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Bastion
PC (Steam)
Definitely Not Supergiant
4/5 stars
“Bastion” is the inaugural attempt by Indie developer, Supergiant Games, a company formed around a core of ex-EA employees who wanted to escape that controlled, mainstream environment to experiment with novel game ideas on a rapid development schedule. Mysteriously, unlike most Indie games, “Bastion” was picked up by semi-huge publisher, Warner Bros.
Presentation
“Bastion’s” graphics are all retro-style isometric 2D. Isometric games are separated from their non-isometric kin by the angle of the game’s camera, which in isometric games always stays at a diagonal angle in relation to the game’s environments, creating the illusion of 3D using only 2D assets. The sprite-based environments all float in space in front of a hand-drawn sky backdrop. Characters and enemies are all sprite-based as well, but are so detailed and have so many discreetly viewable angles that I spent quite a while just staring at them, trying to tell if they were polygon models or not. In addition to the throw-back use of isometric 2D, “Bastion’s” graphics also hearken back to past gaming generations through their use of vibrant colors, making the entire game a treat for the eyes.
“Bastion’s” main gimmick is a graphical one, and one that definitely gives the game a unique character: As the player moves the main character through the game’s environments, the ground he walks on rises up out of a seemingly endless void to create navigable paths and platforms.
The soundtrack in “Bastion” is quite pleasant, with a mix of folky and jazzy sounding tunes. There isn’t a lot of voiceacting in the game, outside of the omnipresent narrator.
The narrator is “Bastion’s” other gimmick. As the player does things in the world, the narrator dynamically describes what the player is doing. At first, this narration gimmick seems like an impressive feat of programming and design. Yet upon further examination, there are only a handful of truly dynamic quips that the narrator says. Usually, he just reads off a single chunk of narration that is triggered by the main character reaching certain locations in each stage.
Story
“Bastion” tells the story of a nameless, silent ‘Kid,’ who is referred to as such by the omnipresent narrator, Rucks. Rucks and The Kid are two of the last few survivors of a worldwide disaster called The Calamity, which destroyed huge swaths of the surface of the world, leaving small chunks of land floating in the air above a bottomless void.
These two survivors meet soon after the beginning of the game at the titular Bastion: The one place in the world that isn’t in danger of falling apart. Thanks to a gear-shaped piece of the Bastion in his possession, The Kid is able to travel the ruined pathways and skyways of the world in search of Cores and Shards, which Rucks assures him will allow them to repair to Bastion.
As the story unfolds, we are given detailed backstories for important characters as well as a detailed explanation of that The Calamity was and why it happened, all narrated by Rucks as the player explores the world. While it is an interesting and unique gimmick for “Bastion” to reveal all of its narration via audio while the player is actually playing the game, I find it difficult to listen to stories effectively while also trying to play an action-based game. I would have liked to see an option to replay chunks of narration outside of gameplay zones, but alas, there is none available.
“Bastion’s” main flaw is how short and linear it is. There are only a few side-quests in the game, all of which revolve around mastering one of the game’s stable of weapons. I didn’t bother with all of these sidequests, as they can be quite frustrating – I instead focused on the sidequests related to the weapons I like to use. Ultimately, I completed the game in a mere 8 hours. While there are two different endings available, I was pleased to see that the amount of repetition required to see both endings only encompasses the final stage.
Gameplay
“Bastion” claims to be an action/RPG, and while on its surface it vaguely resembles a Hack ‘n Slash, like “Diablo,” it doesn’t really have much in common with either sub-genre. There is a leveling system, which I guess is what makes people think it’s an RPG. But the leveling system really doesn’t do much aside from unlock an additional slot in The Kid’s liquor cabinet. At each level, from 1 to 10, The Kid gains the ability to equip a flavor of booze to his liquor cabinet back at the Bastion, each of which provides a variety of constant, passive effects. Why the game uses experience points to unlock levels is, thus, quite perplexing. It would have made more sense to simply unlock a new slot in the cabinet with each stage the player completes.
“Bastion” is also unlike a typical action/RPG or Hack ‘n Slash in that there is no real ability to grind (an omission I quite welcome) or repeat stages. Each stage is also a linear Point A to Point B excursion with little in the way of side paths and hidden goodies. Upon completing each of the game’s linear stages, the player can unlock a permanent building back in the “Bastion” ranging from the Tavern (for liquor cabinet access) to a lost and found (to buy a limited number of one-time-purchase items).
In addition to not relying on stats gained from experience levels, “Bastion” also doesn’t rely on that old Hack ‘n Slash staple of random loot. Indeed, the ‘loot’ in “Bastion” is limited almost exclusively to weapons (there are a few not-so-hidden items that don’t do anything related to gameplay). These weapons come in the form of ranged or melee weapons, along with skill scrolls for performing special attacks. The Kid can equip two weapons in a mix-and-match of ranged and/or melee (my favorite loadout was a musket and mortar pairing) and one skill scroll. Each of the weapons can be upgraded by finding non-random, non-hidden materials (one materiel is required for each upgrade and the material required is different for each weapon) and spending ‘fragments,’ which serve as the game’s currency.
Combat in “Bastion” feels far more like an isometric ‘Zelda’ game (maybe like “Landstalker” if “Landstalker” had better controls) than any Hack ‘n Slash I’ve ever played, though the first impression given by still screenshots might make it seem more Hack ‘n Slash-y than it is. As The Kid runs through linear environments, enemies appear to block his path, though sometimes the environment itself can be a hazard. The Kid can attack with either of his two weapons equipped weapons, unleash special attacks, or block attacks with his ever-present shield. Timing blocks correctly can stun melee enemies or reflect projectiles back at ranged enemies. If The Kid needs to get out of the way quickly and blocking won’t do the trick, he also has the ability to perform a rolling dodge. In combat, enemies commonly drop blue potions and black tonics. Potions restore The Kid’s health (and he can carry several in reserve to use at the player’s leisure) while tonics are required to use special skill scrolls. Thus these two items serve as HP and MP restoration that can be either grabbed off the ground or held in reserve.
“Bastion” comes off as a very easy game. However, those seeking a challenge can pray to the game world’s gods for one. As the game progresses, an option to build a shrine in the Bastion becomes available. Yet unlike most games, where praying at a shrine might provide boosts to the player’s character, “Bastion’s” shrine provides nothing but boosts to monsters. Granted, these boosted monsters drop more fragments and are worth more experience, but I never found either one of those things in short enough supply to be an issue.
Overall
“Bastion” is a gorgeous retro-style game with an excellent spoken narration for its reasonably interesting and unique story. Yet the compartmentalized stages and short, linear gameplay progression prevent the game from feeling anything like an RPG. I can’t see Hack ‘n Slash fans liking this game for its lack of grinding and randomness, nor can I see traditional RPG fans liking it for its linearity and lack of depth. If the liquor cabinet system had been reworked as the basis for a short, linear action/adventure game in the vein of “The Legend of Zelda,” I think Supergiant would have been onto something. As it is, “Bastion” is still a good game, but doesn’t live up to its full potential.
Presentation: 5/5
Story: 4/5
Gameplay: 3/5
Overall (not an average): 4/5
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