Eastshade

Eastshade
78
Metacritic
89
Steam
86.251
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$24.99
Release date
13 February 2019
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
89 (4 553 votes)
Recent
84 (33 votes)

You are a traveling painter, exploring the island of Eastshade. Capture the world on canvas using your artist’s easel. Talk to the inhabitants to learn about their lives. Make friends and help those in need. Visit cities, scale summits, unearth mysteries, and discover forgotten places!

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Eastshade system requirements

Minimum:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 7
  • Processor: Intel i5-750/AMD Phenom II X4-945
  • Memory: 6 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia GTX 560 Ti/Radeon HD 6950
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 3 GB available space
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Evil Genius
Evil Genius

If you're looking for some good art I would recommend Eastshade. It's got excellent storytelling and visuals. Imagine a world with as much personality as Morrowind, but on the scale of A Short Hike. There's no combat, it is entirely wandering around, talking, small scale crafting and PAINTING. The painting feels more like photography than real painting, as you point your camera at a scene and press the "paint" button and the game does the work. As you can see the scenery is stunning and you can get many nice shots. Top notch. Total classic.

There are quite a few bugs, which makes it frustrating that you only get one save slot. But as long as you save regularly especially around rafts and boats, and accept that your choices will be fixed, you should be fine.

Matt_J95
Matt_J95

The presentation of the game is brilliant, Eastshade is a beautiful world to be a part of. Anyone looking should give it a go just to experience it's beauty. The fact that all the residents of Lyndow are monkeys or deer is funny and original. Painting the view from the Gazebo, and the huge big tree was a
wonderfully moving experience for a game. Sadly though, it didn't keep my attention for long. The voice acting from the rather bizzare characters starts to sound effortless, and the game kept me out of the big city, Nava, instead forcing me to cross country again and again trying to work out how to get my character references. This started to make the environment feel rather unfriendly and suspicious, and ruined the otherwise welcoming feeling of being on a small island.

Morcath
Morcath

Just one word to describe this game. Beautiful. It's just a beautiful game, chill, inspiring. A game to listen to the music, walk around and enjoy the land you are walking on. It's a game about art, and it's art itself. Sure, it's got a few bugs here and there, but that honestly doesn't bother me. Of course, it might not be everyone's cup of tea, it requires some patience. But I really recommend it for a different gaming experience.

Onan the Barbarian
Onan the Barbarian

Eastshade is a game for everyone who ever played a Fantasy RPG and had the errant thought that a game like that without the constant need to slap bandits and wolves would be a neat idea. You exlore a neat, little island and through doing quests earn money and skills to gradually open up more of the island for yourself. You're a painter, not a fighter, and one of your main ways of ingratiating yourself with the locals is by making cool paintings of stuff. You can also drink psychedelic tea to put a filter over your screen in case you ever tire of natural lighting.

It's relaxing. That's this game's entire point. It's honestly kind of a shame that something like this is such a niche product, because Eastshade would be a better game with a little more polish, more in-depth mechanics, and more territory to explore. But if you've ever played something like The Witcher and thought its world would be more cozy without the gallows everywhere, this is that experience distilled into an entire game. No bad vibes (mostly), just exploring a cozy, little island. Build a raft. Go fishing. Buy a bicycle. Drink psychedelic tea. It's all good.

Marbled Marionberry
Marbled Marionberry

I recommend this game. Explore a colorful world as a mysterious painter? Sounds like a great time to me. Prepare to walk because you walk for a long while. Game gives plenty of tasks to do and puzzles to solve. A good game to play to unwind.

EclipticStars
EclipticStars

Relaxing and cute. The visuals are really good, I love a good fantasy world with beautiful landscapes, and the world-building is pretty good too.

Just Daxton
Just Daxton

Delightful game focused on exploration and discovery at your own pace. Every part of the world is interesting with its own story to tell, and I always found myself with the motivation to explore every inch of this beautifully crafted world.

FaustsFaun
FaustsFaun

Probably one of the most relaxing and visually stunning and peaceful games ive had the pleasure to play in a very long time. It took me 15 hours to do one playthrough of the game, and that was me loitering about to take everything in. Ill probably take on the task of a new save game in a few weeks just because this is as relaxing as it gets. Thank you for creating such a beautiful game.

Marilianne
Marilianne

Eastshade is like a breath of fresh air compared to other games. It is the only game I have ever gotten nostalgic for, not for the plot but for the atmosphere, the world it has built. In the game you play as a painter, exploring the island of Eastshade and meeting its inhabitants. There are several quests, but they mostly enhance what I feel is the true goal of the game: exploration and immersion. I don't quite have the words for how beautiful and diverse the game is and I have been surprised several times by different quests as they sent me to places or made me experience things I hadn't quite expected. All in all, I can't reccommend this game enough. It is truly one of a kind.

sigma main
sigma main

INTRO: I found Eastshade by looking for games like Ghost of a Tale, Bugsnax, or the Long Dark (all games that I like a lot, but have layers of difficulty or complexity depending on how you experience them). Generally though, they're combat-minimal with interesting environments, interesting lore, and interesting people. That is, so far- only two hours in- exactly what I've gotten out of Eastshade! For ~$12 dollars, which is what I bought it for when it was half off, it has been SUPER worth it. Not to say it's a flawless masterpiece, however, but I'll get to that...

THE GOOD: This game scratches a very specific itch-- gorgeous environments, non-tedious resource gathering, interesting conversations with decently written characters, a good amount of lore and mystery for you to discover, small and pleasant side-quests, and, of course, satisfying painting mechanics. I'm only a very short way into the game but I've been pleasantly surprised by the amount and diversity of the crafting / traversal mechanics, since this game was billed to me as a "walking simulator" (which I think it goes beyond-- it's more of a crafting / exploration game that just lacks combat.)

THE BAD: This game is buggy, though. No game-breaking bugs that would cause a loss of progress or an inability to continue forward, but a lot of little tiny visual bugs-- seagulls being static objects in the sky, fish swimming in the air slightly above the beaches, dialogue exchanges when a character is asleep, some missing textures or missing collisions, unclear invisible wall placement, and even a very specific spot that I found will launch you about ten feet in the air if you collide with it wrong. Some of the voice acting can be hit-or-miss, especially when the actors try non-native accents, and there was this occasional bug where the audio would kind of crisp up/go tinny and sound off. (I kind of wonder if maybe it would be a better experience if there was no spoken dialogue?) As far as complaints go, they're easily ignorable (you notice & move on) and that's it.

CONCLUSION: I am definitely playing this game all the way through. It is a very pleasant little romp that reminded me of scenes/environments from games like Skyrim or Oblivion. There are warm and cozy inn-houses, comfortable and very kind characters wherever you look, a scattering of lorebooks for you to peek through and interesting environments to traipse around, but with a touch of survival aspects (keeping from freezing at night, crafting your own things from resources in the environment) to keep things interesting. This is the kind of game that, if I had the time, money, talent, and training to make, I would've tried to put together. The flavor text (especially item descriptions, I love reading and writing item descriptions) is lovingly rendered, the environments are perfectly fantastical but also nostalgically homey, and the people are charming and witty with a variety of simple though diverse personalities. Eastshade presents this perfect little idealized world where everyone is living in a cute little cottage by the hillside and they'll give you coins for gathering berries. There's no demand placed on you-- you aren't the chosen one, or some great and powerful person. You could just wander around and look at things or scour every single homestead for every ream of cloth you can find, or try to solve everyone's problems for them, or leave them to their own devices. It is very easy to overlook the few bugs or hiccups, or even find them an amusing part of the game's overall cozy charm.

There is a clear feeling of love that went into crafting Eastshade. It politely invites you into this wonderful world and lets you stay as long as you like. Overall I'd give it a 9/10 so far: I highly recommend it if you enjoy any of the three games I mentioned above, or games about exploration with minimal main storyline but lots of sidequests, or ones that have interesting presentations of lore.

ser0
ser0

Sadly there are just way too many visual bugs with this game that the developer does not address any more. Saving the game does nothing, when you restart all your progress is lost. Additionally the "Open World" is just Open until it isn't anymore. You can't climb rocks since those work as a barrier of entry to some areas. Some other areas are lazyly connected but you still can't run to them. I have requested a refund.

MadHatterBelial
MadHatterBelial

My problem with most walking simulators and especially the "pretty scenery" ones is that walking and looking at artificial flowers gets boring in 40 minutes tops.
Eastshade, while being relatively short overcame that by having lots of things to do and multiple ways to do it, then adding some nice lore and quests to the mix. Changing weather and different terrains, fishing and brewing tea, solving mysteries and making decisions without any time restrictions or actual dangers was extremely relaxing and I'm sure I'll come back for my third and forth playthrough just to see how differently some quest will turn out this time.

orteils4
orteils4

The game is beautiful, I'll give it that. My problem with it is the game play. Just not my type of game I guess. The map is basically worthless, controls are wonky, the game crashed or froze so many times I lost count, I got stuck on the mountain top (the hot air balloon lady got stuck in the fence, I restarted and she had left) and it took forever to finally get down, you wander aimlessly trying to figure out the quests with no real direction and everything takes forever. Not to mention that I learned the hard way that autosave is a crap shoot, manually save your game as often as possible or you will lose progress every time the game crashes or freezes. So again, absolutely beautiful but just incredibly tedious and boring. Thankfully I got it on sale.

nymerion
nymerion

This is the peak of gaming industry, this is how all games should be like, interactive story telling and nothing more, no stress no ability prooving just story and how you move along with it. couldn't wait to get home and play this game whole week. i hope this company keeps making games like this.

lucheiah
lucheiah

A pretty land to explore, puzzles to solve, stuff to craft, and just a really chill, relaxed atmosphere. Lovely game.

Skaiflaya
Skaiflaya

I didn't know what to expect with this game, I've had it wishlisted for ages now, but only actually caved when it recently went on sale. It's a very relaxing game, and to my surprise it actually has a story line and quests to do. I expected this to just be a game where you wandered around and painted, and not so much have any kind of interactions. So, very pleasantly surprised by that. It almost feels like Skyrim, but without the battle aspects.

I think my only complaints would be that the sound settings often revert themselves, such as when you reload a game, fast travel, etc. So far that's the only thing that's really been negative about the game.

lixcloud
lixcloud

Absolutely fantastic game! Loved it from start to finish. Took me around 19hrs to finish my first playthrough, though that was mainly because I was trying to get as many achievements in the first run and just appreciating the beautiful scenery!

This is definitely one of my favourite games. When I was looking for a new game to play, this fit all my criteria:
Relaxing, free roam game with beautiful scenery and music, quests to keep me busy, and funny little characters I can interact with. All without the fear of anything dangerous or having to "survive". I'm no good with anxiety haha. And this game is all at your own pace! Awesome!
I loved exploring every square inch of this game and delving into some of the backstory of characters! Also the fact there is also some reasonable freedom to painting things is very nice, I like it a lot.

Overall amazing game I'd recommend to anyone looking for the above mentioned. :D

+ I only ever came across two bugs that happened when getting off my reed boat at some areas but it made me laugh and easily fixed itself.

elfypooh
elfypooh

Eastshade is wonderfully charming. The game naturally draws you in and leads you to further explore the island. Certain areas are locked until you progress and there are numerous unlockables that makes traversing easier. The characters you meet are fascinating, funny, quirky and full of life. I was surprised by how good the voice actors were. As I traversed the land, the music fit so well as I came upon scenic locations that I felt inspired to screenshot, "paint." Admittedly, I am so used to some sense of urgency in survival type games that it took some time to get used to the serene and calm nature of Eastshade. I always expected something to jump out of the bushes. Maybe it's some kind of survival game ptsd? Once I realised there was not some monster around the corner or some survival metre(even though there are some survival mechanics), I could better appreciate the beauty of the game and its lovely stories.

Unfortunately, the game is littered with bugs and it crashed on numerous occasions. So, I made an effort to save often - an unfortunate similarities with some tough rpgs/survival games but for the wrong reasons. However, the bugs and crashes were not enough to keep me away. Once I got into Eastshade, the joy of exploration and pleasant missions far outweighed the bugs of frustration.

There were numerous moments that made me pause in sadness or happiness; there are many take-it-in type experiences. Eastshade is filled with visual and hidden beauty that I cannot recommend enough. I ask the the reader to take a moment to drink some tea and take in the island's life lengthening hot springs before sadly leaving Eastshade's brief and wonderfully woven adventure.

cheneldb16
cheneldb16

One of my favorite games. Peaceful, beautiful, and calming. Great storytelling and amazing landscapes. I especially loved the freedom (to an extent) to just explore and interact with the environment. Definitely deserved a second play to get all the achievements.

saitcheson
saitcheson

A beautiful and unique experience. Such a great sense of discovery when playing this game - this is a setting I will never forget!

I wish there was more games like this!

DarkRiketz
DarkRiketz

Played this game a couple times, and I still feel it's one of the most beautiful I've ever known. Not only regarding the graphics or landscapes, even if the island of Eastshade is absolutely magnificent, but also in the music and the experience.
Let's admit first, it's not the kind of game you will play again and again, unless you feel the nostalgic urge to go back to a loved and familiar place from time to time. There also are some minor collision bugs when traveling around, but nothing that will ruin your game.

Eastshade, above all, is the story of an initiatory journey made by a (I assume, young) painter to fullfill a promise made to her mother, in a country said (by the mother) to be gorgeous. More than that, it's also inhabited by anthropomorphic animals with their own lives, stories, hopes, fears and problems. The game then takes the form of a RPG deprived of battle or opponents, for the sole sake of exploration, observation and learning. Everything on this not-so-tiny island feel so uncommon and touching that, spoiler alert, when your journey ends, you feel like you're waking up from a beautiful dream.
THAT is the experience of Eastshade.

Also, since we're talking about a videogame, controls are easy to learn and feel quite intuitive, graphics are beautiful and don't require an amazingly powerful graphics cards, Eastshade (the island) is very colourful, lighting and details are insanely realistic, characters are adorable, whether they are bears, deers, owls or chimpanzees (there's also another people on the island, but no spoiler !), and their faces don't look weird or cringe at all. Dubbling is also good, english only, but voices are appreciable and texts are clever, serious or funny when they need to be. Music are just insanely beautiful, with very well chosen and used strings and wind instruments, some drums and an overall impression of exoticism, with some contemplative or ethereal ambience.

Eastshade isn't a very long game, count a dozen hours if you take some time to observe, explore and appreciate the country, several quests and characters offer interesting reflections on prejudices, misunderstanding, curiosity and tolerance even if there's no political agenda about it. It's just plain good writing in a lovable universe.

I know my review seems biased but really, I don't see anything wrong or not enjoyable about Eastshade. It's short, but just as long as it needs to be, it's a chill and reassuring game in a peaceful place with a simple promise that is hold from the beginning to the end. Don't hesitate to live this experience too.

kovar
kovar

This game is so much bigger than i thought it would be. Its amazing!
The graphics are breathtaking. There is so much to discover. So much to read. So many dialogues to listen to.
I didnt expect it to be so conversation driven game but i absolutely love it. Different characters add plenty of flavor. Story/quests feel natural and very intuitive. The best single player game i have played in the past 3 years.

DragonElderX9
DragonElderX9

What an experience! Something akin to Morrowind without combat, and you're a painter. Explore and paint the beautiful landscape, meet interesting folks, and take in the wonderful music.

giraffeandy
giraffeandy

7.5/10

First of all, I had a really good time in Eastshade and I can recommend the trip to those who like to explore an open world with no action elements.

But there is one thing you need to know beforehand: SAVE YOUR GAME AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE! Unfortunately, there are quite a few bugs, most of them just visual, but I had to restart the game twice during my playthrough (game froze) and a few times I also had to load an older save file (I got stuck, an object or person disappeared / didn't appear at all, etc.)

Nevertheless, the game is still worth playing. Personally, I got it on sale for half price so I don't regret buying it despite the technical issues. The rest of the game makes up for it!

Xeno
Xeno

Absolutely beautiful game, visual are stunning and at times breathtaking, the painting mechanics are great, and the puzzles are well thought out. The music really adds to the immersion. Sooooooo relaxing. Can't wait to replay this again in the future.

mrdenton
mrdenton

This is an underrated gem. A relaxing experience with an almost meandering storyline and optional quests you can complete with / without explicit objective markers and some choice based gameplay. I may be applying my own filter here but I also enjoyed classic adventure game tropes that were both subverted and fulfilled. A couple of bugs really don't detract from a really nice game.

lenny
lenny

one of my favorite games by far. the calming effect the music, the characters and graphics gives Eastshade is divine.

Ghostikins
Ghostikins

Loved this game and plan to do another play through soon. The only thing I disliked was not being able to change the key binds. As a left-handed person it was difficult for me to play the game comfortably. My 2nd play through will likely be with a controller. If there is ever an update to the game, configuring key binds would be a great addition.

ahoero
ahoero

It's a great game for coming home after a long day at work. It's just relaxing. Don't expect any big action here. It's mostly just walking around, painting, talking to people and taking in the landscape and music. While playing, it reminded me a lot of "a short hike" but not quite as refined.

I encountered some crashes towards the end of the game. Some quests really aren't very satisfying. The one with the "bad" father at the beginning in Lyndow or the one with the two groups who have a different opinion on tea. I thought the latter would amount to more of a story event. This was kind of a let down.
Getting some achievements really sucks. One of the secret ones for example.

I feel like this game would have needed some fine-tuning, especially towards the end. Personally, it should have been more "wholesome". In one or two occasions it was just too frustrating or felt too much of a chore to be enjoyable which partially contradicts my statement at the beginning that it was great for relaxing.
I really hope the devs release a continuation at some point ironing out these minor flaws.

Overall, it is still a lovely game. I recommend getting it when it's on sale and you just need something to relax from work stress.

melodyrose5151
melodyrose5151

So, i really like this game. it's fun and has beautiful visual, there's a lot to explore and as long as you check every forum ever all the time for the aswers to most of the quests, you can totally finish the game. The game incorporates exploration, and survival, and the idea of starving artist very well. I appreciate that they got all those concepts to work together.

My only issue is that mirrors don't work, and also, i fucking hate having to find the hot springs. that sucks. just to doa quest to get another quest done to get a stupid pass. Also the game crashed today and I haven't opened it because I'm afraid i lost all my progress since my last save, which i think might have been after i found that stupid hot spring, so I haven't opened the game and will eventually. but fix that please.

Yorrick Adler
Yorrick Adler

This game is simply wonderful. There are so many things to discover, the atmosphere of the pretty nature is very relaxing. I especially enjoy that there are no fights and no tedious minigames. You can just explore and still make progress by interacting with game elements like the inhabitants and the surrounding.
I absolutely recommend this game to anyone who loves peace and harmony!

Maria
Maria

it's a cute game but... i started that game.. played a little and after 1h playtime i still can't save. I tried to figure out why but i can not find a reason.. so everytime i start the game again... i am right back in the beginning. What can i do? can you guys fix this or give me my money back if you can't fix it??

heretowyn
heretowyn

I feel like Eastshade is worth a playthrough while it's on sale; despite the issues I had with the game, my heart was moved in the final act. The caveats to keep an eye out for would mainly be the fact that this game has so many unfortunate bugs beyond just the fun janky stuff like Nessa outside the hot air balloon on the ride; at a point in time every time I tried to fast travel from one location to another, my game broke. Another part of it is that there is no solid wall to bar you from going certain places, but once you fall down or you load your raft there, you're just stuck.

Beyond that, the characters were pretty flat overall, and I felt like for as much paintings as I wanted to do, I didn't have the painting objectives to fill them. A lot of the quests felt like dreary fetch quests, and the walking speed is so utterly infuriating. As mentioned, the character writing was a little lacking in the aspect that characters would just repeat their last couple lines from their last quest, or they didn't have a proper resolution to their actual character either.

That being said, I did play it until I finished it and I did come away from the game with overall positivity awarded to the funnier of bugs, the general characters, and the beautiful locations.

Biohazard
Biohazard

This game works great on the Steamdeck, even though Steam does not have it listed that way yet. Very fun and relaxing, but sometimes unclear on how to do the quests. The imagery is very nice to look at and a lot of the scenery is beautiful.

mireldes
mireldes

Incredible game! Breathtaking scenery, lovely music, interesting characters and challenging puzzles and quests. Not to mention the amazing skill of painting which is fun to do. The game allows you to play and paint freely. A truly amazing experience, I felt wistful and sad as my character traveled away from shore. I will definitely be visiting Eastshade again some day- Thank you for making this beautiful game.

ExplosivelyShy
ExplosivelyShy

While I do think there is plenty of room for improvement, overall I very much enjoyed Eastshade. It was a relaxed, beautiful, and interesting island to visit. I hope that a sequel will eventually be released!

DIDO
DIDO

What a wonderful game!
A strong point of Eastshade would be the intricate quests that are weaved into each other making their fullfilment much more rewarding and relevant to the main plot.

tymones
tymones

It's meditative, beautiful and full of surprising details (the moon!) and hidden treasures. Reminds me of my favourite island =)
the quests are so innocent and different from each other, with colorful NPCs. I loved the game.

MeowmixCat
MeowmixCat

Well... This game was good, but I wouldn't put it at great. There are quite a few times the game had bugs (mostly crashing in Nava) and some of the quests weren't the easiest to follow because of obscure wording. Worth playing at least once, but in this case I wanted full achievements and ended up having to do the game almost completely over again which was a chore. All in all it was okay.

Asena Black
Asena Black

Absolutely gorgeous game with such beautiful design and characters- the ending made me cry with how sweet it was- I had some hiccups before the latest update but coming back to this game has been nothing short of breathtaking. Highly recommend, this game holds a special place in my artist heart

Nightmane
Nightmane

A calm and beautiful gaming experience without big challenges or decisions. The island was way bigger than I expected. Progressing in the game felt meaningful and never too hard although I had to search fairly long for more ways to make money in one or two instances. There are so many different and picturesque landscapes in this small game that I was completely overwhelmed when I discovered another new area, another great opportunity to paint.

Leg
Leg

What can I say ? It's a pleasure to look at, although the graphics aren't the best, the visuals are just amazing.
The creative direction made this one of my favorite relaxation games, and the very concept of being a painter is something I never knew could work so well in a video game, yet here we are !

I strongly recommend buying it and giving it a try. It's worth its price.

draconivy
draconivy

I love this game. It's so cozy and I found it very immersing. Graphics may be a bit dated by this point, but I still thought it was a lot of fun.

jrice1405
jrice1405

beautiful moments, fast travel and map needs a buff early game, feel lost without a guide :/
still conceptually a great game I will play again. so relaxing and takes you away from real life
I could see a full fledged game with this artistry and depth making top of the charts; better quest direction identifiers, better npc graphics and facial animation, less bugs (so many I began saving constantly out of habit to avoid soft and hard locks) 5/5 idc i want more

Akva33
Akva33

Landscapes are just stunning! Story is also interesting and whole game is easy and relaxing. There are still some bugs so dont forget to save often but overall I do recommend this game.

cyborgmermaid
cyborgmermaid

The biggest appeal to me when it comes to games is that it have something a little different about it so it doesn't feel like I'm playing a game I've already played, just with different skins. This game checks that box for me. On top of being unique, it's visually stunning. If your looking for a relaxing time with a little bit of interesting lore that's sprinkled with just a hint of a choices-matter element, this is a game for you.

Nanny Jooj
Nanny Jooj

I really enjoyed this game. The quests weren't too tricky and the journal is great for keeping track. The architecture of the game is gorgeous - a little glitchy in places, like being able to walk through rocks and then not being able to get out again and the disappearing balloon but nothing that would spoil the game. Learning to maneuver the boat was... interesting. Overall, an absorbing game that is a good introduction to quest based games. No combat.

Metsushiro
Metsushiro

Eastshade takes us on a very unique journey throughout the forest; meeting all kinds of races and learning their story. Solve mysteries and unleash artistic talents by painting beautiful scenery and portraits of the inhabitants.

Absolutely. gorgeous.

Teeth
Teeth

A God damned delight in exploration, painting, and seeing a small slice of an interesting world. And you get to enjoy tea!

Do save often if you're like me and want to try and break out of game bounds though, you may fall through the world a few times.

aethe
aethe

This game is special. I mean it. The graphics are gorgeous. I can't remember how many times I just stopped whatever I was trying to do in-game and just stared at the sunset or the mountains. Playing it feels like being a tourist and exploring a brand new place you've never been to before (including but not limited to - reading a map, which this game taught me to do, funnily enough). The characters are interesting and most of the quests are unique and captivating. Even the small ones; whether it's helping someone ask their crush out, searching for a secret society or getting hired as a professional artist - it all holds the same amount of charm.

The exploration is equally interesting, if not more. Everything you find, you find on your own. There's no quest markers, no golden trail to show you where to go, nothing. All you have is a basic map, your eyes and the instructions you get from NPCs. That doesn't mean that trying to find anything is a pain - there are some hard-to-find locations, but places tied to the main campaign are relatively easy to find. Everything else, however, takes some searching. And once you stumble upon something new, whether a puzzle, a character or a location - it's all the more rewarding.

The only potential criticism I can think of is that the game can be a bit janky at times, but it's the charming kind of jank. At least for me.

maldorf
maldorf

14 hours to play through the whole game and do all of the optional quests. This game was outstanding! 14 hours isnt very long, but imo the game is worth playing because of how unique it is. The graphics and music are wonderful, just wonderful. It is truly a beautiful game.

It is a nice break to play a game with no violence or danger. All of the characters you meet are non threatening. The world is rendered in realism, so no cartoon stuff. I like that better. The only unrealistic thing really is the fact that the characters are animals like monkeys and bears. After a short time you begin to accept it and its not strange anymore,lol.

Graphics are quite good IMO, and the lighting is terrific on my HDR monitor. Not sure if the game is made with HDR, but it looks good. The sound is good too, but the 3d sound rendering is not great. Im not sure if it is 5.1. It could be just stereo. I have my sound card set up to use all speakers. I never tested it for stereo or not. The sound is good enough. Controls are very good and its easy to move around.

You have the ability to save anytime you want to. It will keep 2 saves and an autosave. I never had any troubles. You craft things like teas and equipment from things you gather in the environment. There are many quests to do and side quests. The world is fairly large and some areas are inaccessible at first but open up to you later on as you prgress. I love this mechanic! It keeps you from getting too far off your quest and hopelessly lost.

For those of you that like realism, at first you dont even have a map! You later get one but there is no minimap that shows where you are. The map is simplay a screen you can go to and look at. You have to figure out where you are. There is also no compass, so you have to use the sun and landmarks to figrue out the directions! A few times I got lost and a little frustrated, but i think overall having the player have to work hard to navigate and use their mind is better than the minimap most game today have. There are no markers showing you where to go for the next part of the mission! Maybe just go see "Nakik the ranger". Then you have to remember where the heck you saw him at.

Not sure what the price is on this, but Id say its worth a good $25 for the enjoyment I got. I dont see it being good for a 2nd playthrough, but once is good for me.

ANetflixOriginal
ANetflixOriginal

Walk around. Draw painting. Life good.
The game really gives of the message of walk slow be steady and appreciate the simple moments. Very peaceful. But it has a certain touch of melancholic heavyness to it at all times.

Anonymous
Anonymous

A great open word quest based game without combat. The graphics are beautiful, and the premise of the protagonist being a painter is very creative. The music is also great. One of the fun challenges that I appreciated early on in the game was how the character couldn't explore at night without drinking mead. Little details like that actually end up making a game feel more immersive in my opinion. I'm looking forward to seeing what else comes out of Eastshade Studios!

GreenIvy13
GreenIvy13

Eastshade is my new favorite game. It is a magical, immersive journey through this island. I usually like calm games and this one was the perfect mix between peaceful strolling around and exciting exploration of new places. I'm looking forward to more games like this! Enchanting world full of life and stunning scenery!

Ghoulish.Gwen
Ghoulish.Gwen

Such a cute, dreamy, relaxing game. The characters are fun and the added lore makes it a well rounded story. It does give off a small gentle Skyrim feel so if you like the sound of that this is a game for you. Cozy and sweet, it made me want to go take a walk in a park. The only downside is that it leaves me wanting more.

Bugs
Bugs

I really enjoyed playing Eastshade, it's pretty and relaxing and engaging. If you like fetch quests games with exploration, I recommend this one.

Nylia
Nylia

One of the most beautiful games I have ever played.

Dsauneni
Dsauneni

love this game great plot to the game

arinaxcreator
arinaxcreator

great game, relaxing even though there is a lot to do :>

r.card
r.card

Charming and relaxing exploration game. It may have a few minor graphical rough edges but that doesn't stop the game being a pleasant experience for those looking for a more unusual type of game.

J. Doe
J. Doe

I bought this game on sale and I regret not paying full price!
Eastshade is a gem for people who:
- like Nature when it's left to its own devices
- take the time to smell the roses, literally :)
- would like to live somewhere good-natured where most people look after each other
- needs to retreat somewhere calm and kindhearted after a trauma
- knows what it's like to chill near the fire with a good cup of tea

However, if you're an eternal ego-driven child who believes a man's worth is measured in how many lives they've destroyed... give it a hard pass. This game is eveything but toxic.

katiejed7
katiejed7

I just finished the game. Time to take a deep breath and morn the loss of finishing this marvel. There were some bugs that caused minor grief but the game was positively marvelous for my mental health and made me want to take up painting again. I'm going to use some of the paintings I made in the game as references and make them in real life. Relaxing and fun.

Anonymous
Anonymous

This is not the game for you if you like blasting away at things, or thrills galore. I think the best word to describe it is - nice. I consider that high praise, it is a nice game and it makes you feel good. The landscape and locations are just simply beautifully imagined. The quests are various enough not to get boring and it really does feel good to help out the characters of Eastshade, and the ending is very satisfying. As regards bugs I only came across one minor one and that did not affect the game play.

tokyo_redhead
tokyo_redhead

Beautiful visuals, great voice acting, and since there is no over-arching story, you essentially write your own story. You can wander for hours and walk off the beaten path and paint every nook and cranny you see or go help people in the city, your choice! It's a great stress reliever and perfect for those who just want to unwind. I highly recommend this game!

WolfSpirit292
WolfSpirit292

Haven't come close to finishing the game yet, but I would already recommend it to anyone who likes "walking simulator" style games, or casual RPG's. The scenery is beautiful. The people you meet are engaging. There's no combat. It's a delightfully charming game. My only complaint would be that the map isn't more dynamic, marking all of the areas/places you find instead of just some. I don't need a directly marked spot for quests, but if I can't recall where I found certain places, it makes it very hard to know where you're supposed to go. That said, again, it's a very charming and relaxing game.

Anonymous
Anonymous

Lovely game, beautiful world without dangers. I like exploring, looking everywhere, snapping screen shots with F12. Lots of quests, very varied. Waterfalls lack a little finesse, but overall its a very pleasant experience. A few bugs related to boating, where you put the boat too close to land, enter the boat, can not move and are not allowed to get out because water too deep. Unfortunately load from saved file does not work, but quitting and restarting game works, and picks up on latest save. Not a biggie, I have needed to do this a handful of times only. I have played over 20 hours, though some of it mostly as a melodious and beautiful screen saver. Highly recommended if you're fed up of violent games, and just want to explore.

pooshooter6
pooshooter6

Very calming game! Beautiful scenery and interesting characters. A few bugs but overall a really pleasant experience. It was a welcome change from the high combat games I usually play and didn't wind me up at night. I recommend giving it a go. It is unusual and thats what is great about it.

Anonymous
Anonymous

I think this is my all time favorite game on Steam. I wish there was a sequel!

Windingo
Windingo

This is a beautiful game. A good break from the zombie/shooter/survival/horror games. Explore and experience at your own pace, very tranquil.

drahid
drahid

Delightful, relaxing beautiful game. Visually stunning and the “quests” mainly understandable, the music and sound adding to the overall experience. If you save regularly the (minor) glitches are no problem and it’s design means you can easily dip in and out of the game. I would have liked a list of the controls somewhere as initially this caused me some problems and towards the end one puzzle needed me to know that “space bar” enabled me to jump, took too long for me to discover this and it spoiled that particular quest for me. The ability to roam the entire landscape was very liberating.

Anonymous
Anonymous

I love exploration games and this one is beautiful. You can explore so many different parts and talk to different characters. There's lots to do and discover; it's fun but also relaxing.

nyxiepixie
nyxiepixie

*Tentative recommendation*

This is absolutely everything I'd want in a game. It is elder scrolls without combat to me. Beautiful graphics with lots of adventure, intriguing quests, and interesting characters. *However,* it just isn't worth the headache this game has caused me. Super buggy and clunky at times. It is super easy to get stuck on things while in boats or rafts. It crashes in certain areas. Since the autosave has no setting, you have to save manually every 20 minutes to make sure you won't lose hours of progress. I had three instances of the game crashing or becoming stuck and losing over an hour of progress. Judging from previous reviews, this game has not been updated in quite a while and due to that, I cannot recommend this game at its price no matter how beautiful it is. If you can get past the above negatives, then I highly recommend it.

Synertia
Synertia

A relaxing and immersive game. A real role playing exercise where you meet people along your own journey and help them out and feel better about yourself. Recommend as a stress release.

Curiosity
Curiosity

Chill vibes, amazing scenery. Paint whatever view you want.

Eternal_69
Eternal_69

Such a beautiful escape from reality, during the pandemic I couldn't travel but i missed those sceneries. Its such a breath of fresh air, from my own room my heart feels joy just walking in the views of a place i would never get tired of. Fields of flowers, icy mountains, green pastures, and definitely the wonderful conversations with animal villagers. It is a calming experience with plenty to do!

allyrood
allyrood

Absolutely wonderful, I could not recommend this game enough. 5 Stars.

mastersonwally
mastersonwally

A very beautiful looking game, wonderful for peaceful exploration of an open world inhabited by diverse fantasy characters, and completing fairly easy quests and missions. It's a very immersive and believable environment, and you really come to enjoy being in this particular world. The game audio (sound effects and music) is top notch too.

SilverRiverSpirit
SilverRiverSpirit

I haven't explored everywhere but have finished the main story and i cannot describe how amazing this game is. It is so peaceful and relaxing, the storylines and the quest are very fun and puzzling. The voice actors and the character stories are amazing there's so many ways you can go and branch off into different storylines. i honestly love this game and definetly recommend it to anyone. The only downside i have is that you cant say goodbye properly to all your fave characters :'(

Trashyy.levi
Trashyy.levi

I went into this game completely blind, and I'm so glad I did, I've completely fallen in love with this game! The music, the scenery, I thoroughly enjoyed my time playing this game, so much that I finished it one sitting! I would definitely recommend to anyone who loves exploring, fantasy worlds and a fun journey meeting different characters and lots and lots of beautiful environments.

samidbands
samidbands

the overall game was so chill and just a fun time. i wish there was a faster run option because walking everywhere took awhile. very much skyrim vibes for those that prefer the old timey aesthetic and want to play something not so serious.

Axilmeus
Axilmeus

I thoroughly enjoyed this game. There's something about semi- guided exploration that really makes me happy. The locations and colours in this game ARE STUNNING. I honestly can't describe what about it feels so good and peaceful and fun. Although I wish the game laid into the sipping tea in the wilderness more, but that would mean the map would probably need more space, which would draw out the "OOOO LOOK AT THAT, WAIT NO LOOK AT THAT I'M WALKING THERE NOW" vibe to it. Or it would go full blown The Long Dark (my beloved).

The quests are simple, generally flexible and heartfelt. It didn't feel like the open world was shoe horned in AT ALL. Fun times all around. Like I said, I really like it, but I don't want to spend 2 hours reasoning with myself as to WHY I like it in painful detail (not again). So I will cap it off with I really really like this game.

beyondtool
beyondtool

haven't even played for an hour but steam refused a refund. This game is drivel.

Menchi
Menchi

I wish there was a way to experience this game for the first time again. Coming into this carefree, fantastic world of color and discovery completely got me addicted. There is SO MUCH to do and see, fun characters to meet and great places to visit and paint! There's something so familiar with this game, and still it's unlike anything I've played before. I'm glad I found it.
If you loved the game, be sure to check out the short prequel as well!

branches
branches

Wonderful gaaaame. I could get lost in it for hours (and I have). It's still kinda buggy, so try to save pretty often.

greymittens
greymittens

To me, this game is perfect. Absolutely beautiful scenery (can I please live here?), gorgeous music, wonderful characters, great voice acting, interesting quests and such a peaceful atmosphere. I just wish I could play it again for the first time.

GhostlyFelis
GhostlyFelis

Such a wonderful game! I loved exploring the island, making friends with the characters and of course, painting! Everything looked beautiful and the voice acting is so good, everyone had a unique voice and personality which I found very appealing.

I was genuinely sad when all I had left to do was board the ship and leave all my new friends, and I was slightly emotional at the very end when they sent me letters!

Thank you for a wonderful game, I will be thinking of it for a long time.

fyrianna88
fyrianna88

As a casual gamer, this game drew me in time and time again with its captivating beauty and easy-to-do quests. There is no time pressure to finish anything and the discovery can be at my own pace. I would say that though there are some aspects of the game that can be made less frustrating in terms of quest completion, the game did leave me satisfied every time I return to it. 10/10 will recommend to anyone who appreciates the aesthetics and exploration aspects of a game

AzrielForReal
AzrielForReal

Made me cry when it ended because I just wanted more, more, more.

Aeoff
Aeoff

its alright kinda, the people look really weird. first few hours were fun.

Steffimi
Steffimi

Best game I've played in a while.
It's very relaxing with a great atmosphere and scenery. You're constantly exploring new areas with breathtaking views.
The voice acting for all the characters is surprisingly good.
Personally, I haven't encountered any bugs (except for one, where my fishing rod got permanently stuck in the water, this was easily fixed with a restart though). I wish I could play this game again for the first time.
There are plenty of quests, none of which too difficult to ruin the gaming experience.
Overall a great game, would definitely recommend!

nottlenix
nottlenix

To me, this is all the beauty of games like Skyrim with a low stakes, good feeling plot and quests. I recommend this to everyone I know all the time.

dietcokeaddict
dietcokeaddict

Loved it, wish it lasted forever, and my brother bought it upon my rec as well.

Gorgeous music.

Xenon Difluoride
Xenon Difluoride

This game is right up in my alley. 10/10
If you enjoy open world exploration games with great aesthetics and visuals, you will certainly enjoy this game like me.

Pros:
- You can walk wherever you like. The game is not quest-bounded.
- You can spam your F12 key until it breaks, and your hard disk will be filled with tons of breathtaking views.
- There is a fishing minigame. You can already tell it's a good game.

Cons:
- Some minor bugs when using fast travel. Remember to do manual save regularly.

Overall a very enjoyable game. Would definitely launch again every now and then for some relaxing adventures.

Great Jack
Great Jack

My reviews are never seen. Just know that this game is positive from me and move along :)

Leon96
Leon96

it's like skyrim but with depression. the game is all about walking and taking print screens and the story is well... i played 0.2 hours. i don't know about the story. I thought you could use different painting techniques and stuff but no. i'd say it's a 6.7/10. But its not for me.

An Extreme Amount of Basil
An Extreme Amo…

Remarkably charming with a gorgeous soundtrack and memorable characters.

spinelessamoeba
spinelessamoeba

I love this game. It has amazing, beautiful graphics, along with music to accompany it. The quests are challenging but also relaxing, allowing you to think and explore. This game has no fighting, perfect for a peaceful break. This is the only game I have ever found that I truly loved. If anyone has any games similar to this one I would greatly appreciate it. (I also recommend that if you enjoy this game you play the companion game, "Leaving Lyndow" which is only an hour long but takes place in the same world as a different character, years before this character arrives at Eastshade)

navyosteopath
navyosteopath

The mellowest of mellow non-event chill out games

0flyingturtle0
0flyingturtle0

A very soothing game without excessive challenge, and a unique and interesting setting to explore.

Kiyukie
Kiyukie

I fell in love with the atmosphere and environment straight away!
I had a side quest glitch out, so the NPC that was suppose to unlock the abandoned tower never arrived at all (I just restarted the game at that point since I wasn't that far in yet). I also had the occasional crashes where I had to task manager out (freeze frame with the music and sound effects extremely loud so remember to save often or you'll be at the last quest you finished if this happens to you).
Despite all that, I completed the game with all the quests finished since I loved it that much!

PS: The fortune teller lady is a scam.

Gadagast
Gadagast

It's a snoozefest and not in a good way either. It runs like absolute ass which is really bad because a whimsical walk in the countryside isn't so fun when it's chugging frames and anti-aliasing makes all the grass look bad. Also, this is basically a photography game and NOT a painting game as you may think.

You can get a better experience watching Little Bear

shadowbeam87
shadowbeam87

Really delightful game with some very fun and heartwarming stories. The game itself and it's soundtrack are really beautiful. I found it nice and relaxing to play, which is exactly what I wanted :) It took me around 13 hours for all the quests but I'm a slow player and love to explore/get lost a lot! I only wish it didn't end!

beau (they/them)
beau (they/them)

amazing. perfect. beautiful. i love it so much.

SlylyFox
SlylyFox

I've been looking for a game that's not a platformer, not a puzzle game, but also doesn't depend on beating the crap out of people just to have a chill time and this game delivered in spades. It's beautiful, the story is fun to play and dynamic, and the music is great. I'll probably give it a few more play throughs and come back to it often just for a chill, no pressure way to pass some time. Awesome job!

Count Esto
Count Esto

Best game I ever played. Finished a year ago and still haven't found a game like it.

Perfect length, interesting characters (not the cliché kind), lots to explore! Beautiful music, great ambience,, romantic environment, relaxed game. A world you would want to live in.

Francis Macomber
Francis Macomber

I expected a cool game by a small developer, not to have a major life experience.

akanesora
akanesora

Absolutely gorgeous game. Solid 9/10, really the only downside I had were some minor bugs but overall nothing was gamebreaking. Graphics were incredible, story was moving and emotional, gameplay was so calming and different. A very unique game and I would say well worth the money.

FaroucheExegete
FaroucheExegete

Beautiful, peaceful, would appeal to people wanting to wind down an evening with good music and mild puzzles. Creates beautiful wall papers for you pc.

Everhart
Everhart

All in all this game is BEAUTIFUL!!! Easy going, calm, gorgeous and soothing soundtrack. I'd give it 10/10 if only it weren't for all the bugs.... I had to restart my game at some point because my bicycle got stuck. Sometimes I warped into the ground, had a fishing pole in my hand constantly, etc. If not for that, I enjoyed the game very much.

some critter
some critter

Such a lovely game. Very pretty, and very calming. I grew quite attached to the citizens of this small island and was quite misty eyed on finishing the game. Lots of themes around what we value in our lives and actually living them and found it hitting very close to some of my own emotional struggles about life, family, and purpose. Lots here that is good and I'm recommending all my friends to play it as well.

The game itself does have some rough bits and bugs, I started keeping a manual save active any time I was about to place my boat as a couple of times it got physics rocketed out of the river / coast and into an unreachable position and I had to reload. It's also possible to miss some quests as a result of dialog choices cutting off the ability to pick up quests. Something that's not clear early on is that if you're offered a quest that sounds like it's a "bad" set of actions, you most likely have an option to complete that isn't what the person asked you to. That being said a second playthrough for the missed quests was still quite enjoyable and meant I got to take some more pictures in places that I wasn't able to do the first run through because of plot advancement and not having canvases at the time I needed them,

All in all, a beautiful game, that has provoked a lot of though, taken up over 24 hours of my life and I feel inspired to live my life by it. Cheaper than a therapy session and teaches some mindfulness. Highly highly recommend even with the rough edges.

insider
insider

Every Frame a Painting.

A phrase I've seen to describe movies quite often, but I think it should be applied more often to video games as well. This is a game that matches that phrase the most, as every frame can literally be a painting. The game is absolutely beautiful throughout. You will find yourself taking screenshots (and paintings) of many scenes during the game and each beautiful landscape will stick with you.

This is a true walking simulator. You walk around, explore, talk to people, and paint. There really isn't much more to it than that but it makes you feel calm. There are minor crafting elements, minor puzzle elements, etc. but the main goal of the game is just to explore.

My only complaint is I wish there was more of a main story. The side quests were all great, but the main story left something to be desired as it was just paint 4 spots on the island. I do think an added dash of puzzle elements in regards to the different teas should have been done as well, but the game is still amazing and I recommend it to anyone who likes a chill walking simulator.

Rat with a Gun
Rat with a Gun

If you're an insane person like I am and have ever thought to yourself "Man, I wish I could just walk around in skyrim with max graphics and no combat" then you HAVE to play this game. This game has the high fantasy vibes, weird voice acting, and goofy side quest shenanigans of an elderscrolls game WITHOUT the constant threat of a dragon attack.
It's so chill and beautiful, perfect game to play with a cup of tea on a bad weather day.

scorpio1018
scorpio1018

a beautiful, relaxing FPS-experience without shooting anyone. played to nearly 100% completion. what a journey with lots of surprises along the way.

PinkRayne
PinkRayne

A gorgeous walking exploration game. There's no combat in this game, it's super relaxing and the aim is to wander around the stunning landscape to find locations or people to paint, whilst helping them with their problems. There's a small amount of crafting, fishing and puzzling too, but mainly you'll be walking around exploring. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous; it's a lovely game for screenshots - I enjoyed just wandering around and capturing the lovely scenes.
Some of the achievements can easily be missed, and you need at least 2 playthroughs if you want 100%. The game can crash sometimes, so make sure to keep saving. Recommended :)

Le Cid
Le Cid

The game is pretty but empty. You run a few errands here and there. That's about all there is to say.

roninbernie
roninbernie

This game doesn't work well while I have my 3D mouse installed. I won't remove a software I need to use just to play this game.

liCharleeil
liCharleeil

This game is absolutely breathtaking and a fun cozy way to spend your time!

Occasional Artist
Occasional Artist

It's a very relaxing, good vibes game, where you can explore the world, searching for the best places to paint. The quests are fun and interesting. However, the game is VERY glitchy, I had to reload it a couple of times because it didn't properly load a location or the screen just turned black. But I was able to enjoy it anyway.

Zelrune
Zelrune

Set sail to Eastshade, an absolutely stunning island with artistic villages, the sprawling city of Nava, windy plains, dense forests, scenic beaches and howling caverns! Your reason for coming however, is not so happy. Your mother passed away; she dearly loved this island and has requested you draw four memorial paintings of her favorite places; the Tiffmoor Bluffs – a vast plain filled with windmills, The Great Shade – a gigantic tree whos branches are entwined with the sky, The Highest Peak, and the view from the top of the university in Nava. Complete her last request and return to the mainland, and perhaps create new bonds of your own with this beautiful island.

Eastshade is a gorgeous 9-13 hours exploration game that’s not quite a walking sim. Take commissions and quests from residents and explore the city of Nava; however, despite its rather magical atmosphere, it does have quite a few minor bugs. Softlocking yourself out of achievements is also fairly simple, from picking an endangered Black Thistle plant after you were warned not to, saying “no” to a quest, doing one out of order, or just missing one by not talking to the quest npc. Save your game frequently! Especially before you fast travel!
Regardless I loved painting and taking the canvases home with me to my art studio back to the mainland after the game was finished, it’s a nice touch. Doing commissions was really fun and exploring is enjoyable, my favorite location was the howling caverns and I took soooo many screenshots. Absolutely give it a chance if you are even slightly interested in Eastshade!

tomato97415
tomato97415

Exceeded my expectations. Really enjoyed it.

jazzpaws
jazzpaws

Beautiful game. I felt like I was on a relaxing vacation.

Alistair
Alistair

I was going though a rough patch in life when I decided to load this up, it afforded me the escape in to a peaceful world which was calm and relaxing that I really needed at the time. By no stretch of the imagination was it responsible for getting my out the other end but aided me in finding that calm. This is a chill game about walking a peaceful land, interacting with the locals, and learning their stories. As you go you paint pictures both for yourself and for the NPCs. If you are looking for an escape to a peaceful land for a while this game really hits that spot.

LunaElina
LunaElina

I played this when I desperately needed escapism, and was pleasantly surprised. Lovely music, serene environment, no dangers of any kind. The world itself is a tad confusing and never explained, but the gameplay is simple and intuitive, and incourages the player to enjoy and not think too hard.

Megan
Megan

First, I will say that this game is not for everyone. I can imagine a lot of people could get bored with it after a while. However, I really enjoyed it. Eastshade is basically a walking simulator with a decent amount of plot. There is a lot of free will when it comes to exploring, but you will still need to complete the quests to progress. If you enjoy a medium sized open world game in which you can explore beautiful visuals without having to fight anything, then this is the game for you.

Vee
Vee

Recommend !!

2 Key notes:
Bloomraft is best raft, don't let any snarky historian tell you otherwise!!

Bike is phenomenal. Holy cow this bike is the Skyrim Horse (not quite, but close). They way it LOOKS is absolutely deceptive to the monstrous capabilities its possesses. Mountain bikes got nothing on this bad boy.

Worthy Notes:
- Music is cinematic (in the way that is sweet, gentle and curious).
- Although the city of Nava feels a little empty shelled, Devs did their best at bringing some life to it with some AI set to a constant looping path so it feels like you're bumping into strangers every day (even if it is the same big boy bear with a vase over his shoulder lol!)
-Architecture/Design of cities and towns are simple and charming.
-Design of map/terrain/territories/the island itself is a delight. Every path feels unique yet easily memorized.
- Quests are simple and some feel personal to the NPC's, unlike side quests you see in other games which are more fetch-like.
- Really unique world here. I'm pretty sure I saw the planet Earth in the sky.

Some negative notes to take to consideration
x The game needs more maintenance despite that it is a finished product. Lots of buggy elements.
x Save as often as you can!
x Graphics are not fully optimized. My computer is good at handling hungry games but this game made my computer sound as though it were about to take flight. Some framerate drops, too even at lowest settings.
x Fishing rod bug please save the game everytime BEFORE you cast it.
x Fishing is bugged sometimes your inventory thinks there's fish in there but when you use it as bait the circle of fish that you're trying to catch will not swarm around the bait/act as if there's nothing on it.
x Boating and fishing are bugged. Make sure to save before you board the rafts.

Most buggiest: fishing rod and some cliffs.
If you bump into an invisible barrier do not find your way around it.

Anonymous
Anonymous

A beautiful, relaxing experience. I wish there were more games like this. 10/10

Rekasl2002
Rekasl2002

This game has major and minor bug which is ruining my gameplay, but I like the concept of this game makes me ignore every single bug and glitch that I found. It will be 9/10 if just having a minor bug but because there is a bug which makes me start over again, so I'll give 7/10. For someone who wants to buy this game, buy it, if you looking for relaxing game.

PS: I'm from Indonesia, sorry for my English :)

Meow
Meow

Very peaceful. Beautiful but not cutting-edge graphics. Explore and figure things out at your own pace.

pufflelogic
pufflelogic

Traversing the world is unsatisfying with clunky mobility and few quality of life features. The gameplay feels like a downgrade from just watching the trailer, with few compelling gameplay objectives to keep you engaged. I'm also personally not a fan of the character art style, and would not have picked up the game I saw them from the trailer (but that's my bad for not going through the entire gallery first).
Would not recommend if you are looking for a grand and gorgeous fantasy world to get lost in for hours on end.

Kristin
Kristin

Beautiful game, beautiful music, interesting storyline.

Charmics
Charmics

Three issues:

* Very spotty performance, even on high end PC, much less a steam deck
* Save / progress / crashing issues (according to other reports - I did not get very far)
* No updates in a year and a half

piedmagpie
piedmagpie

Beautiful and relaxing, with interesting, well-acted stories. Pretty much perfect. No fighting, just exploring and puzzles and art and tea and - well, find out!

SMALL SPOILER BIT: I read in places that some people don't like the bike as a method transport, and I truly cannot understand why. Don't let that deter you from getting one and trying it out yourself, I found it quite fun tearing around Nava on the thing!

Barbenka
Barbenka

am i enjoying the story? yes. Am i enjoying the bugs? not at all
i recommend that everyone who does play this game saves frequently because you're going to be restarting this game a lot

jorja79
jorja79

super cute game. relaxing with still a bit of thinking required. cute story lines and characters.

losermcloserful
losermcloserful

I really loved this game, I started it in 2020, played for a few days and then just picked it up the week and finished playing it. I got a bit lost when I stopped playing in 2020 but luckily I'm older and wiser now haha.
I will say that this game is mainly fetch quests, going back and forth between places constantly but there are a lot of optional quests that don't impact the story.

Pros:
-Absolutely beautiful game, the environments are bright and full of color
-I love exploring games and there's plenty to explore in this game
-There's an item that you get to steal and get an achievement for! I didn't know about the achievement until late in the game, I was just having fun stealing things from the nice npc's houses
- You can fast travel in this game but not for free, which in my opinion makes it better
-I liked that some locations weren't glaringly obvious, they were kind of hidden and rewarded you for exploring

Cons:
- The game freezes occasionally, near the end I was saving after every quest or even every fast travel so I wouldn't have to replay a part
- Some of the quests give you no idea what to do. I really wanted to not use a walk through but for two quests I had to because I had done everything I could to continue them (one being apart of the main story line) and it turned out to be a really simple step but I feel most people would get stuck on it. It is possible that it was mentioned in dialogue but when I had the npc repeat the quest, what to do was never implied.

All in all, if you love quaint adventure games, this is a must buy!

Rus' Debt
Rus' Debt

This game is everything I've been looking for. I love open world exploration, but a lot of games surrounding open world exploration often include tedious fighting mechanics. In this game, while I still have the option to be an asshole, I greatly enjoyed helping everyone and getting to see all the sights. Everything was truly beautiful. My only wish is that this game had been longer, but again, I can always play it again and choose different options than the ones I chose.

Pointy_Things
Pointy_Things

Really enjoyed my time in Eastshade. I feel like it was accurately marketed insofar as I got the experience I expected based on the information on this page. If you think you will like this, I am here to tell you that you're most likely right. Fun non violent game. It was a nice debrief from Elden Ring for me. I think a creative, patient kid would enjoy it. Good to play and wind down. Genuinely made me want to go paint some landscapes, but then I realized it was scratching my photography itch more than a painting itch.

The good-

    • Fun to explore. There is enough going on in the world and it is sized such that there's enough to look at but not so much that it feels like a ton of empty useless space.
    • The designers of the world clearly have an eye for composition. A lot of the terrain has been clearly laid out to make your job as a painter(really photographer) in this digital world easy. It lends artistry even to experiencing the world.
    • Tonally, it can border on hokey at times. But I consider this a positive, it works very well with the wholesome aesthetic they are going for. Suspend your disbelief and jump in, you won't regret it.
    • The writing is good if a bit sparse. The characters feel fleshed out enough that I would find myself thinking about characters and going to check up on them. The illusion comes down a bit when they are still repeating dialogue from when you finished their quest. I understand more than that was out of the scope of this game- but it is a testament to the writing that is there that I found myself wanting more follow up. Namely I wished I could have come back and shown Bojan that I had built his raft. Or that I could come show him the reed boat after I get that. But there are other examples where having dialogue about stuff you've done would feel nice.
    • The end was really sweet. It had some of that emotional follow up I mentioned.
    • Good amount of content. Not too little and just as it started to get a bit repetitive, the path to the ending was easy and obvious.

The bad-

    • There are bugs that could cause you to lose progress. Mostly in the form of getting stuck somewhere. One time the low poly no collision LOD model was loaded instead of the one with all the collision and detail, and falling into it caused me to lose some progress. Curiosity killing the cat, really. This can be mitigated. Have fast travel items on you always, or use the console to teleport out of stuck situations.
    • Two intertwined quests broke such that I could not complete them. I tried workarounds found online and unfortunately nothing worked for me. It seemed to be based on a couple NPCs failing to load, though I may have done it out of order a bit. Hard to know how much effect that had.
    • The game does not tell you when it autosaves and I couldn't tell if it had an internal logic to it, like upon quest completion or something. Save often.

The indifferent-

    • Jank. This is a bit janky around the edges. For me personally, i like some jank. I like that I can crouch on the bike and have it clip through my face. It doesn't break anything, it's just kinda fun. My fishing pole got shy and didn't want to come out, nothing that reloading wouldn't fix. Like I said, I had an LOD issue. It messed me up but it was also neat to see it behind the scenes. If jank bothers you, maybe it's a negative.
    • This game has fishing and I am ambivalent about it. On one hand, it isn't very mechanically deep and is maybe a missed opportunity. On the other, maybe trying to make it a deep mechanical thing would just be a digression and not actually add much. I could go either way.

stephstar101
stephstar101

Very relaxing and scenic game! It's open world and reminds me a lot of Skyrim without the combat. The game is very beautiful, and a lot of the NPCs you meet are very funny and have interesting questlines. The game is a bit buggy though (kind of like Skyrim in that regard as well) and I've been frozen on loading screens quite a few times. Most common occurrence is right after fast traveling with mountainwort tea, so I'd definitely recommend doing a manual save before using it. However, if you do forget, you can reload your game and it will start up at your last autosave location (usually the last NPC you've spoken to)

Festmache
Festmache

Nice, calm, captivating experience...
I really enjoyed my virtual trip to the island of Eastshade and am very much interested in what the developers will release in the future.

Superpow
Superpow

This game was fantastic. Finishing it was bittersweet.

tussockcamper
tussockcamper

A very nice open-world exploration game with zero violence, killing or profanity. I've had a bug free experience with no game play issues to speak of.
If the developers wished the game could easily be doubled/tripled in length by adding more characters, quests, allowing access into all buildings, more interactive objects, more tea combinations, etc, but this is just my (wistful?) wishful thinking.

John Wick IV
John Wick IV

this ain't an open world with troll bridge and retarded monkeys !

Flowgo
Flowgo

I do like this game, it is gorgeous, creative with a great story, but my GOD the map feature is terrible and killed it for me! When you are travelling in such a large map, take on a lot of quests, and need to know what paths to take to get to particular areas, that map is useless if you are in the middle of fuckall in the woods. Why the heck didn't they put at the very least a "you are here" feature so I can figure out what direction I need to go? Am I missing something? It's so frustrating to me as I feel like I'm just going around in circles!! Right now I can't really recommend this If you are the type that can get easily confused and don't have a good memory. i don't understand how they expect me to remember every little place on the map. Even Nava needs its own map to navigate around!

This is supposed to be a relaxing game but the more quests I have and the more I have to figure out where certain places are, the more angry I get wasting my time going around in circles. I'm uninstalling for now maybe one day I'll come back to this but It really makes me angry that this little thing can have such a negative effect on gaming experience! Glad I got this on sale though so I didn't waste all my money.

Lan Anh
Lan Anh

I've been looking for a game like this forever. It's the perfect mix of discovery, adventure, and creativity. The animal people were a little creepy at first, but the world is so beautiful and the painting mechanic ties into the storyline and world so well. Great soundtrack too 10/10

wadiyatalkinabeet
wadiyatalkinabeet

Pros:
-Good general concept
-Decent graphics
Cons:
-Creepy/weird character design
-Poor voice acting
I really wanted to enjoy this game. But visually, it is poorly designed. I can see the developers were going for a sort of charming, story book feel, but they missed the mark and went full weird on the character design. The concept is so fun, you're an artist making paintings of beautifully designed landscapes in a story book village surrounded by fairy-tale like woodland forest. But, all the villagers are anthropomorphic animals with voice actors akin to those from elder scrolls but without the charm. If the characters had a touch less realism and a bit more of a soft animated style the game would be much better.
For example, the owl characters have these big lifeless black eyes, same with the deer people. The monkeys look almost human, but not quite. Many of the characters look like a human with an animal head plopped on top. All this really made it hard to get into the game and enjoy it.

Xarciel
Xarciel

Eastshade captures that sense of wonder you get exploring Oblivion or Skyrim for the first time, and succeeds in creating a world that feels truly inhabited. The game manages to keep a new, beautiful surprise around every corner, and the focus on painting gives you a reason to collect the sights. I greatly enjoyed my time with this game, and intentionally drew it out over multiple play sessions because I didn't want it to end.
In short, this game isn't just beautiful, it's a game about beauty.

Sadly my game did start bugging out towards the end, but it wasn't anything game breaking and a restart fixed any issues that came up. I still highly recommend the game and intend to replay it myself in a few years once the memories have faded enough to experience the surprise again.

Agent_Vealckowsky
Agent_Vealckowsky

Eastshade is a game about a traveling artist visiting a beautiful island as per his mother's last wishes, discovering her favorite places and presumably sharing some of her experiences, as a way of getting closure. The story resonated with me, as when I first played it, my own mother was diagnosed with cancer, and Eastshade provided me with positive vibe and much needed way to escape my thoughts for a bit in those difficult times.

Playing it is a... soothing experience. The world portrayed here is full of subtle charm and whimsy without being overly childish. With beautiful sights and wholesome interactions, this walking simulator is engaging enough to keep you invested throughout its ~10-15 hour playtime. You will be capturing the mood of different locations in the paintings and completing the quests given by NPCs in order to progress further. It's not a world spat out by some terrain generator - almost every inch of it was handcrafted with care. The music changing between locations also deserves praise, it's really pleasant and relaxing.

The game is not without its flaws. It runs on Unity, so some crashes, wonky physics and occasional poor performance are to be expected. But for an indie title made entirely by 7 people, I'd say it's quite well made.

Even though my taste in games usually revolves mainly around combat and violence, I wholeheartedly recommend Eastshade for anyone who needs a change of pace and a bit of positivity now and then.

Mysteria
Mysteria

I played for 13 hours and probably could eek out another hour or two. There were 2 quests I could not complete because they were glitchy. The game is very beautiful and I loved exploring the environment. I'm glad I got this game on sale because I may not have been enticed to play at a higher price. It has rich story components and lots of quests that were not just fedex missions or grindy. It was so much fun to play that I wish the world was much bigger.

lazymeadow
lazymeadow

i was really enjoying this game, but two hours in it was still saying "Can't save right now". Then I tried to travel by ox-cart and the game reloaded my last auto-save... which was fifteen minutes in. I'm not going to replay... basically everything I'd done. And you should be able to save your progress in game.

KellyTheQueen
KellyTheQueen

I feel like this video game was made specifically for me. It has everything I want. The calm pretty environment that is easy on the eyes, the mellow soundtrack that isn't too loud or can get distracted by. Not to mention the cute animal characters that have interesting names, the continuous puzzle solving, the need to talk to everyone but not extensive dialog where you get bored just listening to them. Not to mention being able to open world explore as you wish and the variety of difficulty in the puzzle solving and story progression is lovely. Top it all off with the ability to artistically screen capture and sell PAINTINGS??? Like come on, its magnificent and just would like to thank the people that made this beauty for my niche, I feel seen and am reminded that there are video games for people like me.

Intelligensaur
Intelligensaur

A peaceful "open world" with vague Elder Scrolls and Myst vibes. A smaller game (it took me nine hours, looking up a few things that probably would have taken another hour to happen upon, but also missing a few things that should have been glaringly obvious) with thirty-some quests to run through, but the world was beautifully crafted and fun to explore.

Explore? That's right! You don't get any quest markers, no compass except the sun, and you don't even have a map until you buy it. But you'll be criss-crossing across the island enough to be very familiar with it by the end.

A great game when you're ready for a break from the latest hundred hour kill-fest.

Also a bit glitchy (don't save or load while fishing, for one thing!), but the unique experience more than made up for it.

Alpha
Alpha

A very nice walking sim to chill down after a hard day at work.
Not much gameplay in the traditional sense, but nice scenery and flow.

ChunkehLeygs
ChunkehLeygs

What a nice, relaxing game to play! It's basically a game of exploration and solving several mini-quests along the way in a kind of medieval-esque world inhabited by self-aware "animal-folk". Lots to see and do and choices you make throughout the game seem to have at least a little bearing on what you might call the "outcome".

The graphics are a little bit on the less sophisticated side and you'll see some rendering glitches now and again, but don't let that stop you. There's lots of cool and interesting things to experience here. The game did fatally glitch maybe 6 times with a restart needed each time (that was during 15 hours of play). Using the boat and raft is really glitchy though...something the developers really should address.

Overall, very glad I bought Eastshade....chill games can be quite fun too!

cls11585
cls11585

pretty scenery for those of us who dont have time or ability to travel, simple missions to keep the adventuring worth while and enjoyable, wish there was more involved in the painting but sometimes just capturing the perfect angle is rewarding and the little side story things you can do like fish and such are a nice touch.