Hey everybody! Since the launch of Eastward on PC & Switch, we’ve loved seeing so many of our community members discover and fall in love with Eastward’s not-so-hidden inner RPG (within an RPG) Earth Born, so we thought it was a great time to share it’s development story and secrets! Since the [url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/977880/view/3056248229761372024]v1.1.0 update[/url] Earth Born is now also accessible from Eastward’s menu after you’ve completed the game. So, boot up your console and blow off your memory card, because we’re going to be talking about Earth Born... [i]*fair warning, if you’ve not played yet, there may be spoilers ahead*[/i] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33911849/71a5d321e5ef33f8f8fbb0489fa22b33f4391357.png[/img] [h2][b]Retro Origins[/b][/h2] The idea of Earth Born first sparked from the dev team’s desire to create a cultural grounding (or something memeable) that linked all of Eastward’s in-game towns and cities, something which connected all of the characters despite the horrors of the miasma and the divisions it created. The art would reflect the world around the characters in Eastward and add a (not-so) fictional context to the realities that players face throughout the game. The deeper you dive into Earth Born, the more fun parallels you may start to notice! Earth Born also acts as a homage to the Pixpil team’s favourite games, comic books and movies; [i]Dragon Quest, Porco Rosso, Cowboy Beebop[/i]. The name ‘Earth Born’ comes from Eastward's initial Chinese project name '大地之子,' which means 'The Child of the Earth’ - a nod to the [i]Earthbound[/i] series which had inspired them to create games in the first place! [b]Fun Fact #1: [/b]Did you know after you complete your first run of Earth Born, you unlock [url=https://twitter.com/pixpilgames/status/1439490367536046080]different screen modes[/url]? [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33911849/8d4f3eddcde856f7ed90668da7e060c6cc104eb6.jpg[/img] [h2][b]Taking Down the Demon King[/b][/h2] Earth Born is a retro-inspired, turn-based RPG roguelite. It’s first introduced as the most popular video game in all of Potcrock Isle (and Sam’s favourite)! You have 7 in-game days to thwart the Demon King who’s bunkered down in a castle at the center of the map, before the world is swallowed up by a great darkness! However, at the start of the game, your party isn't nearly strong enough to take him on. Players will have to do multiple runs to visit inns, recruit new party members and activate the bird portals across the map in order to stand a chance. You’ll need all the help you can get when facing the Demon King... Players must earn as much experience as possible to level up, ready for the big fight. Cave exploration is highly beneficial as players can gain more experience and acquire better equipment here. And of course, if you are struggling with a battle, gathering more Pixballs before you boot up to use will certainly help! You can find more strategy, stats and tips in the [url=https://eastwardwiki.com/Earth_Born]Official Eastward Wiki[/url]. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33911849/b56f40b0210519f16be62946eec667d734440d2c.gif[/img] [h2][b]Okay, but what about the Pixballs?[/b][/h2] As fans of collecting figurines themselves, Pixpil wanted to create something in-game tapped into the Amiibo / Pop Vinyl culture. Pixballs are acquired via Japanese-style gashapon machines which use arcade tokens to operate, found tucked away all over the map. It wasn’t until later into development that it was decided that Pixballs would have an impact on gameplay by creating powerful in-game items for players to boost their chances of winning. [b]Fun fact #2: [/b]Pixpil’s favourite Pixball monster is the Gull Swordsman! Try saving your chips from this avian warrior! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33911849/52d4418a2181ba1a66b6189f2a7c31afbcf2b7a7.png[/img] When booting up an Earth Born arcade unit you can also access the in-game manual! Pixpil are quite rightly incredibly proud of the manual, written from the perspective of the in-game Earth Born developers. It’s a beautiful tribute to the detailed manuals of RPGs of old, brimming with nostalgia. But did you know that there’s an easter egg on the first page that nobody has mentioned yet? If you’re a fan of old school RPGs and you get the reference, let us know! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33911849/e33432b8fa9e8c362ce22b11136b486352d54866.png[/img] If, like us, you’ve had the Eastward soundtrack on repeat, you might be pleased to know that the Earth Borne soundtrack by Yu Fang is [url=https://yufang900809.bandcamp.com/album/earthborn-soundtrack]available on Bandcamp[/url]! You can also follow their musical journey over on Twitter too! [previewyoutube=ktddB0Ps0TI;full][/previewyoutube] Don’t forget we also have amazing merch including t-shirts, pins, posters and plushies, available now with [url=https://www.fangamer.com/collections/eastward]Fangamer[/url] and [url=https://theyetee.com/collections/eastward]The Yetee[/url]! We also recently announced a really awesome long-sleeve ‘Travel Tee’ and a cute ‘Saving Memories’ acrylic standee to [url=https://theyetee.com/collections/eastward]The Yetee store[/url] which would make for totally cute gifts this holiday season. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33911849/ef3a076f49e06ff4247f0988b7abef8383a6a66f.jpg[/img] That’s all for now. If you haven’t already come and join the community discussion over on our [url=https://discord.com/invite/chucklefish]Discord[/url] or [url=https://www.reddit.com/r/eastward/]Reddit[/url], and follow us on [url=https://twitter.com/ChucklefishLTD]Twitter[/url] for more Chucklefish gaming news. Our team at Chucklefish will soon be signing off for Christmas, but we’ll be back with more awesome Eastward news in the new year. Until then, have a wonderful holiday break and take care! [h2][b]More Recent Fan Art We Love! <3[/b][/h2] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33911849/f367184d98b78b1e805601dfbb1535544fd450d6.jpg[/img] [url=https://twitter.com/trudicastle/status/1465851476668870660]@trudicastle[/url] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33911849/235b69e08e23af38803eb8702e01ab9d1c47e758.jpg[/img] [url=https://twitter.com/RFUfvas3phbxkxA/status/1468609901215707138]@RFUfvas3phbxkxA[/url] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33911849/51d4c345b53b0a97a952ef2db4189063247a493f.jpg[/img] [url=https://twitter.com/ConstEley/status/1461366890249560068]@ConstEley[/url] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33911849/5edbf62372cdf38cc250684a1bca73c156fd91ff.jpg[/img] [url=https://twitter.com/PolygoN96/status/1455892082669752326]@PolygoN96[/url]