Eastward Nintendo Switch Review - Is It Worth It?

[@tacoman1592]

I'm probably 10-15 hours in so far (just passed Chapter 4). I'm having a great time with it, but I think thats because I was hoping for a primarily narrative experience. This is very much a game that breaks up the story with gameplay, not the other way around. Absolutely love the cast of characters! Highly recommend provided you're most interested in the story.

[@andersc6593]

Well put! Have you noticed the text going way too fast at times? Especially in the Earth Born game?

[@steel5897]

That's a pass for me then, thanks.

[@tacoman1592]

@@andersc6593 Not really, though I've only played under an hour of Earth Born. Text speed can be adjusted in settings. I do think sometimes they try to convey a character speaking really fast by quickly skipping through fluff dialogue, if that's what you mean.

[@andersc6593]

@@tacoman1592 that’s what I figured! Thanks.

[@EvEnMoR]

@@andersc6593 you can adjust the text speed in the settings... Having it fast would be beneficial for replays.

[@jtshoots3569]

Just finished the game. Took around 20ish hours. And man a game it was. The story, characters, music, art style, everything just oozes passion! If you're on the fence, get it! 100% worth it!

[@michaelabayomi]

I'm about halfway through and loving every minute of it! But yeah, the dialogue and cutscenes can drag on a bit sometimes.

[@the-NightStar]

There's a fix for that: Get an attention span. Or play Mother 3 again and remember how much emotional investment can carry a game from great to being a masterpiece.

[@michaelabayomi]

@@the-NightStar spoken like someone who has clearly not played the game. 🙂

[@cantwontdo9127]

the ester city time loop was such a waste of time

[@TB26]

​@@cantwontdo9127tell me about it. 🫠

[@samescape9174]

This game moved me unlike anything else in a long time. The characters will charm you and damn the creators know how to play with you. Brilliant

[@amatmulisha2978]

This is basically Joel and Ellie in less gore version. John and sam is my new favorite duo. Love this game so much that make me think to double dip on the physical edition. 9/10 my personal score

[@ghost-type]

Physical copy, you say?

[@amatmulisha2978]

@@ghost-type yes Japanese physical version. It’s release on 25 nov tho

[@ghost-type]

@@amatmulisha2978 Does it have English or 日本語だけ?

[@milkman2461]

English. But it looks like iam8bit will be taking care of the eu and us release.

[@rumuelnathanael8043]

I just hope if there is a sequel they won't kill John and forced Sam to be ghei with ugly girlfriend.

[@rachyrachington]

I am loving this game atm. All the reviews I’ve seen, like this one, see the dialogue as a negative but honestly I’m relishing it. I make sure I check all Npcs not just out of begrudging obligation but I just love the characters. I find it to be a really chill experience

[@Moplonn]

eh, all the NPCs except a select few are pretty bland, so I stopped caring. I think the game is pretty enjoyable but not the best, that final boss and the music was super dope tho

[@ok_listen]

I'm one of those players who stops at every NPC and checks them regularly for new dialogues, and lemme tell you that in this game I stopped caring halfway through. Filler over filler chopping the main story to put those additional hours. It could've been way better.

[@bryanquick3349]

i just finished this game, it really rewards a slow playthrough where you savor the experience and try to find as many secrets as possible and talk to everyone you can - you'll miss things otherwise! i really enjoyed the game, and i didn't even touch earthborn, which i might well play the game again to play, since it paralels the main game. overwhelmingly recommend the game for it's visuals and narrative.

[@sladey21]

Roughly how long did it take to beat

[@amirgarcia547]

Idk if I’ll be able to play this game as of yet due to saving up for Metroid Dread and the Switch OLED next month, but it’s definitely on my radar. I mean, an indie game that’s like an amalgamation of two of my favorite Nintendo series (Earthbound and Zelda) seems like it’s worth playing to me!

[@mayhemgamer9796]

Did you get your upgrade?

[@jed23ify]

R.I.P, dude never responded if he got the upgrade. I’m guessing that’s a no…..😢

[@nosouponhead]

Are you poor?

[@SpeedyNic]

Part of me loves this game, but at around 15 hours in i'm starting to just click through dialogue since it drags so much. Was hoping for a bit more gameplay from this.

[@JprimeWorld]

Same. At times I even forgot their was a fighting mechanic lol

[@JObergfell]

At a pace of 1-10 where earthbound and Zelda snes games are at a 5 (perfect balanced, this is at a 4 on pacing. Still great, but dialogue sometimes gets a lil much (like zelda OoT’s dialogue). So far, I’ve got some time into it and it’s still high quality an 8/10 on overall, but pacing sometimes slightly slower than it’s inspiration it draws from.

[@bonster101]

Other than the OWL, not one part of OOT felt dialogue heavy

[@TestYol]

i try to play it but the endless chitchat and button pressing to end it is really annoying. No dodge or sprint makes it feel even more slow for me. Will give it another go

[@PugCrazyMom]

I have to say so far I am loving Eastward. The visual are beautiful, I love John and Sam along with all thr other NPC. I love good story game.

[@cadiboy04]

overall the game is good, except for random game crashes (I've crashed more than 5 times during my whole playthrough which takes about 20hrs)

[@jackplisken4738]

yep and in some boss fights are massive fps drops

[@drywhall]

I had two crashes, but they only happened at the end of chapters after saving, so it wasn't too big of a deal, for me anyways.

[@MissBubbles]

This is the first video I decide to watch fully about this game. For some reason I keep avoiding everything about it yet not sure if I will enjoy it. I guess my best bet is adding another one to the wishlist and wait for a tiny sale 🤫

[@darth_hylian]

Well Black Friday isn't too far away. There are several games I'm holding out on until then

[@Electr1cWaffles]

Did you get it? It’s on sale :)

[@spenashley1593]

This is exactly what I'm doing. Although the game is only $24.99 I'm still waiting on a sale.

[@MissBubbles]

I still didn't get it. I saw a review on Switch Watch's channel too and thought okaaaay maybe I try, then decided not to😝

[@patrickbutler87]

I'm still not yet finished with the game, but I definitely feel the pacing issue. I think I would have finished it much sooner if it didn't feel like a drag at times.

[@obi-wan3916]

The story was 8.5/10 and gameplay 7/10 for me. Overall I'd give it 8.5/10 as I really enjoyed the art style and music aswell. Planescape torment is my favourite rpg so I don't mind story heavy games.

[@carlthewinner]

Agreed. Cool game. But slow burn. I am in a couple hours and I am enjoying it. :)

[@mr_m4613]

4:04 Thats the breath of the wild cooking mechanic.

[@OvenFreshBread]

I finished the game yesterday and quite enjoyed it. Was a bit let down by the story in the end but I think the gameplay, visuals and music make it well worth it. I had some performance issues on my Switch though (it crashed four times overall, one on a boss that just killed the framerate) but idk if that's a general problem or me having bad luck with my Switch.

[@lysergicserpent7676]

I finished it as well and had a total of 3 hard crashes on Switch, so it's not just you

[@captainsoarineagle]

so would you guys say get it on switch or pc?

[@OvenFreshBread]

@@captainsoarineagle Idk if the PC version has the same issues but if it doesn't I'd say choose that one.

[@KuronekoJS]

I finished and I can’t believe that I need to play again to do the other stuff, I saved a lot of things to do for after the game main story but my save is on the last boss and I cannot do nothing about it😭

[@OvenFreshBread]

@@KuronekoJS I also assumed you'd be able to revisit the other locations before going to the last area. Seemed like a no-brainer considering everything is connected via train stations and you're bound to have missed some stuff on the first playthrough. I won't replay the whole game just to find some stuff I might've missed.

[@p344y]

5 hours in and I couldn’t recommend this game enough! An absolute joy to play so far

[@davidkiernan3089]

Thanks for all the great comments, Eastward is downloading as I type! I was probably going to pick it up anyway thanks to the review but you guys definitely sold it to me, cheers!!

[@Oogasra]

Eastward is such a great game. I even found an Easter egg in the form of a movie poster in one of the levels. Won’t say what it is, but it’s from a very famous movie director who struggled with an animatronic since it broke down a lot.

[@your-hermajestyismypronoun7372]

Steven Spielberg's "Jaws"?

[@champdancer19]

I can't wait till my physical copy of this arrives!

[@EvEnMoR]

I'm absolutely loving this game... It's a total steal for the price... Just wish they would've offered a physical release outside of Japan

[@rpg_tai_yggdrasil]

Switches are region free my friend, just change the in game settings to english. This is the same method folks have gotten physicals for saga frontier, romancing saga, final fantasy, etc. This website is your best friend for non-state side switch physicals. ;)

[@EvEnMoR]

@@rpg_tai_yggdrasil I know they are. I'm in Canada and I just couldn't be bothered to get it from Japan and pay the crazy shipping and whatnot.

[@fabianlatorre]

Iam8bit will do physical release in the west

[@renofheavens2]

Its listed on Amazon. Coming out in May, next month

[@MsModestyBlaise]

Jon, are these your opinions on the game or Mitch’s?

[@segagirladventurespico]

Looks good I saw it once on Amazon for $27 cad so I’m waiting for it to drop again so I can pick it up 😊😊

[@antonioborriello3420]

I kinda expected this video to be a 30 second introduction, 1 minute of footage and 5 minutes of black screen with a Giant "YES" in the middle

[@cedric1138]

Getting big mixed reviews this one, mostly positive with some saying it's a contender for GOTY but others are saying it's so boring. I'll wait for a good sale.

[@jaystarrah]

It got kinda boring to me around the end of chap 3 leading into 4, but still cute.

[@james441]

Great game, best indie game in years

[@blksteve11]

I’m coming back to this video 1. Because of the physical pre order announced and 2. It’s been on my list of things to play!

[@soggywafflez_rl]

based on what im looking at it kinda reminds me of mario and luigi superstar saga which i loved

[@leandrorivera6328]

This games earns a spot on the best boss battle songs, as well as its artstyle and story. It truly does not disappoint.

[@Moplonn]

Yeah the final phase of final boss has the dopest soundtrack

[@kosterix123]

How much game is there really?

[@123allskate]

Whenever I hear his voice commentating I want him to say the Line from Tenacious-D “Yeah, Wee baby”

[@Clyburn9057hi]

I'm watching this after already buying the game and not touching it yet. Honestly want October to be here so I can get the OLED transfer over with.

[@ASH-ou4cg]

Looking forward to my physical copy coming from Playasia. I see there has been many patches released, too. Hopefully I will get the best experience, once my cart arrives. Looking quite forward to this one.

[@NYCJoeBlack]

Give us an Update.

[@rossrobbins7707]

I didn't agree with everything in this review, but I would happily listen to ten hours of Jon reading the dictionary, so I give this video five out of five stars!

[@CameronBaileyQuote]

This game is a masterpiece. 👌🏽

[@jeanschyso]

I should have gotten this instead of slime rancher.. The synopsis in the E-shop was just not describing it well at all.

[@wonderfulfable]

12 hours in and I think this game should be GOTY for 2021. Everything. Music, combat, puzzles, story, character development. Perfection. I used to think 2D Sprite RPG Games aren't as fancy like the current generation of 3D games. Well, Eastward proved me wrong. PS: Listening to the New Dam City Forest Theme ( Strange Quest ) on a loop. The retrowave soundtrack by Joel Corelitz is 🔥. Also: Without spoiling too much, the moment the game had me invested into the story is midway through Chapter 2. That is when the story starts getting dark as a sad turn of events happened.

[@rossovivie]

*so how long would you say the gameplay would be minus the many dialogues/cutscenes?*

[@Tcity9]

I just finished it. It took me around 23 hours (finishing about 85% of what the game has to offer)…and I would say that it felt like around 15 of those hours were actual gameplay. The rest was story/dialogue…and there are two major parts of the game that have you do a whole lot of back and forth (so although it was technically “gameplay” it wasn’t combat focused, and just felt like side quest/filler)

[@rossovivie]

@@Tcity9 gotcha. I might check it out then. Thanks : )

[@cheshirecat3102]

I finished this game yesterday. Have few crash. I like the story but not the ending. Have many question than answer. And I don't like how the mc can't run faster or roll in battle

[@ghost-type]

I can't wait for this weekend. I'm going to pick this up as soon as I get paid.

[@PreYeah]

What game is the intro from? Especially 0:16 edit: lol, nvm - thought it was a custom intro, seems like it's from Eastward itself.

[@Schimnesthai]

I don't like how Octopath Traveler looks, but i really like how this looks, the details and lightning. After this review, now i'm interested

[@mogberry2139]

whats your take on Triangle Strategy since they have similar art style?

[@Schimnesthai]

@@mogberry2139 I wasn't that interested on the new combat formula so i didn't look up to it, but it looked mostly the same from the early trailers... also, what a terrible name! Glad i'm not american because that would be an even worse deal, americans really love their names!

[@mogberry2139]

@@Schimnesthai hahaha, truly amused with your reply. Well yeah the combat is what it is. Either you love it or don’t. I have to agree with the title though. It’s like half baked title or the code names they use before truly revealing the game title 😆

[@Schimnesthai]

@@mogberry2139 Code Name S.T.E.A.M. though

[@dementedavenger2784]

Love this game. I wish there were more Zelda-likes. There are too few.

[@emanuelvanegas5591]

Crosscode is crazy good

[@yalocaldex]

this is nothing like zelda tho.....

[@dementedavenger2784]

@@yalocaldex i mean...it is

[@yalocaldex]

@@dementedavenger2784 no it's not.....zelda have more action rather than just dialogue.....I'm not saying this game is bad but it's nothing like zelda...just because it's JRPG like doesn't mean it's like zelda stop spreading misinformation cuz people will get upset when they buy the game

[@dementedavenger2784]

@Dex Stu it's like Zelda. It's top down. The combat is similar. And there are even dungeons with puzzles to solve. So if anyone is looking for a game like an old school Zelda, then try out Eastward. You won't be disappointed. Great Zelda-like. Also, this and Zelda are not jrpgs.

[@Enigmalake]

Yes. Yes it is worth it. Hope it sells well. I’m assuming it is 😁

[@robertbarker5802]

I pre-ordered the physical copy from Play Asia so I'm doing my part!

[@PurPurDot]

Yes

[@westonshumaker6231]

5/10 from me If theres 10 hours of game play 3 hours of that is easily just reading text. The biggest problem I had with it was that after you beat the game you cant go back. You can only load previous saves. I took me to the end of the game to discover the machine that you buy the toys out of. Not that it would matter because the pace in which you receive money or tokens will make it obvious that it's close to impossible to buy everything you need from upgrades, food, and those toys. There's some kind of bug or plot device in the game where when a character is talking and they get excited it'll flash threw the text really fast. I feel like I missed alot of information when ever it did that. It was a cute game with a great story. I definitely got invested in it but I over all got fatigued from the long cut scenes.

[@garbagereviews3236]

Most of your issued stem from not paying attention, youre easily able to upgrade everything in the game if you search for chests, the game is based around narrative not gameplay, the pachinko machine is cleaely laid out in the beginning of the game as well as throughout, with the fat dragon being a prime example, and if you have the cash youre able to buy out every pachinko drop at the end the game, and finally just read faster lmao

[@Dashx64]

Love the Rockman Dash (megaman legends) vibes, anythin like that makes me very happy

[@Isaiahlastra]

Anyone got lost in time with Earthborn? Cause heck I did

[@jackson633]

Is Zion okay?

[@dennisdeuster]

It seems you did not even finish chapter 2 for the review since no gameplay is shown except from the start of the game. I dared to buy it on risk without deeper knowledge and yes - its pace is slow and I like that. What I don't like are the passages where you are stressed to hurry and e.g. flee from the miasma. But for now (end of chapter 3) I pretty much enjoy the game.

[@philatio1744]

nintendo life usually only uses footage from the first half of the game as to avoid spoilers

[@AintItJay187]

Still trying to decide between this and Baldo

[@Ponaru]

Baldo is kind of a mess. Id wait for a sale on that one.

[@LoloandMo]

I vote Eastward. I have been playing Eastward and I’m impressed. I heard baldo disappointed.

[@theuglytruth6469]

Get this.

[@lostprophets931]

Obviously Eastward. Have you looked at Baldo reviews? It was such a big disappointment. I was really looking forward to play Baldo, and as hyped as I was for it, let's be objective... Baldo is a piece of shit.

[@timothyogwynn3410]

I was equally hyped for Baldo, was disappointed that it seemed to bomb so hard. This seems like it’ll scratch a similar itch!

[@blakeseeger8949]

Takes a while to really get into it, but this game is fantastic. 😍

[@gordonlynch771]

Just finished it today and the story is incredible, if not slightly anti climactic? Seems to leave something open to a sequel? 🤷🏻‍♂️ Maybe not. Cannot recommend it enough

[@laubowiebass]

This is on the wishlist !

[@dachking6657]

I’m too busy with Deltarune Chapter 2 right now but I’ll get to it

[@GRTakerTh]

I think 25 euros is a fair price but I think I am gonna wait for a sale

[@fatkidinwalla]

Dialogue is terribly boring and unremarkable

[@PantsaBear]

This game very much reminds me of Earthbound and games like it. Are there people out there who play those games more for the gameplay and less for the story? Lol

[@philatio1744]

yes, very much. Most still value gameplay over story.

[@raydeld]

I wish there was a new game plus! Other than that it was a great story.

[@desh206]

The art style is like a 30s disney cartoon

[@Mr._Mints]

You can’t stop the John with his frying pan!

[@dodopurpura]

I have not seen the video yet, but the answer is yes. Really Yes.

[@MelodyTCG]

Best game I've ever played

[@WavyVaporizers]

IOTY (indie of the year)

[@thekittenthatwantschicken8018]

5 hours in and loving it

[@logansaxby7224]

Not my thing but looks great for those into this style. Great review 🖖

[@tluets]

I'm reaIIy enjoying this game so far... FeeIing a bit Iike BiII Murray at this point

[@evenglare]

So the game is a modern version of blossom tale of the sleeping king

[@lysergicserpent7676]

Blossom tales is much more of an overt Zelda-like than Eastward. Eastward is very linear, it has more of a "road trip" structure wherein you visit a series of locations, and each one is like a mini overworld map, rather than one big one like in Zelda. It really plays out more like a JRPG with real time Zelda-like combat and puzzling than a true Zelda-like

[@AlohaGamester]

YES it's worth it!

[@WankenZeFurious]

Masterclass video game

[@DBTGAMER]

Kind of reminds me of The Last of Us. 🤔

[@vjc7508]

the visual details in the game is so much better than pokemon brilliant diamond....

[@samuraibeastwarrior2886]

Is this a e shop game

[@choobiestudios2305]

No, but I wish it was. In fact the only way to get it is to storm the Nintendo headquarters and demand a copy of “Eastward”.

[@mikebowman5819]

Wanna play this one

[@FuegodeInfierno]

Imagine if the other character was called Alex.

[@UsaM]

I craft of love.

[@yesxplain5965]

love this game so much

[@ijustsawthat]

Yes let's blame the game because people have the attention span of a golden fish nowadays. Dialog does do much in world building and character development.

[@pileofsand8756]

It's not about the attention span. people PLAY games because they want to PLAY games, not watch. More story should not come at the expense of gameplay.

[@philatio1744]

Jon didn't even blame the game, he made emphasis about how it hurt the flow of the game. There's nothing wrong with being story heavy, the negative aspects comes from not balancing well the interactive with the more narrative side.

[@samuelc6246]

I call false advertisement. I didn't get to play Dragon Quest within the subscribe button.

[@ithydoodles]

I'm just playing nexomon 1 on my switch. But I do plan on getting Eastward before too long.

[@RatedNiKO]

I got bored pretty fast with Eastward. I'm gonna pass. But, if someone who played is willing to write down the main plot with spoilers, I'll be happy to see if I'm really missed some great game ;)

[@taikuxie2408]

yeah Nintendo life KZbin i'm thinking it's awesome.

[@jamesriley007]

Looks alot like that stranger things 3 game

[@EthanMiguelScott]

mis-shapen

[@the-NightStar]

Well then based on this review, this game is for me! Because I appreciate good writing and stories in games and I have an actual attention span and am not cursed with as much annoying ADHD as Mitch Vogel seems to have. I expect about the same level of story involvement as an RPG like Final Fantasy 6 and Mother 3 seems to have and this game seems identically on par with that. Funny then that I never hear people complain that Mother 3, Undertale or FF6 has "too much story and cutscenes". Funny, that. Guess that just highlights the problem with "game journalists" and reviewers that sit with 10 games on their desk that they have to breeze through like it's an assembly line and no longer realize how to enjoy a story for story's sake, like Mitch Vogel seems to have issues with. Sorry that so many reviewers seem to have lost touch with the emotional investments video games can have, and that to them, they're all just "some product to hurry up and get it over with" to them. Looking forward to this, and my condolences to Mitch Vogel. Maybe someday you and your inner child can make peace again, and video games, imagination and emotional investment will all come to mean something to you once more. That would be nice.

[@headintheclouds999]

Not liking eastward for the long dialogs and story are the same people who don't like the Witcher because there is too much story and stuff to read

[@towerguarder]

this game is soo good. But i agree with you on the combat. Its a little stale and lacks dept after a few hours. Theres little progression in that sense. The story is amazing and the graphics are top notch for pixel art.

[@bobbyfagan7760]

This guy keeps saying Eastwood

[@Kraken54321]

👏

[@cgrooney9945]

Verdict is No!! Biggest flop of 2021 in my opinion

[@carsoncody1344]

Can you explain y to me

[@sultan_3864]

@@carsoncody1344 they prolly won’t lol

[@FadedHolySoldier]

this game has wayyyy wayyy to much boring dialogue.. most of the game is dialogue actually!! I found it boring

[@sultan_3864]

You’re missing out

[@maccamachine]

nintendo

[@NoAnonima]

👀

[@b00psn00t]

Is it ethical to review this game after your other video for the game was sponsored by Chucklefish? SUS

[@WolfieXp]

It's only unethical if they get paid to give it a good score, which i doubt they are. Both because i trust the integrity of Nintendo Life, but also because there's no way an indie team has the kind of money needed to pay out review websites lmao

[@garrettkidney]

@@WolfieXp Also I don’t think anybody would pay to be given an 8/10. Not that that’s a bad score but nobody is going to be like “Here’s a bunch of money, now give us an 8.”

[@skydiamsteam6005]

Oh yeah they’d totally accept the criticism, lol

[@wodensthrone5215]

A very bland and boring design for the protagonist, just made me lose all interest.

[@LordSnoodles]

Your dad jokes are really consistently among the worst

[@alwaysasn]

So this is essentially the plot of an alternate reality TLOU 2? lmao