Open world paint 'em up Eastshade arrives February 13th
A quieter fantasy, but no less pretty
Eastshade seems a much calmer take on open world fantasy adventures than most. It may have crafting and construction, but there's no swords or bows or guns, just painting. Set up your easel, take in the scenes of its mellow fantasy world, and then trade the artwork to characters in exchange for items, information and more. If Wandersong was a fantasy bard simulator, then this is rarer still - a wandering artisan sim. The product of years of work by Eastshade Studios, the game is very nearly complete and due out on February 13th. Enjoy the sights in the new trailer below.
Judging by the trailer, the process of painting itself isn't the focus of the game. Once you've found a particularly scenic vista, you stop, point, click and convert what would otherwise be a screenshot into a painterly piece, the detail gradually fading onto your canvas. While relatively simplistic, I can easily see this resulting in a screenshots folder packed dense of fantastical landscapes by the time the credits roll, and gives the characters you meet little reason to critique. Just hope they don't ask for anything abstract.
Those intrigued by the verdant valleys in the trailer should have a look at the less painting-focused Leaving Lyndow, a short prelude game in the same setting, released by Eastshade Studios in 2017. It's not long (under an hour, if you don't get sidetracked by the scenery), but provides a nice look at the game's setting and its people. Players spend their time packing and saying farewell to their friends and family as they prepare for a journey by ship. Given that the Eastshade trailer talks about shipwrecks around a nearby reef, perhaps things didn't work out quite as planned.
Eastshade launches on February 13th, and you can find it here on Steam or its official page here. Predecessor Leaving Lyndow is on Steam here or Itch for £2.79/€3.99/$3.99