If you ever feel you need a break from the array of action-oriented games that dominate the marketplace Eastshade might be worth looking into. This is a very chill game in which you play as a painter just arriving on a new island. Now don't worry, you don't need any artistic skill to play Eastshade. Making paintings in this game is more like taking a photograph. Now that all said, painting is just one element of the gameplay in this first-person role-playing game. You'll get to meet several different villagers and townsfolk, many of whom could use your help in one way of another. Speaking of, it may be worth noting that the islanders are all anthropomorphic animals. Anyway, do you think you're ready to leave your mark on Eastshade and maybe paint some portraits to encapsulate those memories?
You set sail out to the island of Eastshade in order to fulfill your late mother's wish that you see the island. She mentions in her letter to you that there are four particular locations on the island she really thinks you should paint. After a bit of a stir you eventually arrive in the small port town of Lyndow. You quickly realize that Lyndow is cut off from the rest of the island by a little toll bridge. This is just one example of the clever ways Eastshade subtly keeps players from simply getting straight to painting all your mother's paintings right away. You'll need to find a way to earn the toll just as later in the game you'll need to help out other locals to reach even more parts of the island.
Gameplay wise it may be easiest to think of Eastshade as something like Skyrim without combat. Its sounds silly to say but you do have a series of various quests you can complete for many of the locals. Everyone needs something different. Sure some may want a painting but others are just having trouble paying bills, communicating with each other, investigating rumors, or looking for lost belongings. You start the game in a relatively small town of Lyndow but eventually reach the larger town of Nava. While there is plenty to do between the games two towns there is a lot of land to explore in-between and you'll run into just as many people living out in the countryside.
As you explore you'll find many resources just laying around which are yours for the taking. Collecting cloth and wooden plants for example are required in order to build more canvases for painting. There are a series of things you'll learn to craft overtime such as boats and rafts which are required to reach more remote parts of the island. Just as important as your resources is your level of inspiration because you're not going to feel like painting if you aren't feeling inspired. Every time you discover a new location you'll be inspired and there a handfuls of us things that will give you some inspiration such as tea. Yes tea, there are many varieties you can buy and brew which may change your perspective on the world around you.
This was honestly quite an enjoyable break from more intense and emotional games (say Last of Us part 2 for example). It is a relatively pretty world to roam and explore even if the background details aren't always fully rendered. It shouldn't be too surprising that such a decently large game made but a such a small team has a couple bugs. Personally, I enjoyed both meeting and helping the citizens of Eastshade of which there is a very diverse array of personalities. I liked how it is really left up to the player what kind of pace they want to set. It would seemingly defeat the purpose of the game to speed through it as you'd imagine your mom would have wanted you to discover the island for yourself. This feels like a revolution of the supposed "walking sim" genre and elevates this type of game to being closer to an RPG without violence.