Pixpil’s new game, Eastward, is an entertaining jaunt through a beautiful world filled with wonder, mystery, and a lot of horrifying events.
Eastward’s protagonists, John and Sam, imbue the gameplay with such sincerity and wholesomeness that sometimes you forget all about the realities of living in a post-apocalyptic world.
The visual impact of Sam bouncing around with delight, John showing off his cooking skills, and the gorgeous art style settles you into a comfortable lull that makes the reminders that they are navigating through a broken and dangerous world all the more startling.
It’s a heartbreaking world, filled with heartbreaking stories, in an adorable package.
Why Create a Quest for a Game That’s Already Published?
I loved exploring the different areas of Eastward, meeting new characters, and piecing together bits of the mystery as I went along. But there was one aspect of gameplay that I was sorely missing: choice.
Eastward is a linear story. You try to keep John and Sam alive, but as a player, in essence, you’re just along for the ride. There are no dialogue options throughout the game, and no consequences to anything that you as a player do. Quests tend to exist to remind the player of where the next cutscene is located, rather than as a way to personalize your gameplay experience.
John’s and Sam’s story together is pre-written. It is its own narrative entity; as players, we have no impact upon anything that happens.
Eastward’s world is so rich, so dense, and so mesmerizing that I wanted to feel like I was a part of creating my own story within it, rather than just sitting back and watching someone else’s story unfold.
So, I decided to write my own quest for Eastward: one with branching narratives and impact.
The Inspiration Behind the Quest
I wanted to flesh out a possible storyline hidden within Chapter Three, involving Mimi the ghost of New Dam City, and Fang and Ned: the married couple who live together in Lowtown’s sewers. The game never explicitly connects the three, but it does introduce a series of circumstances that make it difficult to believe that they never interact.
We first meet Mimi when she pops out of a statue that was tucked away into an ominous corner of Princess Avenue.
Mimi the ghost
The statue is placed in front of a fan, and Mimi tells us a horrible story about a little boy who died inside, and is now cursed to remain trapped there forever as a ghost.
Mimi:
After kicking the can, I got stuck in this miserable place, cursed to wander the streets forevermore...Just like this little fella here.
Princess Avenue sure has a honkin' number of fans, don't it? Noi-sy! But this one's a bit different, see?
Fact, it almost sounds like it's crying. It's all cuz 'a this kid here... See, his ears weren't so good. Could barely hear a thing. Aside from this fan, that is. He'd come down here eeevery day and let the fan blow on his face. And he was sooooo happy! You'd be too if that was the one thing you could hear!
Anyway, one day, the fan stopped. Just like that! And this kid, he just loses it. He stretches up, up, up, on his toes. Jumps as high as his little legs will jump... And finally, climbs his way all the way up and into the fan.
And then? Hear that? Well. I think you can imagine what happened next. And to this day, you can still hear him crying.
…horrifying, right?
Mimi then tells us that this child is one of many, scattered around the city, and gives the player the option to learn about them all: "New Dam City is full of stories like this. Of kids like this. Stop and listen to their stories if you can. They'd surely thank you for it.”
And then…that’s it. We can collect a few more chilling stories, and receive a Heart Orb for our troubles. We never meet the ghosts of the children that Mimi tells us about, nor hear any of the other characters refer to or acknowledge one of these tragedies.
It almost feels like Mimi is the only one who remembers that these children existed at all.
But there is one statue location that makes me think otherwise: the statue that rests on a table in Fang’s and Ned’s bedroom in the sewers.
Sewer bedroom
Fang and Ned are interesting to begin with
Fang and Ned
Fang is human; Ned is a robot. Together, they live in a doorless room in the sewers.
Their relationship is presented as contentious throughout most of Chapter Three. Fang speaks ill of Ned (“My husband Ned? The biggest ‘loser’ this city's ever seen. Day after day, he goes to that devil casino, and for what? He ain't got a coin to show for it”) and Ned constantly makes references to arguments he and Fang get into over his gambling addiction.
The first tender moment we see between them occurs when they finally reunite after Fang finds herself in a life-or-death situation. Following this event, they seem excited to spend time with each other again and Ned starts making grand statements about their future improving.
Their relationship introduces so many questions that never get answered. How did they meet? Is it unusual for humans and robots to fall in love? How did they wind up living in the sewers? And why do they have a possessed statue sitting in their bedroom?
This last question is the one I am most interested in answering and what I designed my quest around.
Mimi
The story Mimi tells when she pops out of the sewer-bedroom statue is an unusual one. It is unusual in that the child’s death was never confirmed, nor apparently enough of a concern to warrant a search.
Mimi:
So, we meet again. The heavy curtain of steam...the odious smell of sludge...this foul waterway hasn't changed a bit. To this day, it remains New Dam City's most desolate, most dangerous haunt.
And yet, it was once the playground of a small child.
You see, this child loved studying creepy-crawlies. This peculiar hobby of his earned him a reputation as a bit of an oddball. Names, disparaging looks, the occasional hand to the nose... He'd gotten it all.
But down here, the darkness welcomed him. And the spiders accepted him as their friend.
He decided he would live here.
Emerging less and less often out into the world above... the people began to forget him.
What happened to him?
Well, they say he himself turned into a spider. But I can't be sure myself. After all, I don't speak spider.
Everything about Mimi’s story rings “it’s all connected” alarm bells in my head, but we never get an opportunity to learn more.
None of John’s and Sam’s interactions with Fang or Ned reference the statue in their bedroom--even when they speak to each other while standing a few feet away from it.
Fang in her sewer bedroom
So, I decided to change that and insert some branching narrative along the way.
(What follows is obviously not canon.)
The Quest
This quest takes place after the night market and sewers open, but before the Miasma arrives.
The quest gets triggered after two conditions are met:
Condition One: John and Sam interact with Fang in Fang’s sewer bedroom
Condition Two: John and Sam activate the statue in Fang’s sewer bedroom, and listen to Mimi’s tale.
If John and Sam speak with Ned after these conditions are met, Ned will tell them that he has unexpectedly won money at the casino. It is enough money for him and Fang to finally move out of the sewers.
The next time the player goes to the Night Market, a cutscene will be triggered between Ned and Fang. Ned tells Fang the good news, and Fang’s reaction surprises him. She becomes somber, starts hugging herself, and looks crestfallen.
Fang: “We...can’t leave.”
Ned: “Huh? But I have the money!”
Fang: “No, I…I can’t leave.”
Ned: “What do you--”
Fang: “Didn’t you find it odd that I was always so willing to live in the sewers among the rats and the sludge?”
(She turns away. Ned reaches out for her.)
Ned: “Fang-Fang…”
Fang: “There’s something I’ve never told you. I’m…I’m searching for someone.”
(She turns back around, facing Ned (and the camera) once more.)
Fang: “My brother. Jason. He was just a kid when he disappeared. I didn’t even notice. I was grateful that the house was quiet again. Grateful that I didn’t have to run into any more of his pet spiders, or the name-calling when we went outside. But then he was just...gone. I looked for him everywhere. No one knew where he was. Some people didn’t even remember him. But Mimi did. When I encountered her statue in the sewers, she told me that my brother was somewhere down there, but she didn’t know where. I’ve been searching ever since.”
Sam’s dialogue options:
A.) “We can find him.”
B.) “Good luck with that.”
If the player chooses Option A, the quest acceptance exchange gets triggered:
Sam: “Hey, yeah! We can do it! We’ll find him for sure! Won’t we, John?”
Ned: “Did you hear that, Fang-Fang?”
Fang: “Thank you. I can’t tell you what this means to me. You should probably start by talking to Mimi the ghost. She’s the only one who seems to know anything about Jason’s disappearance.”
Sam: “We’re going to find him in no time! I can feel it!”
If the player chooses Option B, this exchange gets triggered:
Sam: “That’s awful. I hope you find him!”
Ned: “W...wait! I’ve heard all kinds of amazing stories about you two around town. Would you be willing to help us find him?”
Sam’s dialogue options:
C.) “Yes.”
D.) “No.”
Option C triggers the quest acceptance dialogue (See Option A)
Option D
Sam: “I don’t think we can…”
Fang: “I understand. If you change your mind, please let me know.”
This quest will remain open as long as the Miasma storyline has not triggered, yet.
In order to begin the quest, all the player has to do is speak to Fang or Ned, and this dialogue tree will appear.
Fang: “You’re back! Have you changed your mind about helping me find my brother?”
Sam’s dialogue options:
C.) “Yes.”
D.) “No.”
(The responses remain the same.)
Once the quest has been accepted, the next time John and Sam activate Mimi’s statue in the sewers, Mimi pops out and speaks.
Mimi: “Ooh! You’ve come for another tale, have you?”
Sam’s dialogue options:
A.) Yes
B.) Ask about Jason
Option A
If the player chooses Option A, Mimi will retell the original, in-game canon dialogue about the boy who vanished, and then the conversation will end, and she will vanish into the statue again.
If John and Sam re-summon her, the dialogue and response options from above will repeat, no matter how many times the player summons her, until the player chooses Option B.
Option B
Sam: That story you told before, about Jason and the spiders...do you know where he went?
Mimi: “No, but Johnny the shopkeeper might.”
Sam: “Johnny?”
Mimi: “He came looking for him once. Asked me if I knew where he was. Maybe he found him.”
Sam: “A clue! John, we have to talk to him! I’m sure he knows where Jason is!”
Mimi: “Good luck, and remind Johnny to come visit me sometime. I haven’t haunted him in so long!”
Johnny the shopkeeper
The next time John and Sam speak to Johnny, these dialogue options gets triggered:
Sam’s dialogue options:
A.) Sell us food!
B.) Ask about Jason
Option A
Johnny’s shop inventory will open up, and the dialogue will close. Sam’s dialogue options will remain unchanged unless the player chooses Option B to advance the quest.
Option B
Sam: “Do you know where Jason is? We’re trying to find him.”
Johnny: “Jason, huh? Now there’s a name I haven’t heard in a while. We used to be friends, you know. I tried looking for him when he disappeared, but I never found him. I even asked that creepy ghost in the sewers if she knew where he was.”
After the Option B dialogue has been triggered, these dialogue options will become available:
Sam’s dialogue options
C.) Sounds like you were a bad friend
D.) Investigate
Option C
Sam: “Why didn’t you go with him? Why did you leave him all alone? What if he thought no one cared about him?”
Johnny: “I... I know. I think about that a lot. What I could have done. What I could have changed.”
(The dialogue box now only offers Option D, “Investigate.”)
Option D
Sam: “He never told you where he was going?”
Johnny: “No, and I don’t know who he would have...except maybe Jade.”
Sam: “Jade?”
Johnny: “Yeah, he used to have a huge crush on her. Wouldn’t stop talking about her. ‘Jade this,’ and ‘Jade that.’ I wonder if he ever told her where he was going.”
Sam: “John, John! We’re getting closer! I bet Jade knows where he is!”
Johnny: “She works up at Lucky Coin casino. Actually, take this with you. [Received apple]. Jason used to give her apples all the time. Maybe seeing one will jog her memory.”
Sam: “John, let’s go!”
The next time John and Sam speak with Jade at the Lucky Coin casino, this cutscene gets triggered.
Jade
Sam: “Jade! Jade! We’re looking for Jason! Where is he? Did he ever tell you?”
Jade: “...Who?”
Sam: “Oh! Wait, Johnny told us to… [pulls out an apple and gives it to her] Here! He used to give you these!”
Jade: “An apple…? Who...oh. That spider kid, right? The one who ran away?”
Sam: “He ran away? Do you know why or where?”
Jade: “No. He invited me to come with him, but I said no.”
Sam turns towards the camera, and hangs her head in sadness.
Sam: “So...that’s it? Search over? Jason is still missing, and we can’t find him? What are we going to tell Fang?”
Jade: “Well, now that you mention it...he did invite me to the big tree in Central Park a lot, but I never went with him. He told me to go there if I ever changed my mind about running away together.”
Sam: “Maybe there’s a clue at the tree, John! Let’s go!”
The next time the player goes to Central Park, there will be an exclamation point hovering over the tree to signal a triggerable cutscene, much like this one hanging over the clowns:
When the player activates the exclamation point, this cutscene triggers.
Sam: “John, look! There’s something stuffed into the roots!”
(She holds up a bottle with a message inside, and does her “triumphant dance” animation.)
Sam: “It’s a message in a bottle! I wonder if it’s from Jason.”
(Sam opens up the bottle, pulls out a message on a piece of paper, and starts reading it out loud.)
Sam: “Dear Jade, I’ve run away to be with the spiders. We’ll be happy together in the sewers, away from mean people. If you want to join us, come to the southwest storage room in the sewers. Say ‘I’ve brought your apple back,’ so I know it’s you. I hope you come. --Jason.”
Sam: “John, Fang was right! Jason’s probably still in the sewers! Let’s go get Fang and look for him!”
The next time John and Sam enter Lowtown, Fang will be positioned right next to the entrance to the sewers. The player can either speak with Fang directly to trigger the next cutscene, or attempt to enter the sewers, which will also trigger the next cutscene.
(John, Sam, Ned, and Fang stand next to the entrance to the sewers.)
Sam: “Fang! Fang! We found a clue!”
Fang: “You did?! What is it?”
(Sam hands her the note. Fang reads it.)
Fang: “The southwest storage room…? But I searched there lots of times. I’ve never said these words, though. It’s worth a try. Let’s go.”
(The screen fades to black and re-opens in the southwest storage room in the sewers. Sam, John, Fang, and Ned all stand on the right-hand side of the room, facing the pile of junk and debris to the left.)
Fang: “Ahem...uh, I’ve brought your apple back.”
(A ghost springs out of the items on the left. It’s a small boy. He looks excited.)
Jason: “Jade?! You came! You--”
(A beat.)
Jason: “Oh.”
Fang: “Jacey...? Is it really you?”
Jason: “What are YOU doing here?”
Fang: “What am I--? I’ve been looking for you for years! Ever since I noticed you were gone!”
Jason: “I was down here for weeks. No one came. No one cared.”
Fang: “Jacey, I’m so sorry. I--”
Jason: “Eventually the food ran out. I tried to leave, but I got lost and confused. I came back here to be with the spiders. They dropped little morsels for me. Crumbs. They tried to help. But it was so wet and cold. Eventually, it was easier to sleep than to stay awake. And one day, I woke up like this. Dead.”
Fang: “Oh, Jacey!”
Jason: “It wasn’t all bad. I was able to repay the spiders for feeding me by feeding them back. Pretty soon, there was nothing left of me to find at all. Still I thought someone would come. I wanted you to find me. But you didn’t, for SO long. When you eventually stumbled into this storeroom, I was so mad at you that I hid. I didn’t want to see you. And I don’t want to see you now.”
Fang: “Jason, I’m so sorry! I...I tried.”
Jason: “You didn’t try hard enough.”
Fang: “Jason…”
Jason: “Leave. It’s what you’re good at.”
Fang: “I--”
Jason: “Go!”
(Fang runs away, crying.)
Ned: “Fang-Fang!”
(Ned follows her. Jason lets out a big ghost sigh, and turns to John and Sam.)
Jason: “You should probably go, too. The sewers are no place for a child.”
Sam’s dialogue options (triggering each possible quest ending):
A.) We’re not leaving until you agree to hear Fang out! (Ending One)
B.) You were right to make Fang leave. Her actions were unforgivable. (Ending Two)
Option A (Ending One)
Sam: “What? No! We worked so hard to reunite you!”
Jason: “I guess you were wasting your ti–”
Sam: “No! Do you know how lucky you are to have a family? A sister who loves you? And you’re going to stay lonely out of what…? Revenge?! It doesn’t make sense!”
Jason: “You don’t get it.”
Sam: “I get that you have a family member begging you to let them care for you. John, tell him!”
(John walks over to Sam and gently puts his hand on her shoulder. Jason watches them. John hesitates, and then puts his arm around Sam squeezing her in a one-armed hug. Jason’s eyes widen, and then he hangs his head in sorrow.)
Jason: “I…thank you, John. Sam. I’ve spent so long being mad, but I think all I really want is to be able to hug my sister once more. I know that that’s impossible, but…maybe I can talk with her, instead. I appreciate your help. I almost made a huge mistake.”
(Jason leaves the sewers.)
When Sam and John see Fang next, she is hanging out near the entrance to the sewers, alone.
Speaking with her will trigger this dialogue:
Fang: ”I don’t know how you convinced Jason to speak with me, but thank you! He says he wants to rebuild our relationship, and is even willing to move in with me and Ned when we find a new place to live outside of the sewers. The future feels brand-new, and it’s all thanks to you two! If you want to speak with Jason, he’s up at the Lucky Coin casino with Jade. Something about ‘lost time,’ and ‘catching up.’”
When Sam and John next visit the Lucky Coin casino, they find Jason and Jade hanging out together.
Interacting with either of them will trigger this exchange:
Jason: “Sam! John! Hi! Thank you for convincing me to leave the sewer. It’s been great catching up with Jade.”
Jade: “It’s been nice to have a co-conspirator.”
Jason: “We’re going to try and convince Lily that her house is haunted. Well, I guess with me making all of the noises...it will be!”
(Jason and Jade turn to each other and high five as best as they can, with her being solid and him being non-corporeal.)
Interacting with Lily after speaking with Jason and Jade will trigger this dialogue:
Lily: “You don’t know a good plumber, do you? The pipes in my apartment are creaking something awful.”
Option B (Ending Two)
Sam: “I’m sorry that Fang let you down. I hope you find peace, Jason.”
Jason: “I appreciate what you were trying to do, but some things can’t be fixed. Please leave and don’t come back.”
Jason begins to lash out in anger and destroys Fang’s and Ned’s sewer bedroom. He ignores all attempts to communicate with him.
If you attempt to enter the southwest storage room or Fang and Ned’s bedroom again, Jason will manifest, say “GET OUT,” and force John and Sam outside of the room.
Fang will take up station outside of the sewer entrance and stay there, hoping for another opportunity to speak with her brother and apologize.
Speaking with her for the first time since her Jason rejected her apology will trigger this dialogue:
Fang: “I keep trying to talk to Jacey and tell him that I’m sorry and beg for another chance, but he isn’t interested. At least he isn’t hiding anymore. One day I’ll find the right words to get through to him. I just have to keep trying.”
Speaking with her any subsequent time (pre-Miasma) will trigger this dialogue:
Fang: “One day I’ll convince Jason to forgive me! Until then, I’m staying right here.”
Speaking with Ned after Jason’s rejection will trigger this dialogue:
Ned: “I found Fang-Fang and me a new place to live, but she refuses to leave the Sewer entrance…something about penance for hurting Jason. I guess we’re going to be camping outside for a while.”
Speaking with him any subsequent time (pre-Miasma) will trigger this dialogue:
Ned: “I wish I knew how to help Fang-Fang feel better or patch things up with her brother. It hurts, seeing her in pain like this.”
Conclusion
Creating a brand-new character and relationships in order to answer questions that blossomed, gnawed, and tickled me during the game felt like a writer’s dream. The self-indulgence inherent in grasping onto a loose thread and seeing where it leads you is a delight to luxuriate in.
On top of that, the ability to introduce choices that led to varying consequences was a lot of fun to write. I think that was the cherry on top: getting two story lines for the price of one.
I love when video game quests and storylines leave the player caring about what happens to the people left behind once the quest ends. How did the player’s presence affect the characters’ lives? Will the characters be grateful that they crossed paths with the player? Will they curse the player’s name?
I think that an effective way to achieve this is to introduce relationships or goals we can empathize with (familial relationships are good for this, because they establish emotional connections we can immediately relate to and project ourselves onto, without requiring a lot of backstory or context-information-overload) and then give the player’s actions and choices long-lasting consequences.
Or, as a simplified formula, have the player:
1.) Care about the characters
2.) Affect said characters, permanently
And that’s what I was aiming to do with this quest.
In terms of challenges, one creative puzzle I had to work my way through was Sam’s narrative voice. Sam is a positive, upbeat, goodhearted character and I knew that I needed to have all of her cutscenes and dialogue options reflect this fact—even when discussing sad things, or when giving the player the option to choose between Sam expressing two opposing opinions. Figuring out how to write her agreeing with Jason’s decision to not forgive his sister (Ending Two) was probably the biggest “Uh, oh…how do I make this match her voice?” moment of the project. When I finally got a hang of Sam’s voice, writing the varying dialogue responses felt a lot more intuitive.
Overall, I had an absolute blast designing and writing this quest, and would love to do more in the future!