Plot: What’s it about?
I want to start off this review by saying that Bastion is hands down one of the greatest games on the Live Arcade, so just go and buy it now. Ok. The story of Bastion follows the Kid, who wakes up to discover the world he knew has been demolished by an event known as the Calamity. He isn’t one to just give up however, so with the words of a stranger to guide him, he picks up some weapons and starts to put things right again. He has to brave some dangerous places to get what he needs, but if he collects enough cores, he can rebuild the Bastion and with it, the world. He finds some survivors, some new weapons, tonics to drink, and more, as he tries to bring the Bastion back to life. But making the world whole again won’t be a simple task, even for one as dedicated as the Kid and even if he does succeed, will the end result be what he expects? The road to the answers he seeks is far ahead, so for now, he’d better just focus on those cores.
Bastion is an incredible game, an action/RPG that has an old school texture, but endless innovations as well. The combat is crisp and enjoyable, with an arsenal of weapons at your disposal. You’ll be able to choose from a mortar, a big hammer, a shotgun, a flame thrower, and several other tools of destruction. Once you find these weapons, you can add up to 5 upgrades to each one. You can also toss some tonics in your pack, which allow you to choose various passive upgrade to yourself. You can choose one tonic per level, as you grow into a hero, you’ll have more and more tonics to power you up. If you want more of a challenge, you can choose to enable modifiers that earn you more experience and currency, but make elements of the game much harder. The risk/reward system is a great addition and lets you set your own level of challenge. While not a loot pinata like Diablo, the upgrade systems work well. You get attached to your weapons of choice and while not that deep, the tonic system is fun to experiment with. You can also change any of your upgrades to yourself or your weapons at any time, with no penalties involved. This is really great, as it lets you fine tune your load out without burning through your in-game currency.
Another unique aspect of Bastion is how the story is told. No cut scenes or text of any volume, instead we have a narrator who keeps up on things. This sounds weird, but it works very well and the narration is dynamic, so your actions dictate it. You’ll be filled in on important plot elements in effective fashion, but you will also hear about other stuff like if you choose to fall off the ledge, smash every object, or change your weapons. The narration is able to get the exposition across as you play, which makes for a more fun, dynamic experience. At the same time, it never overpowers the game, so you won’t ever wish for a mute button. The visuals also warrant some praise, as Bastion looks beautiful from start to finish. But the music is also terrific, so it really has it all. After you finish Bastion, you can begin a New Game+, which lets you tackle the story a second time, but with your earned XP, weapons, and tonics from the start. Simply put, Bastion is the perfect example of how awesome a downloadable game can be, so it earns our highest recommendation.
Video: How does it look?
As I said before, this is a visually stunning game experience. I felt like I was in control of a living painting, the world of Bastion is that wonderful to soak in. The visual design is fantastic, the animation is well crafted, and the choice to have the land rise to meet your feet was brilliant. Not much else to say really, as Bastion is seriously a visual masterpiece.
Audio: How does it sound?
From the haunting music to the subtle audio cues of incoming enemies, the audio design of Bastion is excellent. You might notice it, but that is part of why it works so well. Sound design shouldn’t always make you take notice, as here the audio helps you get lost in the game’s world, which is impressive. The music is beautiful and I am glad an in-game gramophone is provided, so I could listen to my favorites as I tooled around in the Bastion.
Supplements: What are the extras?
N/A
