Weird And Wonderful Zelda-Like 'Eastward' DLC Listing Spotted – Nintendo Life

February 9, 2023 ndowd

Guest
Login or Sign Up

Guest
Login or Sign Up
Leaked on SteamDB
Update [Thu 9th Feb, 2023 00:40 GMT]: Well, no mention of Eastward during the Direct, so this is one we’ll have to keep an eye on!
Original article [Wed 8th Feb, 2023 19:00 GMT]: The gorgeous action-adventure RPG Eastward, developed by Shanghai studio Pixpil, might just be getting some DLC in the near future — if SteamDB is anything to go by!
A brand new listing, titled Eastward – Octopia, was last updated on SteamDB on 2nd February and spotted yesterday by u/cloudsheep0 on the GamingLeaksAndRumours subreddit. This will be the first major update to the game since its release on Switch in October 2021, where it was a timed console exclusive.
Published by Chucklefish, Eastward was a homage to classic action adventure games such as top-down Zelda, while embracing the weird and wonderful humour of EarthBound, Undertale, and the like. There’s an entire in-game game called Earth Born where you can play through a whole turn-based roguelike, and the game is just utterly stunning to look at. Pure pixel art perfection.
We wouldn’t be surprised then that, if this DLC listing is correct, we may well see it during today’s Nintendo Direct. Not one we had on our bingo card, but we’ll absolutely take more Eastward.
Related Articles

East? I thought you said Weast
Are you a fan of Eastward? Will you be getting the DLC if it’s revealed today? Let us know!
[source steamdb.info, via reddit.com]
About Alana Hagues

RPG lover first and Nintendo fan second, Alana is often found overthinking battle strategies, characters, and stories. Fortunately, she’s also easily pleased by anything Yoshi-related, creepy-but-cute Pokémon, and SEGA air pirates.
Comments (25)

Goodie! Even more dialogue that drags on with very little gameplay in between. I hope the boring combat has improved and we finally get to use TWO frying pans!

Other interesting announcements appear to be leaking as well, namely Baten Kaitos 1+2 HD Remaster and a new Samba de Amigo

Can someone help me understand the appeal of the game beyond the art style?

@ElRoberico If you need it explained to you, you will never understand. Some people just don’t "hear the music," as they say. And that’s okay. Not everything is for everybody.

@CazSonOfCaz I’d still like to know what draws other people to it so that maybe I can begin to appreciate it for what it does.

Was really looking forward to this, and while it had the amazing art style and some nice story beats it clearly outstayed it’s welcome.

@Vexx234 yes… fantastic graphics, but booooooooooooring

I really adored this game, it was really only the story that didn’t quite stick the landing for me. Came away from it not really understanding what happened but the music art and gameplay were all stellar, probably the best looking pixel art game I’ve ever played

Great little game. Probably wouldn’t return to it after all this time for DLC though.

@ElRoberico If I were to take a less judgy stab at it, the combination of the gameplay, the intrigue the story builds, the zelda like gameplay, and the mother-like graphics stew into something of a nostalgia and critical stew that garnered the game some positive buzz. It helps it was hyped up more than the usual Indie game that isn’t too dissimilar to this game, and being published by the same folks who published Stardew Valley gave it some more notice.
But yeah, plenty of folks found the sluggish pacing of the story to be a deal breaker, as it did with me. Nice little game but didn’t get anywhere interesting fast enough, and the moment to moment gameplay wasn’t doing anything innovative to keep me going between the massive amount of unskippable dialogue. I know folks like to use Earthbound as a possible inspiration for the game but go back and play that game, folks didn’t talk nearly as much as they do in something like this unless it was part of a joke about run on sentences.

@Leostacks the bit of gameplay I watched did give me some massive Earthbound vibes. I can completely see it being a massive nostalgia hit, even if it isn’t the best.

It’s a gorgeous game with a very interesting story. Like it a lot!
But in my opinion it’s not a Zelda like game. It’s more a story driven game with action adventure elements imo. Emphasis on the story and the world- and characterbuilding.

@ElRoberico I think it’s the epitome of a game I wish I could like, but the poor pacing killed it. Not a bad one, and moment to moment the characters do have fun banter and the zelda like gameplay is fun, but this is a good example of why it’s important to have an editor.

@ElRoberico Honestly, Eastward is game I was looking forward to playing. I grew up playing adventure titles, and always loved indie game for their uniqueness.
I don’t mind heavily story driven games, but Eastward fails in both the it’s dialogue and gameplay.
The dialogue can be hit or miss, and the entire game slows to crawl by Act 3. You are running around pressing "A" for the most part of it. The game has very poor pacing.
It doesn’t help that scenes drag on for far too long. If the game was a visual novel then sure, but it’s just too much text in a single scene.
The core gameplay is just not very engaging. The puzzles are too simple, and the combat even more so. The dungeons are interesting but not much to explore.
Spoiler alert: Act 2’s entire scenario is such so left field, given the events of act one, that it makes one go "uh…."
Honestly, The game needs a do over. By do over I mean an editor who cut all the fat of unneeded dialogue, and another member who can improve the core gameplay.
One reviewer said it best and I agree. Most of the dialogue is "Two lines where one would do, and one line where none would do"

I absolutely loved Eastward. The visual design and music were the highlights, but I was really drawn into the story too. I thought the dialogue was fantastic (especially compared to the game I’m currently making my way through, Octopath Traveler).
I can see why some people thought the dialogue was too long-winded. There are certainly points where it could have been more concise. But to me, that was one minor negative of an otherwise stellar game. It’s a 9/10 for me.

This game becomes a narrative mess in the third act, no one seems to understand it which makes you feel completely flat by the time you cross the finish line.
It’s mostly a very enjoyable game and beautiful to look at but you’re left with a sour taste, I do recall some of the dialogue being beyond lengthy and a real drag as a sequence of 38 pop up boxes relating to absolutely nothing and filled with nonsense would occur regularly.

@ElRoberico I think storyline is a big plus, you have an unlikely duo of an absolutely adorable ball of energy and a completely apathetic hobo as her guardian. It’s a very strange combination, and the cast of NPCs is stranger yet. Of course major characters have their charm. The game does not overstay its welcome and throws new things at a reasonable pace.

@CaptChaos It doesn’t help the protagonist is too silent. Having all the secondary cast do the talking doesn’t help either. John, barely reacts to all the events around him.

@Vexx234 You are not wrong, but let me say this: The game contains a legitimately great game. Not many games can even say that. Like you said, theres just so much extra stuff clouding it, game writers these days seem to think everything they say is too important to omit.

@Leostacks other good example is secret of evermore

wow been sometime since I played and yet to finish the game.

@Poodlestargenerica There is a gem hidden somewhere, but it’s a game that’s very hard to recommend to anyone, except a very specific niche of people.
For every pro there is a con, and as such it’s hard to give it a super positive thumbs up. Not even midway into the game the pacing just…stops. One could be forgiven if they lost track of what going on anymore.
To be fair it’s not just an Eastward problem. Many games just sometimes have too much dialogue that should have been cut in the editing room.

Folks aren’t wrong about the uneven narrative, but the love that was clearly put into the design made Eastward such an enjoyable world to exist in for 10 or so hours that I was able to overlook the worst of it…I’d be game for some DLC, and hope they’ve taken some of the feedback to heart!

I loved this game and would love a reason to replay it

This is NOT Zelda like. It’s not a little Zelda like. It’s not a small, tiny bit inspired by Zelda.
It’s a puzzle game that focuses on using two characters with different abilities to solve environmental puzzles. There is LIGHT combat, but if you call hitting things with a pan "Zelda like" … I don’t know what to tell you.
Also it’s pretty good.,
Tap here to load 25 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment…

Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Temporarily Listed On Nintendo Website For $70 USD
A $10 price increase

Hands On: Afterimage Is The Most Beautiful-Looking Metroidvania We’ve Ever Played
Picturesque

Mirabel’s Door Knob Will Be The Key To Unlocking ‘Encanto’ In Disney Dreamlight Valley
Casita confirmed!

Nintendo Improves Switch eShop’s Search Function With Small QoL Update
Take a look

It’s Official, Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers Are Back (North America)
Here are the full list of games on offer
Game Profile
Title:
Eastward
System:
Switch eShop
Also Available For:
Xbox One
Publisher:
Chucklefish
Developer:
Pixpil Games
Genre:
Action, Adventure, RPG
Players:
1
Release Date:
Switch eShop
Reviews:
Review: Eastward – A Creative Zelda-Like Adventure With Absolutely Killer Art
Official Site:
nintendo.com
Where to buy: