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Eastward similar games & best alternatives

Eastward

PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Mac • 2021

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Quick resume

Welcome to the charming world of Eastward - population declining! Journey through a society on the brink of collapse. Discover delightful towns, strange creatures and even stranger people! Wield a trusty frying pan and mystic powers on an adventure into the unknown…

Global score

84/100

Genres

Action, Adventure, Indie, Role-playing (RPG), Simulator

Similar games

    Pros

    • Beautiful pixel art and animation
    • Engaging emotional story and characters
    • Excellent soundtrack
    • Fun puzzles and accessible combat
    • Immersive world design

    Cons

    • Slow and uneven pacing
    • Linear gameplay with no backtracking
    • Combat can be repetitive and clunky
    • Excessive dialogue and cutscenes
    • Some story elements vague or unresolved

    Analysis

    A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Intimacy, Survival, Violence, Competition. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Violence, Survival. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Cooperation.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Motivations

    • Autonomy
      3

      "Players control two characters with unique abilities and solve puzzles and combat challenges, but the game is linear with no backtracking, limiting freedom."

    • Competence
      2

      "Combat and puzzles provide some challenge and skill use, but combat is generally easy and repetitive with limited depth."

    • Competition
      -5

      "No competitive or ranked modes; focus is on single-player story and exploration."

    • Continuation
      3

      "Many players report long play sessions and emotional attachment, with some planning to replay or engage with DLC."

    • Cooperation
      -5

      "Single-player experience with no multiplayer or cooperative gameplay."

    • Creativity
      3

      "Players engage in cooking minigames and puzzle solving with character switching, but within predefined structures."

    • Domination
      -5

      "No evidence of exerting control or superiority over others; single-player narrative focus."

    • Escapism
      4

      "Players use the game to immerse in a beautiful, emotional world and escape real life stresses."

    • Expectation
      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of personal interest and enjoyment, not obligation or pressure."

    • Experimenting
      2

      "Some experimentation with cooking ingredients and puzzle approaches, but mostly linear gameplay."

    • Exploration
      2

      "Exploration of new areas is encouraged, but no backtracking limits revisiting or deep exploration."

    • Expression
      1

      "Limited character customization or self-expression; focus on story and character interaction."

    • Fantasy
      3

      "Post-apocalyptic and sci-fi elements with imaginative storytelling and characters."

    • Fellowship
      1

      "Players connect emotionally with characters and world, but social interaction is limited to NPCs."

    • Growth
      2

      "Players develop skills in combat and puzzles, and learn story and world details progressively."

    • Health
      -5

      "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related mechanics."

    • Idle
      -3

      "Requires focused attention during combat, puzzles, and story; not suitable for background play."

    • Intimacy
      2

      "Emotional connection with characters and story, but no multiplayer or real social bonding."

    • Leadership
      -5

      "No leadership or group management roles; single-player experience."

    • Progression
      3

      "Players gain new weapons, upgrades, recipes, and unlock areas as they progress."

    • Relaxation
      2

      "Generally relaxing with beautiful art and music, though some combat and pacing issues cause tension."

    • Sensation
      3

      "Rich pixel art and evocative soundtrack provide strong sensory and emotional enjoyment."

    • Status
      -5

      "No social status or recognition systems; focus on personal story experience."

    • Story
      4

      "Strong narrative immersion with character-driven story and emotional depth."

    • Strategy
      2

      "Puzzles require problem solving and some combat strategy, but overall gameplay is straightforward."

    • Thrill
      1

      "Some suspenseful moments and boss fights, but mostly controlled and predictable gameplay."

    • Value
      4

      "Players find good value in art, story, and gameplay for the price, with some complaints about pacing."

    • Violence
      2

      "Combat involves fighting enemies with weapons, but violence is stylized and not gratuitous."

    • Survival
      1

      "Some resource management (cooking, health), but low risk and no survival mechanics."

    Where to buy

    Come talk about it on Discord!

    Last update: 29/04/2026