New screenshots galore!
Hi everyone!
I hope you’re all staying nice and cosy as we edge into December, or chilling out in the sunshine for those of you in the Southern hemisphere.
It’s been a hot minute since we last updated you about the progress of Eastward and it’s no secret that this year has been a tough one for everyone, including the developers at Pixpil. The team in Shanghai lost access to their server for quite some time at the beginning of the year, with the power cut to their office and no way to enter the building at all due to quarantine restrictions, which of course had some knock-on implications to the development schedule. However fantastic progress has been made despite these challenges throughout the year, and Pixpil are now working on Eastward’s final chapter segment, tightening some loose ends and brushing up a few boss battles.
It’s all super exciting stuff, and we can’t wait to show you more in the coming months. Even though we won’t have the game ready before the end of 2020, we’ll be ramping up our communication about the game as it gets closer to release – there’s certainly plenty to talk about!
To kick off this new blog series we wanted to show you all a few new screenshots and introduce you to a little more of the weird and wonderful world of Eastward. If you’re dead set on avoiding spoilers then look away now!
Okay, still here? Let’s go!
(Please note: Some place & item names may change)
In John’s mining hometown of Potcrock Isle, inhabitants have spent their whole lives beneath the earth’s surface with no knowledge of the outside world! In front of Hello Grocery store you can see a gacha machine and Earth Born arcade unit, where you’ll be able to play Sam’s favourite monster-collecting JRPG. We’ll show you more of that soon!
Welcome to Greenberg, a laid-back idyllic village tucked away in the middle of a forest. You’ll pass through these golden fields during the annual harvest time, and get the chance to meet some friendly locals! I’m personally a huge fan of how each of the village homes are constructed from rusting landlocked ships, some complete with their own majestic duck.
Not long after arriving in Damhill, the city’s food market will open, giving you access to a variety of exotic cooking ingredients (sandrupes and fire mints anyone?) as well as a notorious sewage system. Cooking is an integral part of Eastward’s gameplay, with lots of delicacies to discover and strange recipes to try out with various health, power and other secret bonuses – we’ll post a blog in the future to explain more about how it works!
Throughout their adventure, Sam and John will be boarding a cross-country railway as they travel eastward (hehe) through the decaying landscape. But some stations and tracks need a little fixing up before they’re fully operational…
When you need to take a break from the hustle and bustle of city life in Damhill you can always take the train to this beautiful old bath house for a quick and relaxing dip. It’s run by a cute older couple who seem like they may also moonlight as passionate tomato farmers.
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Eastward was also recently shown in a Japanese INDIE Live Expo II video showcase alongside many other fantastic indies – check out the video that was shown below!
Alright, that’s all for now. We’ve got much more lined up for you all as we approach the final stretch before launch. If you haven’t already, make sure you add Eastward to your Steam wishlist to get notified about the latest developments!
If you’re a streamer and keen to get early access to keys when they’re available you can request access by filling in our Content Creator form. You’ll also find answers and basic info about the game in our handy FAQ.
Lastly, if you’re as excited about Eastward as we are, come join the community discussion over on our Discord or Reddit, and follow us on Twitter for more Chucklefish gaming news.
Happy Holidays everyone!
-Chucklefish