBound did back in the day – a nice touch!ĭespite the EarthBound inspiration, Eastward isn’t entirely an RPG. And inspiration from the classic Nintendo title EarthBound is especially apparent, with everything from wacky character and enemy designs, to the environment variety and exploration, to the witty writing and overarching plot.

The game features such a diverse range of character sprites, and there are so many blink-and-you’ll-miss-em animations, you can truly tell that Eastward is a love-letter written by fans of the SNES-era. Through a meticulous marriage of pixels and 3D lighting, Shanghai-based indie studio Pixpil have fashioned a game so gorgeous you’ll have a hard time believing this is their debut release. The visual style is the star of the show in Eastward. As is the standard with these kinda games there’s also some mysteriously shady business going on behind the scenes, but we’ll leave it to you to uncover the goings-on. Through a combo of John’s quiet, easygoing attitude and Sam’s eagerness to please, you’ll find yourself seeing the sights while helping anyone that so much as hints at a problem. John is the strong and silent type, and Sam’s the bubbly voice of reason.

Eastward plot cracker#

With brilliantly-detailed pixel art, charming writing, and tight gameplay, with upwards of 30 hours of content, Eastward is an absolute cracker of a game worthy of a place in any indie fan’s collection.Įastward puts you in the shoes of dynamic duo big John and young Sam. Take Joel and Ellie from the Last of Us, drop them into EarthBound, add a dash of Zelda, and you’ve got Eastward.