For those confused about the upbeat nature of the DLC compared to the base game, Octopia takes place in a parallel world. It’s more of a farming sim, with Sam and John looking to restore a ruined farmland. There are crops to grow, livestock to raise, meals to repair and fish to catch. Of course, your progress also affects the neighboring Seagull Town.

You can eventually construct stores and houses, causing more NPCs to move in (which include familiar faces from the base game) and more. Eastward: Octopia promises about 15 to 20 hours of “pixel-perfect gameplay,” which isn’t too shabby considering its price point.

As for an Xbox One release for the DLC, Pixpil is looking into making it available and “will update the community as soon as we have more news.”

“Hot Wheels Unleashed – Game of the Year Edition is no longer coming on Dec 15, 2022 as previously announced. We will update with a new date when we have more information to share,” the update reads.

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Microsoft has announced the first wave of titles coming to Game Pass in December 2022, starting with the 2D adventure title Eastward and Telltale’s The Walking Dead: The Final Season. Both are available starting today for Xbox consoles, cloud, and PC. Totally Reliable Delivery Service is also available for PC subscribers.

As announced earlier, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga comes to the cloud, consoles and PC on December 6th. tinyBuild’s Hello Neighbor 2 is also available on the same day for the same platforms, followed by retro-style RPG Chained Echoes and Metal: Hellsinger (specifically for Xbox One) on December 8th.

On December 13th, High on Life and Potion Craft are available for cloud, consoles and PC. Hot Wheels Unleashed – Game of the Year Edition and Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan follow on December 15th.

Of course, several titles will leave Game Pass on December 15th. Check out the list below:

• Aliens: Fireteam Elite (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Breathedge (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Firewatch (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Lake (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Neoverse (Cloud and Console)
• Race with Ryan (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Rory McIlroy PGA Tour (Console) EA Play
• Transformers: Battlegrounds (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Additional titles could be announced at The Game Awards on December 8th, so stay tuned.

Gears 5

Compared to Gears of War 4, which simultaneously felt like a throwback and a new beginning, Gears 5 is a big step forward. The world is collapsing under the scourge of the Swarm and Cait must ultimately confront the COG’s secrets and overcome her past. This journey takes her from gorgeous snow-covered landscapes to the sandstorm-ridden Vasgar desert with new enemies, side objectives and more as the series’ signature cover-based gameplay still proves immensely entertaining.

Don’t let its charming aesthetic fool you – Eastward is set in a world where civilization has collapsed due to a toxic “presence” that destroys everything. The survivors now live in underground villages, forming new societies in the process. As a miner named John, you come across a strange girl named Sam who’s lost her memory and possesses unique powers.

Eventually the duo will embark on a big adventure, using the railway to travel cross-country, interacting with different characters and even taking on various foes. Switching between John and Sam allows for solving different puzzles and locating hidden paths. For more extensive gameplay of Eastward, head here.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Don’t you just wish you could get away from it all? Tom Nook’s deserted island vacation package may be the answer. In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, players travel to an island and build their community, chopping wood and crafting tools while fishing and gathering items. The addition of Nook Miles to obtain special items from tasks along with real world seasons and eight player online co-op promises an even better experience. The game is out on March 20^th.

The Game Awards 2019 are taking place tomorrow but creator and host Geoff Keighley has announced a rather interesting offer for those at home. It’s called The Game Festival and will go live later today on Steam at 10 AM PT. The idea is to provide several demos for players to try out at home.

As noted in a recent Medium post, Keighley said, “Six years ago I bet everything I had to create The Game Awards as a way to celebrate our passion for gaming. Now feels like the right time to take the next step with The Game Festival, a completely digital approach to the consumer event space.

“Let’s face it: Not everyone can attend a physical trade show or consumer event. The Game Festival is designed from the ground-up as an event without barriers, extending the benefits of a physical event to the global gaming community that watches The Game Awards.”

Some of the game demos are System Shock, which is a remake of the classic FPS/RPG by Nightdive Studios; Chucklefish’s RPG adventure Eastward; Spiritfarer from Sundered developer Thunder Lotus; Haven from The Game Bakers of Furi fame; and even Carrion from Phobia. Overall that’s pretty solid. The list of confirmed demos for games is as follows:

• System Shock (Nightdive Studios)
• Eastward (Pixpil/Chucklefish)
• Spiritfarer (Thunder Lotus)
• Moving Out (SMG Studio/Devm Games/Team17)
• Röki (Polygon Treehouse/United Label)
• Chicory (Greg Lobanov)
• Wooden Nickel (Brain&Brain)
• Haven (The Game Bakers)
• Heavenly Bodies (2pt Interactive)
• Acid Knife (Powerhoof)
• The Drifter (Powerhoof)
• CARRION (Phobia/Devolver)
• SkateBIRD (Glass Bottom Games)

The Game Festival will be available from 10 AM PT today till 10 AM PT on December 14th. Better carve out some time because once the event ends, the demos will be gone. Even those that have been downloaded and/or installed will become unplayable. There are also plans to bring The Game Festival to consoles in 2020 but for now, it’s a Steam affair.

As for The Game Awards, they start today at 7 PM PT and will offer up 15 new world premiers. These include Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima and NetEase’s Naraka: Bladepoint.

Stardew Valley publisher Chucklefish Games has shared a new gameplay preview for Eastward, an intriguing adventure RPG with a gorgeous 2D aesthetic. Developed by Pixpil, the footage showcases protagonists John and Sam as they navigate a town and the neighbouring forest, fighting off some baddies here and there. Check it out below.

Taking place in a futuristic society, Eastward features a world that’s on the brink of collapse. John, a miner, finds Sam in a strange facility underground and starts looking after her. From there, the story focuses on Sam’s origins, where all the strange creatures are coming from, and what their purpose is.

Gameplay sees players switching between John and Sam to solve puzzles and combat foes. Their personalities, along with the various NPCs, shine through thanks to Eastward’s intricate retro-pixel art-style. The soundtrack is also fairly catchy, thanks to composer Joel Corelitz (who’s worked on The Unfinished Swan, Gorogoa, and more). Currently, Eastward doesn’t have a release date.