Eastward hits the Switch on September 16, 2021.

Eastward hits the Nintendo Switch on September 16

Chucklefish revealed that Eastward is coming to the Nintendo Switch on September 16 as a timed exclusive. The studio made the announcement during today’s Indie World show.

The adventure-action RPG game has colorful 2D scenery, and it’s set in a near-future society that is starting to collapse. The human population has shrunk to an all-time low.

As the world around falls to ruin, a hardworking miner called John discovers a young girl named Sam deep underground in a secret facility. After escaping the town, the pair embark on a journey to discover the strange truth about her origins and the mystery behind the sinister creatures who descend on the local towns, devouring everything in their path.

You alternate between controlling John and Sam to solve environmental puzzles as you fight your way through dungeons and unlock hidden paths. It was inspired by 1990s Japanese animation and combines that with 3D lighting techniques and retro-pixel art.

Originally set for 2020, Eastward is making it out the door in a little over a month. Nintendo showed it off at its Indie Showcase today alongside a number of other indie titles.

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.