Nintendo’s Indie World Showcase today highlighted a solid lineup of upcoming indie games, and while Hollow Knight: Silksong was a no-show, plenty of other highly-anticipated titles got important updates. Axiom Verge 2 was surprise-launched right after the event, and it was confirmed that another long-awaited indie, the atmospheric action-adventure RPG Eastward, is now set to follow suit soon.
It’s been more than three years now since Eastward was first revealed, having been announced by publisher Chucklefish back in April 2018. In that time, the game, coming from Shanghai-based developer Pixpil, has offered a few intriguing glimpses of its gameplay and story, but given how long they've been waiting, it’s likely that at least some fans have forgotten that Eastward hasn’t launched yet.
But that’s changing soon. The closing announcement during the Indie World Showcase set a date for Eastward’s launch, confirming that the game will finally release on Switch as a timed console exclusive on September 16, with Chucklefish confirming that the game will hit PC and Mac on that day as well. Accompanying said announcement was a new trailer that provides a closer look at the various dangers players will face.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world where society is being driven underground by a toxic miasma, Eastward will set players in the roles of John, a hardworking miner, and Sam, a young girl he discovers in a secret facility. Together, they set off on a journey that looks like it should scratch the itch for those looking for a more whimsical version of The Last of Us, full of lush pixel-based towns and forests full of quirky encounters and eerie threats.
Gameplay-wise, Eastward will consist of top-down exploration, puzzle-solving, and dungeon crawling akin to classic Legend of Zelda and Secret of Mana games. Players will be able to switch between John and Sam and use their different abilities to open up new paths and discover secrets, as well as fight monsters along the way using weapons ranging from a frying pan and a flamethrower to kinetic powers. Chucklefish recently showed off a more in-depth look at all this with a 25-minute gameplay video it shared with IGN.
On the game’s Steam page, the publisher also confirmed in a new update that Eastward will cost $24.99 / £21.99 / €24.99 and come with language support for English, French, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. Chucklefish also promised a hefty adventure, teasing that the game will take approximately 30 hours to complete. Good news for players who’ve already completed Chicory: A Colorful Tale and are looking for a new indie Zelda-like to dive into.
Eastward launches on September 16 for Mac, PC, and Switch.
Source: Steam