Eastward is a beautifully detailed and charming adventure game, from Shanghai-based indie developers, Pixpil.
In the near-future, society is starting to collapse, and the human population is at an all-time low. A deadly toxic presence has spread across the land, destroying and devouring everything in its path.
Those who could escape the miasma flocked to underground villages to start a new life. But for a hardworking miner and a mysterious young girl, the hope of a thriving outside world beckons…
Escape the tyrannical clutches of Sandfill’s subterranean society and join Eastward’s unlikely duo on an exciting adventure to the land above! Discover beautiful yet bizarre settlements and make new friends as you travel across the world by rail.
Contains adult humour and some mature themes.
Game Features
Discover the wonderfully weird world of Eastward. Climb aboard the cross-country railway which spans this decaying continent, stopping off to explore its bustling towns, curious campsites and shady forests.
Fend off peculiar monsters and ferocious bosses with John’s weapon of choice - be it a flamethrower, cog-shooter or your trusty ol’ frying pan. Feeling merciful? Try temporarily stunning them with Sam’s kinetic blast.
Switch between John and Sam to solve environmental puzzles and fight your way through formidable dungeons. Separate the duo to unlock hidden paths or stick together as you traverse a perilous landscape.
Get to know a quirky cast of characters with oodles of personality! Immerse yourself in a heartwarming story-driven adventure, packed with fun and wacky humour.
Create deliciously authentic Eastwardian cuisine using (mostly) fresh, organic ingredients from toxic forests, potcrab farms and abandoned malls. These delicacies will grant health bonuses, power boosts and secret boons.
Bop along to a wonderfully upbeat soundtrack composed by Joel Corelitz (Death Stranding, Hohokum, The Unfinished Swan ), with sound design from Irish studio, Hyperduck Soundworks ( Dust: An Elysian Tail, Kingdom Rush )
If you don't know what Townscaper is... let me start by saying it's not exactly a game while being one. It's super casual, a chill & build... that kicks objectives, and just about anything else to the curb if it's not... click & create related.
In Townscaper, you go in armed with your finger, controller, or mouse to construct buildings, bridges, homes, stairways, lush backyards, arches, towers, and things like that. I can only imagine what ideas they have up their sleeve when it comes to updates. The game is a little addictive, to say the least, and you can certainly lose yourself in your creativity to the point that hours go by... but I challenged myself to do some 5 minute builds (for schedule's sake).
If you have a busy schedule and love games that allow you to build to your heart's content, check this one out. If you don't have time to flesh out your town because you have to get out the door or a call came into the office... no worries, you can pick right back up where you left off.
Anyway, click play below and check out my first project in... Townscaper.
Mobile games are the most lucrative segment of gaming and the lockdowns of 2020 resulted in a massive uptick in engagement. This momentum from 2020 seems to have carried over into 2021 as data from Sensor Tower shows widespread revenue growth for many mobile game genres in the US. Among all the major genres, the Action genre experienced the highest YoY revenue growth in H1 2021 compared to H1 2020 – 103.8%
The Action genre generated an estimated $435.7M in H1 2021 compared to an estimated $213.8M in H1 2020. Revenue from the Fighting subgenre generated the most revenue for the Action genre, amounting to $183.3M which is a 27.7% YoY increase. In terms of games, Genshin Impact was the largest revenue-generating action game after recording nearly $174M in player spending in the US for H1 2021.
The hyper-casual genre was the second-fastest-growing genre in terms of revenue after experiencing a 60.4% YoY growth from H1 2020 amounting to $59M. The third-fastest growing genre in H1 2021 was the Tabletop genre after experiencing YoY growth of 41.7% in H1 2021, amounting to almost $389M.
In terms of actual revenue size, the Puzzle genre generated the largest revenue out of player spending with $2.6B – an 18.6% YoY increase from H1 2020. The second-largest genre was the Casino genre which generated $2.5B followed by the Strategy genre which generated $2.2B. - Rex Pascual
