It’s about damn time I played this. As I work my way through the aforementioned Steam Library Challenge, I’ve started with the “Action” category moving alphabetically. Due to a lack of “A” games in this category (that is to say starting with “A” in the title, not a critical grade), I’ll be starting with this:
Overview
An isometric action RPG, Bastion was developed by Supergiant Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive. It was released in 2011 for Xbox Live Arcade and Steam and was later released on the Chrome Web Store, the Mac App Store and iOS. The player controls a character known only to us as “The Kid” as he travels through the shattered remnants of the city of Caelondia after it was annihilated by a catastrophe known as The Calamity. The Kid wanders the floating remains of the city, fighting monsters and searching for objects called Core Shards which can provide power to The Bastion; the former highest point of Caelondia from where the city can be restored.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Bastion is fairly straightforward: you control The Kid as he moves through the floating shards of Caelondia looking for the core shards and using a variety of weapons to do so. As you play, you’ll fight gas monsters, killer plants, and other enemies as you search for the power to restore the Bastion and, hopefully, the people and places destroyed in the Calamity. The game’s weapons are fun to use, well-balanced and keep you from feeling either overpowered or underpowered depending upon how you choose to upgrade and use them. Through the use of the game’s simple yet robust upgrade system as well as the use of Spirits which can give you all sorts of passive bonuses from critical strike chance increases to improved health, The Kid is well-equipped and well-prepared for his adventure. You feel that your failure to complete a mission is due to your lack of skill or a mistake on your part; not dodgy AI or an unbalanced combat system. If you keep pushing, keep trying, you’ll make your way through.
That said, there were a few small areas of the game where I fell through the world (doing so resets you nearby with a bit less health as opposed to being a game-breaking bug like most games) when I probably shouldn’t have due to the floor being broken away just enough or because of a graphical glitch, but these were few and far between and generally not enough to actively hinder gameplay.
Graphics
Bastion’s graphics are entirely hand-painted and very colorful. The areas have a wide variety of styles and themes, but share the common art style which is both beautiful and appropriate for the story’s theme and feel.
Sound
One of Bastion’s strongest points is its music. The score itself is beautiful, and what starts out as a seemingly simplistic game is informed by both story and music as a much deeper experience. The lyrical songs were beautiful, poignant and well-performed. I immediately purchased the soundtrack after completing the game.
As you play, your every move is narrated by the voice of Rucks, an elderly Caelondian you’ll meet early in the game. Rucks’ Morgan Freeman-like narration adds a very fun touch to the game and is often comical as well in addition to providing background information on The Kid, Caelondia, and himself.
Story
Bastion is heavily story focused, so there’s not much I can say without ruining it. However, I will say that there is a lot more to the game’s story, to Caelondia’s lore and the depth of the game’s characters than appears on the surface. The choices you, as a player, make will affect these people and you will feel for them by the end.
Overall
Overall, Bastion is a fantastic, phenomenal game. I highly recommend it to ARPG and hack-and-slash fans alike, but if you’re just looking for a good story, you’d do well to start here. Then again, most stories start from the beginning. Not so easy with this one…
Final Score
9/10
Absolute Must-Play!
I’m an aspiring game developer myself and through my studies I’ve become ingrained in both video games and the industry itself. Through this blog, I’ll post my musings (rants and ramblings, too) on recent games I’ve played, the gaming community at large and the pulse of the industry. As a person with one foot in the developer side and one in the gamer side, I feel I offer a unique perspective.
The Autistic Gamer 
Such a beautiful game…
Hi there. I’m just wondering if you’ve got any ‘sandbox’ RPGs coming up to review (let’s say for example Skyrim). My brother is autistic and he doesn’t get on with them well. I always wondered whether this was because there was too much info for him to cope with or if it’s just him. You’ve got a follower anyway
As it happens, I was looking for an excuse to play Fallout New Vegas. I think that’s as good a reason as any. 🙂