Review: Eastshade

With its release date on Steam being Feb 2019, I'm a bit late to the party but that doesn't change the fact that it has fast become one of my favourite games in the last 5 years.  I believe it has even beaten Untitled Goose Game and Animal Crossing New Horizons, and I continue to play daily on the latter and loved steaming through the former when I got it on the switch, enjoying the memes that it has continued to generate since its release.

Eastshade has a very simple 'plot' - you're a painter, fulfilling your promise to your mother (who is, I assume, dead) to visit the beautiful island and paint particular viewpoints or tourist spots.  The point of the game is to explore, enjoy and to create works of art. You build relationships with the inhabitants of the island by running errands or solving mysteries, or even fixing their love lives!  I can't say for sure yet how far your responses affect the end of the game, as I'm still working through completing all the steam challenges on my first run-through. I'll definitely enjoy finding out whether a more grouchy, morose reponse set will affect how well I get on with others and whether it affects my end-of-game experience. 

So my honest, incredibly biased (because I love it) review:

Graphics: GORGEOUS

Even on the lowest settings, its default, I was pleased by them. They are bright, they are pretty, they create a place I long to be.  On the highest settings, which my pc could easily handle, it was the same but crisper and clearer.

The island has its own little biomes . mini environments. The woodlands, fields, mountains and open plains of the moors were all surrounded by a beautiful sky and coastal views. You could see far ahead to the horizon and really enjoy being out in the open.  I found myself taking screenshots everywhere because just having paintings (and it turns out you're limited to a set number at any time) wasn't enough!

Soundtrack: GORGEOUS

I honestly have found myself listening to it on spotify when going for walks, when reading, when sitting quietly and doing some art. I've even played it in the background during quiet work time while working with key worker children at school. It's calming and matches the surroundings or locations of the island beautifully.  My husband hasn't played through the game yet but he has said how pretty the soundtrack is, musing that it'll be even better when listening in situ. 

Gameplay:  CHILL AF

You can take your time either following the paths or searching nooks and crannies or winding through the wilderness.  There's no time limit or hurry but it's easy to enough to get a task done quickly if you feel so inclined. There are clues throughout the game to help you with linked or future side quests; comments by characters, books to read (an action encouraged as each new book increases inspiration points for painting) and posters on the walls.  It's a case of engaging with everything and anything to progress - but not in a way that it's easy to miss something small. 

Once you have the resources to explore through the night, the island slowly becomes quite small and you know all the routes and short cuts.  Every time you get to an area you hadn't before, it is new and exciting and the map is just large enough to make it feel like a long way from the two main residential locations in the game.

The mechanics are quite simple but there were a couple of times where I didn't think to activate an item in my inventory to make it do what I needed it to, meaning that I hadn't completed a task! But revisiting those places were easily done once they were marked on my map.  I have found all but two places according to steam, so I still have places to explore! 

It's a game to play if you want a bit of RPG but without the grinding or stressful combat (some people find that stuff stressful, ok?) or skill required. It's a peaceful game that left me feeling relaxed.

Overall, I give this game a solid 5/5.  I just loved it and it's something I'll definitely end up playing from scratch again.  I've been recommending it pretty much everybody.  Get it!  You can preorder it on the PS4, if you're not inclined to play it on the PC.