85
Excellent pixel art, profound plot and deep story background, as well as the complementation of puzzle solving and combat, make Eastward an excellent work worth experiencing.
70
Eastward’s action and puzzles play things a bit too much by the book, the plot and storytelling don’t really come together, and the dialogue lacks wit. But even with so many negative aspects, the top-notch pixel art is true craftsmanship. These wonderful graphics were enough for me to push through, and perhaps you will too.
90
Eastward is truly a gem of the pixel adventure-RPG genre. It is plain as day that Pixpil poured their affections for this genre into making this game. They’ve provided fluid and expressive animation rarely seen in pixel games, lively characters, quirky writing, and catchy chiptune soundtracks. It is visually enticing from the beginning and will continue to keep you hooked until you are satisfied with unravelling its narrative. Eastward has easily taken its place as my favourite game of this year. I highly encourage lovers of pixel JRPGs to try this game out for yourselves. John and Sam will cook you up a satisfying adventure you will want to devour whole.
9
This game is so blissful. Also the map tells you where to go every time so there is zero frustration. I personally liked reading but some might want to be aware that reading is part of the experience.
10
It's a charming, very story driven game. The gameplay is mostly puzzle based, very 2d Zelda like. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
9
Such a really good game. I love it. Unfortunately I didn't really play the DLC, even if I was happy to buy it and sustain the devs.
Eastward
Released On:
Sep 16, 2021
Metascore
Generally Favorable
82
User score
Mixed or Average
7.1
My Score
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
86% Positive
30 Reviews
30 Reviews
14% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Sep 14, 2021
100
The storytelling, art and music masterfully connect to create a real sense of the world that the Eastward characters inhabit.
Sep 17, 2021
90
A wonderful homage to classic RPG gaming that takes classic concepts and polishes them up with a level of care that is rare to find.
User score
Mixed or Average
58% Positive
97 Ratings
97 Ratings
23% Mixed
38 Ratings
38 Ratings
19% Negative
31 Ratings
31 Ratings
Jan 5, 2026
10
It's a charming, very story driven game. The gameplay is mostly puzzle based, very 2d Zelda like. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Dec 25, 2025
10
Absolutely loved everything aboutthis experience. I hate the small developers highly because of value and I want them to make more games.
Sep 14, 2021
90
All of that said, denouncing Eastward’s strengths and successes for any of the above would be disingenuous. It is a remarkable game that, while retro in ambition, will paradoxically go on to inspire the drive and uniqueness of future projects. It is clever, vibrant, and unapologetically original, and unless some magnificent twist of fate occurs over the next three months, it will undoubtedly go down as one of the best games of the year.
Sep 14, 2021
85
While the combat isn’t anything special and the puzzles wear out their welcome, 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.
Sep 14, 2021
80
Eastward is a marvelous action-adventure game designed in 16-bit pixel-art and set in a future and collapsed cyberpunk world. You play as Sam and John, two characters linked by a mysterious bound that decide to travel around the world to solve the strange things happening in the underworld. The art style is clearly inspired by 16-bit jRPGs and animation of the 90s. The adventure is full of smart puzzles to solve using the powers of the two friends, and will keep you busy and entertained for several hours.
Sep 14, 2021
78
Although its gameplay is a bit flawed and its narrative can feel slow, Eastward is a game that rewards us for sticking with it with unique moments that become memorable.
Oct 3, 2021
50
Eastward is charming and offers a surprisingly dark story, but is bogged down by stale combat mechanics and too much boring and non-sensical dialogue.
Mar 22, 2025
10
Um ótimo jogo que eu dou nota 10, porém ele tem alguns problemas com o ritmo da jogatina e a estrutura da historia que acabam afetando a experiência. Se você quer um jogo rápido, com combate dinâmico e o tempo inteiro, parte pra outro jogo. Se você quer personagens cativantes, cenários lindos e boss fights muito bem feitas e divertidas, sem se importar com o ritmo da história do jogo, ai sim eu recomendo Eastward. Acho que o maior problema nesse jogo é que algumas pessoas podem chegar nele com uma expectativa de experiência diferente daquela que ele realmente vai proporcionar. Claro que não é um jogo perfeito e não vai agradar a todos, mas em nenhum mundo esse jogo seria ruim, então não custa dar uma chance.
Jan 13, 2025
7
The Eastward es un RPG de acción a la antigua usanza. Tomando los viejos The Legend of Zelda como modelo nos cuentan una historia de ciencia ficcion ubicada un un mundo postapocaliptico. El juego está muy bien, el único defecto que le encuentro y por el que le bajo la nota es que la historia se nos revela de forma lenta y esto hace que el juego se alargue demasiado, a mi modo de ver, de forma innecesaria.
Mar 15, 2023
7
Initial impressions, after prologue and fair way into chapter 1. The game has unmistakeable charm and has some engaging gameplay elements that are fundamentally robust. So far though, there are several issues that mar the experience. There are enemies that can drop on your head and there seems to be literally zero sign that it's going to happen. I don't find this to be a satisfying 'challenge'. The text sometimes has a tendency to auto advance with very little apparent reason, posing major problems for slower readers. The menu has a very strange arrangement, which can make it confusing to find the item you want to inspect. why aren't the cooking ingredients in the cooking tab for example? why isn't the backpack just on the same tab as quest items? why is the quest screen and the map screen, inbetween the quest items and the backpack? bizarre and nonsensical. The pacing also seems really slow so far. despite that, the pace at which I'm collecting quest items seems to suggest the game is really short. Other issues... The stuttering. I'm playing on an R7 with a rtx 2080 and 32gb ram. My system should not be struggling with this game. when I see electrical cables sparking, I tend to avoid them, yet the game wants you to interact with then, connecting and disconnecting live wires. to say this is irresponsible is an understatement. kids will be playing this.
Oct 13, 2022
4
I was excited to play Eastward. It looked gorgeous. Unfortunately, the rest of the game is boring. After 7 hours it has lost my interested. The combat is rather repetitive and the story is moving at a snails pace. Date Dropped: 2022-10-12 Playtime: 7h Enjoyment: 4/10 Recommendation: Nah
Sep 19, 2021
4
Really really disappointed there is no way to go back to previous zones to get the chests you miss, literally missing several achievements.
SummaryIn the near-future, society is starting to collapse, and the human population is at an all-time low. A deadly toxic presence has spread across the land, destroying and devouring everything in its path. Those who could escape the miasma flocked to underground villages to start a new life. But for a hardworking miner and a mysterious yo... Read More
Rated Tfor Teen
Platforms:
- PC
- Nintendo Switch
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox One
Initial Release Date:Sep 16, 2021
Developer:
Publisher:
