5/5 ★ – vassm's review of Eastshade.

A couple years ago my English professor assigned the class to play "Eastshade" and for stingy reasons I didn't play it at the time, however, two years later, I'm upset I didn't play this game sooner. What an absolutely incredible experience playing this game was that I instantly bought the prequel :P The environments, the music, the story, the level design, the mechanics--every aspect of the game was magnificent. After playing it, I'm confident in saying that this is one of the greatest games I've ever played. I don't think I have anything bad to say about it other than I genuinely wish it had been longer than 13 hours. One of my favorite aspects was how easily the main missions were so cleverly intertwined. Each NPC had something for you to do, that somehow led back to a common goal in order for the player to progress. The game felt so intricate and intimate, which made it all the more special. Each monument in the game felt individually catered to the story and I never ran out of things to do. Personally, I think that this game is criminally underrated, and it would be amazing to work at a studio capable of creating something like this. I don't say this a lot, but you can truly feel the love and passion that went into the creation of "Eastshade", and that's so refreshing to see. The voice acting was a standout for me--it was shockingly good and even reminded me of the voice acting in "Wizard101" which is a game I hold very close to my heart. Alongside that, the color palette was breathtaking and deeply satisfying to look at as well as the environment composition, adding to the immersive world that made it feel like you were truly there in "Eastshade". I spent so much time painting the world on the canvas's and doing commissions simply due to it's beauty. There was always so many new places to discover and explore, that I never got bored once. The music was also another hot point of this game, it easily has become one of my favorite soundtracks of all time. Every part of the game was an absolute blast, and the ending genuinely brought me to tears. I especially appreciated how your actions throughout the game impacted NPCs, leading to such a heartfelt conclusion. It is safe to say that I am beyond excited to see what this studio creates next. They've crafted a uniquely magical formula that I cannot wait to see and get my hands on next with their future IP's. 10/10