EASTWARD COOKING FULL

Often, I found myself getting lost in the city, admiring the intricate details of my surroundings as John and Sam went about their tasks, all the while bopping my head to the OST. “Gameplay is akin to an old school Legend of Zelda game.” The pixel art not only combines different palettes of exuberant colours to exude a distinct personality in each area you visit, but it also doesn’t take away from the narrative’s more sombre moments. Visually and aurally speaking, Eastward is at the forefront of its genre. Perhaps what draws people into Eastward is the surreal universe created by the gorgeous pixel art and retro 8-bit soundtrack. Where did the Miasma come from? Who is the apparition version of Sam? Why does everyone refer to Sam as “mother”? The narrative is a slow burn buildup that requires a lot of patience but is well worth it in the end. The game, which starts as lighthearted and innocent, suddenly takes a dark and severe turn as Sam’s past catches up with her present and themes of morality and integrity are challenged.

From the luscious fields of Greenberg and the bustling streets of New Dam City to the snowy tips of Ester City, the Miasma destroys everything in its path. However, what is true is that the mysterious blight known as the Miasma threatens the decaying world. The surface is nothing like Potcrock Isle described and is, instead, the most colourful and vibrant dystopia you have ever seen. “Visually and aurally speaking, Eastward is at the forefront of its genre.” The lovely bond that the two share keeps the narrative engaging through to the end. On the other hand, Sam shows her love for John through the antics of a typical child, asking John to carry her because she’s too tired to walk or cook because she’s hungry. Pixpil brilliantly utilises John’s inability to speak to instead accentuate his actions as his way of expressing his emotions and affection towards Sam. Don’t let John’s grizzly, rough exterior and lack of words fool you. The relationship that John and Sam have isn’t your typical father-daughter dynamic. Along the way, they meet a colourful cast of characters including Jasper the one-man show, William the merchant and his robot companion Daniel, Solomon the mysterious entity, rocket scientist Princess Alva and her guardian knight Isabel, and many more. One day, an apparition doppelgänger of Sam allures her to go against the Mayor’s orders and break the surface, causing herself and John to be exiled. Ruled by a mayor with an iron fist, Potcrock Isle indoctrinates its citizens, especially the children, to never travel to the surface, warning that it is filled with nothing but danger, death, and haunted by an entity known as the Miasma.īeing the energetic troublemaker, Sam claims that she has been to the outside world before, where the skies are baby blue, and the lands are lush green.

The origins of Sam are unknown, as she was found in an experiment tank deep underground by John. The journey begins at Potcrock Isle, a subterranean society where John and Sam live, sheltered from the outside world. “Sam, being the energetic troublemaker that she is, claims that she has been to the outside world before.” Perhaps a subtle tribute to the renowned Chinese novel, Journey to the West, where a Buddhist monk sets out on a pilgrimage to the West, Eastward stars silent protagonist, John, and his adoptive daughter, Sam, in a post-apocalyptic world as they embark on an adventure to the East.

EASTWARD COOKING FULL

It not only cleverly utilises 90s-era Ghibli-style animation and beautifully hand-crafted pixel art to create a world full of life but also weaves in a gorgeously composed 8-bit soundtrack to bring even more colour to an already vibrant universe. Pixpil’s debut title is an indie action-adventure role-playing game that pays homage to Zelda and Earthbound, the retro classics we played under the sheets as children after the lights went out. Developed by Pixpil, a small team of three based in Shanghai, and published by Chucklefish, Eastward has finally opened its doors to a world waiting to be explored. This all changed in 2018 when a little game called Eastward was announced, showcasing a scintillating trailer filled with blooming colours, a bombastic cast of characters, and, to my surprise, many traces of my heritage. Most Asian games I encountered were Japanese-themed games oversaturated with samurais and katanas and made by Western developers, or games by Eastern developers influenced by the West, depicting medieval knights and castles. Growing up, I rarely came across games that put my Chinese culture in the limelight by an Asian development team.

Eastward cooking