Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 80 | 60 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 80 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 84% | 78 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 79% | 73 | 2015 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Feb 8, 2024) · 300 reviews sampled · 2015 total reviews in window · weighted 193.3 up / 47.9 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (72)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 60
“Eastward wouldn’t be this frustrating if it didn’t get so much right when the narrative stays on target. There are numerous moments here that are truly alive to the strangeness of this world that might have truly inspired our awe, even our empathy for the characters, if we weren’t also being saddled with the frustration of wondering when the game is going to get on with the program. The payoff for the player’s patience isn’t without its power, but it’s also a bit of a missed opportunity. There are riches aplenty scattered across its protracted campaign, but you may remember Eastward most for its disrespect for the player’s time.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Under Eastward's glossy and well-designed exterior, there's a confusing and overlong story that never really satisfies.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Eastward: Octopia may not bring many new ideas to a crowded genre, but this is an impressively well-executed expansion that nicely ticks all the boxes for a satisfying and relaxing farm sim. Although it has some rougher edges, the decent gameplay variety, interesting story, gorgeous visuals, and surprising amount of content all come together to make this one an easy recommendation to any fans of the original Eastward. Even for those of you who fell off your playthrough of the original for one reason or another, we'd encourage you to consider coming back for Octopia-this is a much better-paced game and, some performance issues aside, it's lost none of the charm that made the original so popular.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“She has an immediate chemistry with Eastward's cavalcade of supporting characters, which are numerous and varied in their importance. I wish the game paid more mind to letting her character breathe, and allowing her to engage with the plot on her own terms. Instead, I'm left feeling like Eastward is a bunch of beautiful puzzle pieces that fail to come together.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“When it comes to pixel art action-adventures the normal standard that is compared against would be The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past...”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Eastward absolutely radiates heart, which is why it is tough to be hard on it. So many little things, from random sprite movements, to the cooking, or RPG mini-game, are charming, yet, the core element of the game - the story - takes far, far too long for any payoff. Instead, it drones on and on in meaninglessness that torpedoes the pacing of the game. While the action and exploration are interesting, it's slowed down too much by banality.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“An old-school RPG created with a lot of love, charming visuals, and mesmerizing soundtrack.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The fully realized world has its charm, but it hardly breaks the mold anywhere else. While it doesn't do anything necessarily offensive, it does demand more when the rest of the game is so well done. It's clear Pixpil have got the writing chops down, now let's tighten up some of the stuff around it.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Whether you do or don’t recognize these callbacks, though, Eastward feels like a game charting its own course. Rather than the bucolic paradises of Studio Ghibli movies or the sword-swinging fantasy fare of Dragon Quest, the dominant aesthetic of the game is a sort of cutesy calamity. The apocalypse it depicts through gorgeous pixel-art graphics is vibrant, warm, and almost hospitable.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“An old-school mix of adventure and RPG in the immortal pixel-art 2D style. Only that compared to similar titles, Eastward can pull in completely providing great fun for more than a few evenings.”
read full review ↗ - 86
“Eastward is a gem of a title bringing wholesome storytelling, clever gameplay, and exceptional visuals that all hold their own even among the exceptional selection of indie titles currently available.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Eastward is a gorgeous looking adventure game that features a great mechanic of synergy-building between characters during fights and puzzle-solving, and a welcoming combat system. Its level design is mostly simple, but the settings look so beautiful it's worth just to marvel at the art style. While there are some performance issues on a television screen when there's a lot of characters on display at the same time and there's a lot of backtracking involved, Eastward is a very interesting and captivating experience for anyone looking for a good adventure game.”
read full review ↗
Slant Magazine
Jump Dash Roll
Nintendo Life
Paste Magazine
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
Capsule Computers
NintendoWorldReport
Siliconera
PPE.pl
Forever Classic Games
Starbit…and 60 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- ⚙️Octopia 1.1 Patch ChangelistFeb 8, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Surprise Quality of Life Update!Dec 14, 2023
- Spring Dev Update!Mar 29, 2022
- New Year Update - New Languages Coming!Jan 13, 2022
- 11.1 HotfixNov 1, 2021
- Patch Note ( Hotfix 10.30 )Oct 30, 2021
- Patch note ( Hotfix 1.1.0b )Oct 28, 2021
- Update 1.1.0Oct 26, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- 2 Weeks of EastwardSep 30, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Offline Mode PatchSep 28, 2021
- 9-20 hotfixSep 20, 2021
- Patch Note ( v1.0.5d )Sep 19, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Note ( v1.0.5c )Sep 17, 2021
- Improvement on joystick responsiveness.Sep 16, 2021
- Winter Development Update - New Screenshots!Dec 10, 2020significant · resets scoring window