Bastion is an over the top, 3rd Person role-playing game with a heavy focus on storytelling. Oddly enough, the story itself is remarkably simple and even somewhat shallow. Without wishing to spoil much, I can tell you that Bastion is a safe haven for a world which recently suffered from The Calamity; an apocalypse of sorts. The only spoken dialogue to advance the plot comes from the narrator (Logan Cunningham), who does a beautiful job of keeping the game fresh and interesting. There is of course text information as well, but the primary focus is on the narrator; which is oddly one of the best parts to the game.
Combat is somewhat unique, though carries some minor similarities to DeathSpank. Basically you will make use of two weapons and a special ability, there are eleven different weapons to acquire throughout the course of the six hour long story. I loved the variety of ranged weapons offered, with each one providing different firing styles and damage outputs. To me at least, there was a definite “best” weapon, but particular combinations of weapons proved better for certain situations. Bastion isn't exactly a tough game, I only ever died during an unnecessary challenge event. Leveling up is slow, but enables use of drinks that enable permanent passive abilities. Amongst these are extra lives, the ability to hold more potions and so on. These drinks were more important than the weapons in terms of survival.
Arguably one of the more interesting parts of gameplay is the upgrading and unlocking of buildings and items. The Bastion, as an in-game area is a hub for the main character. After particular stages you are given the choice to add new buildings, or upgrade prior existing ones. So long as you progress in the game these will all be fully unlocked, though the order is largely up to you. Weapons are all upgradable as well, but require money and specific items to do so. For the most part, this was necessary but only to a certain degree. Each weapon can receive five enhancements, but I only ever fully upgraded one gun at the end of my first playthrough. It was far too expensive and time-consuming to invest into other weapons. Likewise, it wasn't worthwhile as a level three weapon is extremely powerful on it's own; anything after that is borderline overkill. Given the limited amount of enemies as well, it shouldn't be hard to memorize their attack patterns and trends.
Being a single-player only experience is also a risky idea if the game is less than ten hours long. For the price I don't feel Bastion is a short experience, just somewhat shallow considering the amount of content. Yes there is a lot of weapons, but most of them went unused. Sure there are many varying stages and levels, but the majority of them are far too short and take mere minutes to plow through. As for the upgrade system, well it's only a means to completing the game- not a reason or legitimate feature. Challenge stages exist, but they are primarily used for acquiring more upgrade materials. If the customization were to be taken out of this game, Bastion would be a far shorter experience; this highlights the limited range the game has. Mind you it's an enjoyable ride, but there seems to be no reason for a lack of cooperative gameplay; even for challenge missions.
Graphic and audio presentation are another one of Bastion's strong suits. The world is beautifully drawn out, with wonderful colors and scenery aiding the game all the way through. Some textures and scenery is reused, but every level still looked largely original. Character design was a bit of a miss for me as well, with the main character's feet seeming far too stocky to support his gigantic arms and face. Music was the perfect fit, mostly being quiet background noises and tunes that put on the focus on the narrator. Admittedly I had the ending theme song stuck in my head for quite some time.
Bastion is not going to be mentioned along with top-notch XBLA games like Trials HD and Shadow Complex. Yes, it is an awesome game that should be played; but I cannot honestly say it's a must-play experience. More comparable to great titles like Outland and Zeno Clash in terms of quality I highly recommend it. If the fifteen dollar price-tag is too much, you can always wait for it to go on sale.
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Graphics |
8.5 |
A beautiful game, I'm just not so sure about the character design. Some enemies also failed to fit in amongst others. |
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Audio |
8.5 |
Great music, but the announcer remains as the most memorable part of the game. |
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Single Player |
7.5 |
A six hour long game, but much of that time is spent doing non-story related things. |
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Multiplayer |
N/A |
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Replay |
6.5 |
A second playthrough is offered as a New Game Plus, but can be beaten extremely quickly. |
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Overall |
8.0 |
Very good, but far from perfect. |
