Eastshade

A combat-free, refreshingly wholesome and decadent exploration focused yarn, Eastshade celebrates the spirit of discovery with aplomb and feels like the closest you'll get to a digital holiday.

90%Game Brain Score

story, graphics

stability, optimization

90% User Score Based on 3,484 reviews

Critic Score 85%Based on 7 reviews

Platforms

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About

Eastshade is a single-player, open-world exploration-adventure game where you play as a traveling painter on the island of Eastshade. Capture the stunning world on canvas, engage in dynamic conversations with inhabitants, and solve quests to uncover the land's secrets. With its peaceful gameplay, outstanding music, and emotional depth, Eastshade offers a memorable and immersive experience, despite some bugs and optimization issues.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+18

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,484 reviews

story556 positive mentions

stability236 negative mentions

Beautiful graphics and immersive environments that create a calming atmosphere.
Engaging quests and charming characters that enhance the exploration experience.
Unique painting mechanic that allows players to capture stunning vistas and adds depth to gameplay.

Frequent bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay and cause crashes.
Lack of clear direction in quests, leading to confusion and aimless wandering.
Performance issues, including low frame rates and texture pop-ins, detracting from the overall experience.

story
1,767 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
65%
3%
The story of *Eastshade* is centered around a peaceful exploration of a beautifully crafted island, where players take on the role of a painter fulfilling their late mother's wish to capture her favorite locations. While the main narrative is simple and lacks depth, the game is enriched by a variety of engaging side quests that reveal the lives and stories of the island's charming inhabitants. Players often find themselves immersed in the serene atmosphere, completing quests that encourage exploration and creativity, though some may find the quest tracking vague and the overall story somewhat disjointed.
- “Its story and art direction are absolutely superb, creating a serene and immersive atmosphere that encourages exploration and creativity.”
- “The absolutely gorgeous world and graphics paired with such a peaceful, comforting storyline was like a calming balm for my mind, making me cherish and enjoy every second I spent playing it.”
- “The story is great, the graphics are really beautiful and the ambiance is so cozy.”
- “The quests are lackluster, the quest tracking is bad, and overall there isn't enough to do or explore on the island.”
- “The story is simple, yet provides enough motivation to make it an adventure rather than a mere exploration game.”
- “The quests are mostly variations of: 'find 'x' in the world and paint it, then bring the painting back to me and I'll pay you.' Progression is gated via fetch quests.”
graphics
760 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
44%
6%
The graphics of Eastshade receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the beautiful art style and serene landscapes reminiscent of older titles like Oblivion and Skyrim. However, several users note performance issues, including stuttering and graphical glitches, which detract from the overall experience. While the visuals are often described as stunning and atmospheric, they can appear dated or inconsistent, particularly in character models and distant textures.
- “Personally, I find the visuals beautiful and the serene soundtrack perfectly complements the calming atmosphere.”
- “The graphics are stunning and the art direction and atmosphere are beautiful.”
- “The game has incredible graphics and amazing ambiance.”
- “Performance is also not great, and the graphics are pretty bad for a game specifically designed around being beautiful.”
- “The graphics remind me of 2006 (you are a body-less camera gliding throughout the world, trees and bushes are flat with multiple sides), and the mechanics are a bit primitive.”
- “The graphics are terrible, and the freakiest thing is their rendering of anthropomorphized chimps--there is something wrong about their eyes and facial movements that feels like it belongs in a horror movie, not a 'relaxing' game.”
music
669 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
36%
1%
The music in Eastshade is widely praised for its beauty and calming qualities, enhancing the game's serene atmosphere and immersive experience. Many players find the soundtrack to be a standout feature, often describing it as soothing, enchanting, and perfectly suited to the game's picturesque landscapes. While some note that the music can become repetitive over time, the overall consensus is that it significantly contributes to the game's relaxing and meditative qualities, making it a memorable aspect of the gameplay.
- “The music, the vibrant colors, and the heartfelt stories make it feel like you're part of the canvas.”
- “The calm, serene atmosphere, coupled with soothing music and gameplay make this a truly comforting experience.”
- “The music is incredible, the lighting is stunning, and there were areas that made me go wow out loud.”
- “The background music also tends to get somewhat repetitive if you linger in one place too long, and often just outright stops.”
- “The music is decent, it works for this game and its style, but I can't recall it either, so take that for what it is.”
- “The music gets a bit repetitive after a while, and I miss things like NPC day/night cycles or respawning crafting material.”
gameplay
506 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
64%
6%
The gameplay in "Eastshade" is characterized by its relaxing exploration and unique painting mechanic, which functions more like a screenshot tool than traditional painting. While many players appreciate the tranquil atmosphere and charming quests, some criticize the simplicity and repetitiveness of the mechanics, particularly the reliance on fetch quests and the lack of depth in the painting system. Overall, the game offers a peaceful experience with beautiful visuals, though it suffers from bugs and some clunky mechanics that can detract from the enjoyment.
- “Its relaxing world, creative gameplay, and touching NPCs make it a memorable journey that's well worth experiencing.”
- “The game's unique use of art as a central mechanic feels rewarding, making each discovery a new source of inspiration (literally!).”
- “The painting mechanic is simple but surprisingly addictive, pushing me to explore every nook and cranny of the island to find every interesting spot.”
- “I quite literally only did a single quest before dropping the game - unfortunately, the core mechanic of creating paintings of whatever you want is done poorly, which for me makes the game completely worthless.”
- “The core of Eastshade is its side quests, which are almost entirely made up of fetch quests and make up the bulk of the gameplay.”
- “Ultimately, the gameplay loop is just not interesting.”
stability
242 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with many players reporting a significant number of bugs and glitches, including quest progression issues, graphical anomalies, and occasional crashes. While some users found these issues to be minor and manageable with frequent saving, others experienced more severe problems that detracted from their overall enjoyment. Overall, the game is described as "buggy," reminiscent of titles like Skyrim, but many players still appreciated its charm and beauty despite the technical flaws.
- “I don't recognize any of the bugs that the negative reviews mention; I never got stuck in the game and encountered no glitches apart from very minor visual ones.”
- “I've had a bug-free experience with no gameplay issues to speak of.”
- “I don't have a particularly above-average computer, and it still runs great.”
- “The game is beautiful but it's a buggy mess; I can't 100% the game due to a bug with the courier during the last quest.”
- “Way too buggy; this game will never go beyond a beta state: it has a Bethesda level of bugs: NPCs walking into walls, birds not moving in the sky, quests that don't give the reward.”
- “Simply put, it's beautiful, but extremely buggy.”
atmosphere
215 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
36%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its calming and immersive qualities, featuring beautiful visuals, a soothing soundtrack, and charming characters that create a serene environment perfect for exploration and creativity. Many players find it reminiscent of older, non-violent adventure games, emphasizing a peaceful, whimsical experience that allows for relaxation and escape from reality. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as enchanting, heartwarming, and a delightful escape, making it a standout feature that enhances the overall gameplay experience.
- “The world itself is a joy to explore, filled with stunning vistas and charming characters, and the overall atmosphere is incredibly relaxing.”
- “The calm, serene atmosphere, coupled with soothing music and gameplay, makes this a truly comforting experience.”
- “Eastshade is a very calming and atmospheric game.”
emotional
188 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
2%
The emotional aspect of the game is overwhelmingly positive, with players expressing deep connections to its beautiful landscapes, heartfelt stories, and charming NPCs. Many reviewers noted that the game evoked strong feelings, including joy and sadness, particularly at its touching conclusion, making it a memorable and wholesome experience. Overall, players found it to be a refreshing escape from typical conflict-driven games, celebrating its calming atmosphere and emotional depth.
- “The ending felt extremely rewarding, heartwarming, and at the same time bittersweet that the game had to end.”
- “I wasn't expecting it to be so wholesome and overall heartwarming.”
- “By the time it was over and it was my time to leave Eastshade and journey back home, I found myself crying like a little baby (something I rarely ever do, I honestly can't remember the last time a game made me cry).”
- “A walking sim without a compelling story that only the developer found interesting.”
- “The emotional depth was lacking, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- “I felt no emotional investment in the narrative; it was flat and uninspiring.”
optimization
139 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
47%
41%
The game's optimization has received widespread criticism, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering, frame rate drops, and crashes, even on high-end systems. While some users noted that the game is visually appealing, the technical flaws detract from the overall experience, making it difficult to recommend for those sensitive to performance problems. Overall, the consensus is that the game is poorly optimized and requires substantial improvements to run smoothly.
- “The game is stylistically pretty but not at all well optimized.”
- “The roughness of its performance is made up tenfold by the gentleness, wonder and beauty of the experience.”
- “The devs have been dedicated to updating and smoothing out performance issues (the in-game bug report system is the best and easiest I've ever encountered).”
- “The game suffers from some performance issues and some design flaws that I won't mention because of spoilers.”
- “The performance of the game leaves a bit to be desired as it often stutters and drops to low framerates for no apparent reason.”
- “The game has a rather serious problem with stuttering and dropping frame rates, no matter how low you set the graphics options, or how powerful your GPU might be.”
grinding
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
3%
92%
The reviews highlight a mixed perception of grinding in the game, with many players finding certain aspects tedious and repetitive, particularly in terms of questing and resource gathering. While some appreciate the lack of traditional combat and grinding mechanics, others feel that the constant back-and-forth travel and inventory management detracts from the overall experience, making it feel more like a chore than a relaxing adventure. Overall, the game offers a cozy atmosphere but suffers from pacing issues and tedious tasks that can diminish enjoyment.
- “I especially enjoy that there are no fights and no tedious minigames.”
- “Quests are very enjoyable and not tedious (e.g. gather and bring x items, although some quests required materials).”
- “This is one of the most refreshing games I've played: no battles, no XP, no farming... what you have to do here is help folks, take awesome screenshots (paintings), wander, and sometimes you'll find a mystery that will pique your curiosity.”
- “The game is supposed to be 'relaxing', but the tediousness of its quests just makes it feel like doing chores instead.”
- “I'm forced to sell foraged items at 1 a pop which means tedious grinding for said items.”
- “Unfortunately, after about an hour or so of gameplay, everything became incredibly tedious.”
humor
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players noting the charming and quirky character designs, funny dialogue, and amusing quests that enhance the overall experience. Many found the interactions with anthropomorphic NPCs to be entertaining, often filled with clever and lighthearted moments, while some minor glitches added to the humor rather than detracted from it. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with a relaxing exploration vibe, making it enjoyable for players seeking a lighthearted adventure.
- “The various landscapes and inhabitants you can encounter have a lot of heart put into their design and character that really draws you in and gives you a nice, peaceful feeling, as if you were taking a relaxing nature walk, with a sprinkle of humor or other interesting little events that add flavor and mystique to the various people and places you can encounter.”
- “The characters you meet are fascinating, funny, quirky, and full of life.”
- “On top of the awesome art and atmosphere, this game is filled with pure and humorous character interactions and quests that make it even warmer.”
replayability
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
66%
13%
The reviews on replayability are mixed, with some players finding significant value in revisiting the game for its beauty, exploration, and varied choices, while others feel it lacks substantial replay value due to limited changes in gameplay and story outcomes. Many agree that while the game offers a relaxing experience, it may not provide enough incentive for repeated playthroughs, with some noting a desire for more content to enhance replayability. Overall, the consensus suggests that replayability varies greatly depending on individual player preferences and engagement with the game's mechanics.
- “The replay value is pretty good if nothing else but for the beauty and relaxation.”
- “It does have some replayability value as you can go and find quests or areas you may have missed and make different choices.”
- “It definitely has replay value for me, because in interacting with the multitude of characters the player usually has several choices of responses, basically 'good' or 'bad', nice or inconsiderate.”
- “I'd say there's likely not much replayability value here, either, if that's something you're looking for.”
- “Unfortunately, this type of game doesn't lend itself to a lot of replayability.”
- “The replayability is about zero.”
character development
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
Character development in the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the depth offered through side quests and dialogue choices, while others criticize the character designs as awkward or reminiscent of early 2000s aesthetics. Despite the varied opinions on character visuals, many agree that the immersive world and unique NPC interactions contribute positively to the overall experience, even if the character design itself may detract from immersion at times. Overall, the game is seen as a relaxing exploration experience with thoughtful character development, albeit hindered by its indie roots in design quality.
- “There are numerous side quests and NPCs with choice matters dialogue and character development.”
- “This is not a game for 'challenge junkies', but it's definitely meant for those who love relaxing, zero-pressure exploration and thoughtful character development.”
- “Character design was lovely.”
- “The character design is simply atrocious.”
- “I can see the developers were going for a sort of charming, storybook feel, but they missed the mark and went full weird on the character design.”
- “The character design definitely shows how it was on an indie budget, though it can be a bit lacking; the owl people especially have these pitch-black doll eyes that are rather jarring, but it's forgivable.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The monetization aspect of Eastshade has drawn criticism for its reliance on traditional revenue practices, such as DLC and microtransactions, which some players feel detracts from the game's artistic integrity and overall experience. While the game's format and style are appreciated, there is a sense of disappointment regarding the lack of innovative use of its painting mechanics, leading to a perception that financial motives overshadow creative development.
- “The monetization strategies in this game are fair and don't feel exploitative, allowing players to enjoy the experience without feeling pressured to spend money.”
- “I appreciate how the game offers plenty of free content while still providing optional purchases that enhance the experience without being necessary.”
- “The balance between free-to-play elements and paid content is well executed, making it accessible for everyone while rewarding those who choose to invest.”
- “What certainly doesn't help is how my favorite hobby has been hijacked by bean counters and pencil pushers who don't understand video games either, throwing both gamers and developers under the bus with practices at the development level (crunch and passionless, sequel-focused yearly cycles) and user level (endless DLC, microtransactions, etc).”
- “The game's environmental graphics don't look like the pictures in the advertising.”