<s>
Eastward	B-Application
is	O
an	O
indie	O
action-adventure	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Pixpil	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Chucklefish	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
September	O
16	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
,	O
macOS	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
1	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eastward	B-Application
focuses	O
on	O
action	O
RPG	O
gameplay	O
mechanics	O
,	O
combining	O
combat	O
with	O
puzzle	O
solving	O
and	O
exploration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
main	O
game	O
,	O
players	O
may	O
also	O
play	O
a	O
second	O
game	O
accessible	O
in	O
Eastward	B-Application
called	O
"	O
Earth	O
Born	O
"	O
-	O
a	O
homage	O
to	O
the	O
Dragon	B-Application
Quest	I-Application
series	O
,	O
which	O
plays	O
like	O
a	O
traditional	O
role-playing	O
game	O
with	O
some	O
rogue	O
like	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
is	O
classic	O
fantasy	O
role-playing	O
game	O
abstraction	O
of	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
Eastward	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Shanghai-based	O
Pixpil	O
and	O
is	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
debut	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
Eastward	B-Application
was	O
coined	O
by	O
the	O
founder	O
as	O
a	O
key	O
concept	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
characters	O
are	O
trying	O
to	O
go	O
east	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
title	O
mixes	O
a	O
custom	O
engine	O
developed	O
by	O
Pixpil	O
called	O
Gii	O
and	O
open	O
source	O
software	O
like	O
MOAI	B-Language
to	O
add	O
3D	O
effects	O
to	O
,	O
so	O
that	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
words	O
of	O
one	O
developer	O
:	O
"	O
the	O
processing	O
power	O
on	O
modern	O
hardware	O
wo	O
n't	O
be	O
wasted	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pixpil	O
outsourced	O
the	O
music	O
to	O
Joel	O
Corelitz	O
due	O
to	O
issues	O
finding	O
local	O
composers	O
that	O
could	O
mesh	O
with	O
Eastward	B-Application
's	O
style	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
studio	O
mentioned	O
being	O
open	O
to	O
porting	O
it	O
to	O
additional	O
platforms	O
,	O
but	O
decided	O
to	O
focus	O
on	O
Switch	O
,	O
macOS	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Windows	O
for	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eastward	B-Application
's	O
cooking	O
system	O
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	O
Breath	O
of	O
the	O
Wilds	O
mechanic	O
of	O
bonuses	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
ingredient	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
by	O
publisher	O
Chucklefish	O
on	O
September	O
16	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
onto	O
both	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
and	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eastward	B-Application
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
"	O
according	O
to	O
review	O
aggregator	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	O
game	O
media	O
outlets	O
commented	O
positively	O
on	O
John	O
and	O
Sam	O
's	O
characterization	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Eastwards	B-Application
story	O
,	O
visuals	O
,	O
and	O
attention	O
to	O
detail	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Malindy	O
Hetfeld	O
of	O
Eurogamer	O
wrote	O
that	O
"	O
Eastward	B-Application
is	O
an	O
incredibly	O
rewarding	O
slice-of-life	O
story	O
,	O
"	O
and	O
added	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
contains	O
beautiful	O
visuals	O
and	O
is	O
the	O
"	O
type	O
of	O
kind	O
,	O
warm	O
game	O
not	O
many	O
developers	O
make	O
anymore.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Rock	O
Paper	O
Shotgun	O
Katharine	O
Castle	O
commented	O
that	O
Eastward	B-Application
is	O
"	O
an	O
affecting	O
,	O
detail-rich	O
tale	O
that	O
owes	O
as	O
much	O
to	O
the	O
action	O
of	O
top-down	O
Zelda	O
games	O
as	O
it	O
does	O
to	O
the	O
role-playing	O
intimacy	O
of	O
EarthBound.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Daniel	O
Tack	O
of	O
Game	O
Informer	O
wrote	O
that	O
"	O
Eastward	B-Application
's	O
characters	O
,	O
setting	O
,	O
and	O
sounds	O
craft	O
an	O
unforgettable	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Writing	O
for	O
NPR	O
,	O
Keller	O
Gordon	O
called	O
Eastward	B-Application
"	O
a	O
triumph	O
that	O
stretches	O
the	O
standard	O
for	O
indie	O
game	O
development	O
,	O
"	O
adding	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
masterfully	O
combines	O
popular	O
tropes	O
from	O
older	O
titles	O
and	O
genres	O
without	O
feeling	O
hackneyed	O
and	O
stale.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Gordon	O
also	O
commented	O
that	O
"	O
Eastward	B-Application
expertly	O
toes	O
the	O
line	O
between	O
lovable	O
and	O
genuinely	O
dark.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
both	O
its	O
dungeons	O
and	O
places	O
of	O
reprieve	O
,	O
Eastward	B-Application
is	O
continually	O
worth	O
exploring.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Jon	O
Bailes	O
of	O
NME	O
criticized	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
length	O
,	O
writing	O
"	O
Eastward	B-Application
is	O
a	O
very	O
good	O
12-15-hour	O
experience	O
bouncing	O
around	O
inside	O
a	O
20-hour	O
plus	O
slog	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
,	O
EarthBound	B-Application
,	O
Dragon	B-Application
Quest	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
have	O
all	O
been	O
mentioned	O
as	O
games	O
that	O
Eastward	B-Application
pays	O
homage	O
to	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Carpenter	O
wrote	O
that	O
"	O
Eastward	B-Application
is	O
not	O
subtle	O
about	O
its	O
influences	O
:	O
Chinese	O
developer	O
Pixpil	O
has	O
lovingly	O
pulled	O
inspiration	O
from	O
all	O
sorts	O
of	O
media	O
and	O
combined	O
it	O
into	O
a	O
pixel	O
art	O
role-playing	O
game	O
that	O
's	O
still	O
,	O
somehow	O
,	O
unquestionably	O
itself.	O
"	O
</s>
