I'm so completely in love with this game.



I'm an old man, I've grown tired of the continual homogeneity of entertainment that we just accept as a norm. It's saddening. In the grim darkness of the video games industry, where there are only po-faced, mucky heroes who look constipated 24/7, it's the little curios that stand out from the crowd. Those that would buck the trend and appeal to an under-served niche.



This is one of those games. I admire its gumption and derring-do.



Absolutely, it wears its heart on its sleeve. There are moments of magic, here, masterfully crafted in ways i have oh so rarely seen. In a way, it reminds me of so many of my old loves. Despite being different in its play, it's reminiscent for me of the old Myst games, Uru especially, with their evocative, enthralling, and alien landscapes. It's TES: Oblivion for those with an imagination.



And does it ever inspire me. There are times when I'll be caught by a certain angle, a viewpoint just so, where the light strikes the land and its vibrant colours glow contrasted by perfectly fallen shadows. And there are times when I'll leaf through a book. And there are times when the decency and kindness of these peculiar anthropomorphic animals will catch me off guard. It all contributes to a certain warmth that encourages my escapism, which so many other games lack. And, as such, there are times it's brought me to tears.



I think the greatest accolade I could give it is that it's clever, worthwhile, and spellbinding because it is, and not because it tries to be. That's an utterly crucial distinction. You'll play so many games which focus on melodramatic tragedy to coax a feeling out of its player, to have them feel melancholic and nihilistic, followed by clever for having known those emotions.



I understand that it's a masterful manipulation and there's an art even to that, but it's a trick, an illusion, and those are so easily broken. No one is clever for revelling in tragedy. If I can be frank, this disquieting behaviour is all too reminiscent of those who've read a little Nietzsche and believe themselves to be scholars of philosophy, despite how Nietzsche is the Spice Girls of philosophy. Contentious? Certainly. Undeniably true, though.



There are things people do to believe themselves clever, and games will often engage them on that level to help weave strength into the delusion. A person will become convinced they're more clever than they truly are for understanding such "complexity," that tragedy is an adult emotion, standing in stark opposition to the simpler "happy" emotions known to children. This is ludicrous, of course, but it's what people believe.



Eastshade hadn't brought me to tears with a tragic theatrical display, a corny soap opera intended to make me feel empowered by the sheer depth of my emotions. I'm autistic and introverted, I'm artistic, I know the depth of my emotions and I'm comfortable with my emotional intelligence. No, Eastshade brought me to tears by being so genuine, so earnest, and so passionate in those traits, in how it plaintively just wanted to share with me moments of unadulterated beauty.



It succeeded.



There are curios in the video games industry that do so much to spark my imagination, fire my inspiration, and restore my waning faith in humanity. They're far too few and far between. Quite annoyingly so. I don't judge others for what they enjoy but it cannot be denied that there's a deluge of choice for those who wish to murder, they're spoilt by it and they've become entitled, sleepy, and sedentary just chewing the fat of easily acquired meals. They want for nothing. It's left them obnoxiously bratty, feigning faux offence at anything not meant for them.



This isn't meant for them. That's okay. This is meant for those of us who're seeking different avenues of escapism, whose escapist fantasies have little to do with power. And I praise this game so openly for understanding that those like that are indeed a demographic, we exist, we have money, and we're under-served.



I just want to go to truly fantastic places, converse with the locals, and engage in something other than wilful, sadistic mutilation. I'd be an archaeologist, drudging up the past, exploring forgotten places; a youngling coming of age and undergoing a connivingly clever rite of passage laden with riddles, puzzles, and traps; a dragon king whose magicks and wisdom are used to care for his kingdom and charges; a researcher documenting alien cultures on an unknown world; a werewolf on a rescue team using his natural agility to find and ferry the lost and injured to safety (inspired by the Werewolves of Ossory); I'd be a living ship learning the unusual traits of a strange, ephemeral sea I'd been cast amidst with my own sensors, as an ambassador of my kind seeking to make first contact with its native denizens so that I might learn; I'd be a diminutive thief investigating a conspiracy surrounding the collapsing reality my kind find themselves in; And I would be a painter, capturing the essence of the places I'd seen.



I wouldn't limit myself to being a human, either. I've never understood the obsessions brought about by the neurotypical hierarchy of prejudice, preference, and partiality, as perfidious as it is. Obsessed with one's own appearance, down to the skin colour, one's tribe, one's nation, or even one's species. It's a tiresome ordeal to have to wade through such ubiquitous narcissism on a daily basis.



Eastshade grants me both. These are the curios I value. The ones that truly allow for the concept of escape, as I feel so few understand. To go somewhere so unlike anything I know. It's just lovely. It's a healing experience for an old, world weary curmudgeon like myself who's tired of humanity, so full of itself and its collective poop. It's nice to just.. go and be something else, someone else, in a world so detached from our own. Just to be away from all the noise for a little while.



This exists so far on the outside of the usual human experience that I'm in love with it. It's a dear thing. And, above all, it's a kindness.



To the developers, I say this: Open a ruddy merch store already, won't you? There are titles a publisher greedily expects sixty squids for without being worth even one, then there are others that simply understate their own worth and I feel exploitative, guilty that my reciprocation isn't equal to my enjoyment.



Help me with my guilt. Give me more Eastshade things to buy!

I'm so completely in love with this game. I'm an old man, I've grown tired of the continual homogeneity of entertainment that we just accept as a norm. It's saddening. In the grim darkness of the video games industry, where there are only po-faced, mucky heroes who look constipated 24/7, it's the little curios that stand out from the crowd. Those that would buck the trend and appeal to an under-served niche. This is one of those games. I admire its gumption and derring-do. Absolutely, it wears its heart on its sleeve. There are moments of magic, here, masterfully crafted in ways i have oh so rarely seen. In a way, it reminds me of so many of my old loves. Despite being different in its play, it's reminiscent for me of the old Myst games, Uru especially, with their evocative, enthralling, and alien landscapes. It's TES: Oblivion for those with an imagination. And does it ever inspire me. There are times when I'll be caught by a certain angle, a viewpoint just so, where the light strikes the land and its vibrant colours glow contrasted by perfectly fallen shadows. And there are times when I'll leaf through a book. And there are times when the decency and kindness of these peculiar anthropomorphic animals will catch me off guard. It all contributes to a certain warmth that encourages my escapism, which so many other games lack. And, as such, there are times it's brought me to tears. I think the greatest accolade I could give it is that it's clever, worthwhile, and spellbinding because it is, and not because it tries to be. That's an utterly crucial distinction. You'll play so many games which focus on melodramatic tragedy to coax a feeling out of its player, to have them feel melancholic and nihilistic, followed by clever for having known those emotions. I understand that it's a masterful manipulation and there's an art even to that, but it's a trick, an illusion, and those are so easily broken. No one is clever for revelling in tragedy. If I can be frank, this disquieting behaviour is all too reminiscent of those who've read a little Nietzsche and believe themselves to be scholars of philosophy, despite how Nietzsche is the Spice Girls of philosophy. Contentious? Certainly. Undeniably true, though. There are things people do to believe themselves clever, and games will often engage them on that level to help weave strength into the delusion. A person will become convinced they're more clever than they truly are for understanding such "complexity," that tragedy is an adult emotion, standing in stark opposition to the simpler "happy" emotions known to children. This is ludicrous, of course, but it's what people believe. Eastshade hadn't brought me to tears with a tragic theatrical display, a corny soap opera intended to make me feel empowered by the sheer depth of my emotions. I'm autistic and introverted, I'm artistic, I know the depth of my emotions and I'm comfortable with my emotional intelligence. No, Eastshade brought me to tears by being so genuine, so earnest, and so passionate in those traits, in how it plaintively just wanted to share with me moments of unadulterated beauty. It succeeded. There are curios in the video games industry that do so much to spark my imagination, fire my inspiration, and restore my waning faith in humanity. They're far too few and far between. Quite annoyingly so. I don't judge others for what they enjoy but it cannot be denied that there's a deluge of choice for those who wish to murder, they're spoilt by it and they've become entitled, sleepy, and sedentary just chewing the fat of easily acquired meals. They want for nothing. It's left them obnoxiously bratty, feigning faux offence at anything not meant for them. This isn't meant for them. That's okay. This is meant for those of us who're seeking different avenues of escapism, whose escapist fantasies have little to do with power. And I praise this game so openly for understanding that those like that are indeed a demographic, we exist, we have money, and we're under-served. I just want to go to truly fantastic places, converse with the locals, and engage in something other than wilful, sadistic mutilation. I'd be an archaeologist, drudging up the past, exploring forgotten places; a youngling coming of age and undergoing a connivingly clever rite of passage laden with riddles, puzzles, and traps; a dragon king whose magicks and wisdom are used to care for his kingdom and charges; a researcher documenting alien cultures on an unknown world; a werewolf on a rescue team using his natural agility to find and ferry the lost and injured to safety (inspired by the Werewolves of Ossory); I'd be a living ship learning the unusual traits of a strange, ephemeral sea I'd been cast amidst with my own sensors, as an ambassador of my kind seeking to make first contact with its native denizens so that I might learn; I'd be a diminutive thief investigating a conspiracy surrounding the collapsing reality my kind find themselves in; And I would be a painter, capturing the essence of the places I'd seen. I wouldn't limit myself to being a human, either. I've never understood the obsessions brought about by the neurotypical hierarchy of prejudice, preference, and partiality, as perfidious as it is. Obsessed with one's own appearance, down to the skin colour, one's tribe, one's nation, or even one's species. It's a tiresome ordeal to have to wade through such ubiquitous narcissism on a daily basis. Eastshade grants me both. These are the curios I value. The ones that truly allow for the concept of escape, as I feel so few understand. To go somewhere so unlike anything I know. It's just lovely. It's a healing experience for an old, world weary curmudgeon like myself who's tired of humanity, so full of itself and its collective poop. It's nice to just.. go and be something else, someone else, in a world so detached from our own. Just to be away from all the noise for a little while. This exists so far on the outside of the usual human experience that I'm in love with it. It's a dear thing. And, above all, it's a kindness. To the developers, I say this: Open a ruddy merch store already, won't you? There are titles a publisher greedily expects sixty squids for without being worth even one, then there are others that simply understate their own worth and I feel exploitative, guilty that my reciprocation isn't equal to my enjoyment. Help me with my guilt. Give me more Eastshade things to buy! Check this box if you received this product for free (?) Do you recommend this game? Yes No Cancel Save Changes