I don't think I've ever wanted to review a game quite as much as I've wanted to review Bastion. My past reviews have mainly been focused on big name sequals from big name companies but theres a lot that bigger companies could learn from Bastion. Bastion was released as the first part of Microsoft’s 'Summer of Arcade' for Xbox Live Arcade, and what a way to kick it off. Developed by Super Giant games, Bastion is a beautiful and inspirational game that will capture your heart. It's simply a must-have for Xbox Live owners.
Bastion starts with the voice of a narrator, whose gravelly tones sets the scene. His first words tell you about your character, known simply as the Kid, who is lost and stranded in the sky after an event known as the Calamity. From there the Kid makes his way to the Bastion, the last safe haven, and is put upon a quest to save what he can of the world of Caelondia. To tell you more would spoil the story, which is all superbly voiced by the narrator, but what can be said is it's definitely an interesting one with a surprisingly deep set of characters and history. It's all told as and while you play and it's incredibly easy to just lose yourself into the game as each step truly does advance the plot. You'll be fighting from level to level, or trying to last each round in the survivals, and all the while you'll be learning about the rich world that surrounds you.
The afforementioned narrator, later known as Rucks, is one of the most unique things about Bastion. What's remarkable is while he's not explaining the storyline, he comments on almost anything, from your weapon load outs, to your falling from the level, and it ties everything together absolutely flawlessly. None of it feels forced or out of place and, most importantly, none of it interupts your experiance.
It's not just the voice acting which makes Bastion stand out though, every other sound, from the ground appearing, to the background music, to the sound of each weapon is wonderful and sounds perfect to the game. Every new environment you enter, and every turn in the plot, has a beautifully crafted soundtrack which fits so well with the style of Bastion.
Every part of Bastion is rich and detailedOn par with the sound is Bastion's visuals. The game is simply stunning to look at. The aesthetics of Bastion are one of the most stylish and beautiful to grace our consoles this year. As you move forward the ground springs up in front of you, walls and scenery fall down, and everything is completed for you to move on. It's never gets old and is a constant delight. Along with their own sound tracks each environment looks different, and has a different background or type of scenery and you don't ever get the feeling that you're just running over old ground. When it comes to Audio and Visual Bastion has really set itself out from the crowd and is a delight to the senses.
Unlike the other aspects of the game, Super Giant Games haven't tried to do anything innovative with Bastions gameplay, keeping it to a simple Action RPG. What they've done instead is refine it, so theres nothing unnecessarially clogging up the screen or wasting your time. You choose your weapons, assigned to two buttons, and you have a 'secret skill' assigned to the right trigger. You can also block on-coming attacks with a press of the left trigger too. The controls are easy to master and will serve you well throughought the game. Everything is well implimented, thoguh the actual gameplay can occasionally feel a little stale but it's a feeling quickly forgotten. There's enough enemies and situations to mix up the game as you journey through Caelondia.
There are a wide variety of enemies to battle when you're not taking in the scenery
What's interesting in Bastion is the level of customisation it gives you from such a simple set of facts. Firstly the game puts forward quite a few unique weapons to select, from a hammer to a bow, to a flamethrower. All these weapons can be upgraded till you're a force to be reckoned with. It's likely that during the game you'll find a loadout suited to your style and stick with it, but its nice to know the variety is there to break up the monanty should you need it.
Another way of customising the game is your access to special 'Tonics' and 'Idols'. Each have a passive effect to make the game that little bit easier or a lot harder, depending on how you want your experience to be. This does a good job of mixing up the game when you feel it getting that little bit too easy, or you want your character to have an extra boost for an oncoming difficult part.It's aspects like this that mean the simple gameplay can be tailored to your own style as just with a different set of weapons, tonics, and idols you've got a completely different fight on your hands.
All in all Bastion is a game that knows exactly what it set out to do and excels in every aspect of it. It's got a beautifully tied together story, a couple of interesting and deep characters, and some fun, customisable gameplay to go along with it. It's not just style over substance, there's a level of quality in Bastion that you're unlikely to find in any other game this year. You wont want to leave Bastion once you've picked it up, and you certainly wont forget Bastion once you've put it down.
Unlike the other aspects of the game, Super Giant Games haven't tried to do anything innovative with Bastions gameplay, keeping it to a simple Action RPG. What they've done instead is refine it, so theres nothing unnecessarially clogging up the screen or wasting your time. You choose your weapons, assigned to two buttons, and you have a 'secret skill' assigned to the right trigger. You can also block on-coming attacks with a press of the left trigger too. The controls are easy to master and will serve you well throughought the game. Everything is well implimented, thoguh the actual gameplay can occasionally feel a little stale but it's a feeling quickly forgotten. There's enough enemies and situations to mix up the game as you journey through Caelondia.
There are a wide variety of enemies to battle when you're not taking in the sceneryWhat's interesting in Bastion is the level of customisation it gives you from such a simple set of facts. Firstly the game puts forward quite a few unique weapons to select, from a hammer to a bow, to a flamethrower. All these weapons can be upgraded till you're a force to be reckoned with. It's likely that during the game you'll find a loadout suited to your style and stick with it, but its nice to know the variety is there to break up the monanty should you need it.
Another way of customising the game is your access to special 'Tonics' and 'Idols'. Each have a passive effect to make the game that little bit easier or a lot harder, depending on how you want your experience to be. This does a good job of mixing up the game when you feel it getting that little bit too easy, or you want your character to have an extra boost for an oncoming difficult part.It's aspects like this that mean the simple gameplay can be tailored to your own style as just with a different set of weapons, tonics, and idols you've got a completely different fight on your hands.
All in all Bastion is a game that knows exactly what it set out to do and excels in every aspect of it. It's got a beautifully tied together story, a couple of interesting and deep characters, and some fun, customisable gameplay to go along with it. It's not just style over substance, there's a level of quality in Bastion that you're unlikely to find in any other game this year. You wont want to leave Bastion once you've picked it up, and you certainly wont forget Bastion once you've put it down.
