Eastward similar games & best alternatives

Eastward

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

Should you play it?

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…

What works
  • Beautiful pixel art and animation
  • Engaging emotional story and characters
  • Excellent soundtrack
  • Fun puzzles and accessible combat
  • Immersive world design
Things to keep in mind
  • 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

What to play next

Similar games, hidden gems, and fresh directions from this game.

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • A Gay Love Story About Gay Love

  • Metal Unit

  • STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R

  • Tales of the Neon Sea

  • House

  • Project Kat - Paper Lily Prologue

  • Major\Minor

  • Drova - Forsaken Kin

  • The Long Reach

Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • A Gay Love Story About Gay Love

  • Chrono Gear: Warden of Time

  • Purrfect Apawcalypse: Patches' Infurno

If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

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  • Story

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  • Value

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Similarity map

Explore nearby similar games and see why they’re close.

How to use the graph
Similarity map

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

  • Purple star: this page’s game — everything on the map is relative to it.
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot for a screenshot preview, score, and top score gaps; click to compare in the panel on the right.
  • 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 (hidden on purpose).

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

Why this game works

A motivational profile of the game, with the closest similar game for each player motivation.

  • Autonomy

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    "Players control two characters with some freedom to explore and solve puzzles, but the game is linear with guided objectives."

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  • Competence

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  • Competition

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  • Continuation

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    "Many players report long play sessions and emotional attachment; some mention replaying and extended engagement with DLC."

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  • Cooperation

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

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  • Creativity

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    "Players creatively solve puzzles using character switching and perspective shifts, though within designed levels."

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  • Domination

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

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  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

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    "Players use the game to immerse in an emotional story and escape real life stresses."

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

  • Expectation

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

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

  • Experimenting

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    "Some puzzle variety and use of different mechanics encourage experimentation, though overall gameplay is guided and linear."

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  • Exploration

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    "Some backtracking and optional areas encourage exploration, though overall progression is linear."

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  • Expression

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    "Limited customization; expression mainly through narrative and character interactions."

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  • Fantasy

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    "Post-apocalyptic fiction with imaginative elements like mutants and disasters, though grounded in plausible survival."

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  • Fellowship

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    "Players build relationships with NPCs but social interactions are limited and mostly single-player focused."

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

  • Growth

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    "Players learn puzzles and improve combat skills slightly; some progression through story and achievements."

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  • Health

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

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  • Idle

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    "Requires focused attention during combat and story; not suited for background play."

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  • Intimacy

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    "Emotional connections with characters and narrative, though no real social bonding."

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  • Leadership

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

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  • Progression

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    "Players accumulate resources, upgrades, and unlock new weapons as they progress."

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

  • Relaxation

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    "Generally relaxing with pleasant music and art, though some levels induce frustration and tension."

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  • Sensation

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    "Enjoyable pixel art visuals and evocative soundtrack provide sensory and emotional engagement."

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

  • Status

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

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

  • Story

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    "Strong narrative immersion with engaging story, characters, and emotional moments."

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  • Strategy

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

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

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

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    "Some suspense in boss fights and story moments but mostly controlled and predictable gameplay."

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

  • Value

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    "Players find strong value in art, music, story, and replayability despite some pacing issues."

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  • Violence

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

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

  • Survival

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    "Some challenge in managing cooking without failure, but no traditional survival mechanics."

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Last update: 01/06/2026