Recently I have been struggling to find games that I really want to play. I’ve been picking games up and putting them down halfway through, nothing has really captured my attention. It’s never usually a problem I’ve had since I have been playing games. I always try to play titles that I usually wouldn’t, if I see people saying good things about a game I will pick it up. Flower was one of those games that I picked up and instantly enjoyed, and now the spiritual follow up Journey is top of my wish list for this year. Bastion is another game that had been recommended to me by quite a few people so I took the plunge and put down 1200 Microsoft Points.
I can describe the basics of Bastion very easily; start a new level, hack and slash your way through the level, pick up item, return to base. In a nutshell, that is Bastion… but leaving it at that would be doing it such a great disservice.
Bastion has a story that far surpasses a lot of AAA titles, unfortunately I can’t really say too much about the story because if you go into the game with too much knowledge it will ruin the experience. The first scene opens with you, The Kid, lying on a stone floor, you have no idea where you are and why you are there. When you move the analogue stick for the first time you are introduced to The Stranger who will tell the story of The Kid and his quest. The Stranger is ever present throughout the game, he will describe a lot of the actions you perform as well as informing you of the background of the world that you find yourself in and the enemies that inhabit it. A narrator is a great story telling device that when used correctly, as it is in Bastion, really helps immerse you into the world.
As you move through the first corridor the tiles on the floor rise up from below, guiding you forward, and fall away as you leave them. Secret areas can be found in most levels and if you love spending time exploring you will have a lot to get through. The rising and falling floors are another simple yet fantastic way of separating Bastion from it’s competition, and also adds a sense of mystery of “am I going the right way” even though, in truth the levels are quite linear.
The Kid makes his way through a world that has been decimated by The Calamity. As the game goes on you find out exactly what caused The Calamity but one thing becomes clear, in the event of trouble The Kid and his people were to meet at The Bastion, and that’s where you must head to in order to start making sense of what has happened. Now a few levels into Bastion I found myself flagging, I would play a level and not really have the desire to carry on, even though I knew I was reviewing the game I didn’t have the desire to push through it and get to the end. Then… a plot twist here and an explanation there and I was hooked, I don’t think I put the game down unless I was sleeping or working. This is where I will stop talking about the story, because as I mentioned before the experience would be ruined if I kept going much further.
As you progress through the game you are introduced to a handful of different weapons, both melee and ranged. You can carry two at a time, usually a melee weapon mapped to the B button and a ranged weapon to the X button, although there is nothing to stop you from having two ranged weapons or two melee weapons. I’m not sure how far you will get with two of the same type equipped, however. As you level up by defeating enemies you then unlock special abilities which are either weapon specific or allow creatures to fight alongside you. Carelessly strewn around the different areas, and inside enemies when you kill them, are fragments – the game’s currency. You collect these as you go along and these can be used to purchase health modifications, or combined with special items to upgrade the weapons. There is a lot to upgrade; either The Kid himself or the weapons, and you will definitely not be maxing out all weapons on the first play through. The only issue I had with the weapons is I found myself using weapons found earlier in the game (Cael Hammer and Breaker Bow) and didn’t really want to use the others.
I have spoken to a few friends about Bastion, these friends haven’t really heard much about the game. The first thing I bring up with them when trying to convince them to try it is the soundtrack. Darren Korb at Supergiant Games as crafted hours of music that fit certain situations and emotions in the game perfectly. Described by the man himself as ‘acoustic frontier trip-hop’ (probably slightly tongue in cheek…). For something that has been made mainly by one person the score is nothing short of stunning. There is a piece of music that made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck when I met a character in the game… I won’t spoil who the character is, but I’m sure you will feel a chill when the music drifts into your head.
Secondly is the beautifully hand-drawn artwork that fills the screen. Jen Zee, who was responsible for the art of the game, deserves a lot of recognition for her work on Bastion. Sometimes you can tell when so much time has been spent by someone crafting something that they truly love, and it shines through with Bastion more than any other game I have played in a long time. With varied areas to play through and multiple enemy types there is always something new on your screen and it is a game I can easily just sit and watch someone play, just to admire what is unfolding in front of me.
You don’t just have to plough through the story, there are challenge rooms that unlock as you collect the various weapons in the game. You visit these worlds and try to beat a challenge with the weapons in order to collect one of three prizes, Bronze, Silver and Gold. Now, these challenges are tough, very tough, and you certainly won’t be getting a Gold prize on your first run through. It rewards players who level up their weapons and it is more than likely you won’t be achieving a gold until your second play through where you can restart the game with all your weapons, upgrades and experience.
Another little hook to keep you playing past story completion is the Shrine. You gain access to the Shrine a little way into the game and this will allow you to activate certain modifiers that undoubtedly make the game harder. Enemies regain health, The Kid takes more damage and other modifiers are turned on in the game if you wish in exchange for more XP from each kill. It’s a nice trade off and something that to the hardcore will be a welcome addition.
Finally there is a “survival” type mode called Reflections that can be accessed by taking a hit on a giant Pipe at the Bastion. This takes the Kid to a closed off area where waves of enemies are there to be defeated. The twist with ‘Reflections’ is that it isn’t just a survival mode, The Stranger talks about the kid’s history and tales from the world, but in order to hear out these tales you must complete the wave of enemies coming at you. Again it is a very nice addition that will keep people playing and the fact you can compare your Reflections scores against your friends via a leader board will quench the thirst of those competitive players.
Bastion’s success is down to the fact that it does simple things so well. It has a unique art style that isn’t just a sea of brown and grey like most games nowadays, it has a unique musical score that can go from being haunting to uplifting in an instant. There is replay ability by the bucket load including New Game+, Reflections and Challenge rooms, but the story is Bastion’s biggest success. So many developers get the story wrong, they try to over complicate and add in twists because they feel they must be there. Bastion feels like the story was written naturally, twists and turns haven’t been forced in and even though it isn’t a straight forward story by the time it comes to an end, it comes across as simple and natural.
It is a game I will revisit, max out all the weapons, try and beat my friend’s scores on the leader boards and achieve a gold in all challenge rooms. I may not manage it, but I know I will have fun whilst doing it.
Title: Bastion
Developer: Supergiant Games
Publisher: Warner Bros Interactive
Genres: Hack n Slash, Action, RPG
Platform: Xbox 360 via XBLA
Release Date: July 20th 2011
Overall
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| - Delicious visceral treat - Soundtrack that will move you - A story that will hold you until the end - Different gameplay elements to keep you coming back - The Stranger – A voice that pulls you in | - Some weapons just felt a little forced |
| Score |
Finally got round to buying this and am loving it, on of my favourite xbox live games alongside to ilomilo, stacking and limbo
Like or Dislike:
0