Bastion Review

Bastion (Steam)
Developer: SuperGiant Games
Publisher: Warner Brothers
Released: August 16, 2011
MSRP: $14.99 USD

So I recently had the pleasure of playing Bastion by indie dev SuperGiant Games, and boy was it ever a sweet one. I also had the opportunity to observe the dev's interactions with the fans on the Steam forums, and color me impressed, they listened to what the fans wanted. From adding new features to squashing bugs, SuperGiant Games have gone above and beyond the levels of support that I have witnessed with other companies. But enough about the developers, time to talk about the game!

Bastion starts out with you taking control of the game's silent protagonist, The Kid, deep asleep in his bed, oblivious to the calamity that has befallen his world leaving only his bedroom floating in the void. As the smooth-talking Stranger narrates your every move, he sets out on his journey. As The Kid makes his way through the world, the ground constantly rises up from the void to make new paths for you to explore. It should be noted that everything in the game from the backgrounds to the Kid and his foes are watercolor paintings, superbly rendered in 1080p. The production values for the art alone is staggering, and the same can be said about the soundtrack, which ranges from twangy western numbers to haunting ambiance.

As for the gameplay, Bastion is an action rpg akin to such titles as Secret of Mana and The Legend of Zelda. Anyone who has played either of those titles will feel right at home with the combat system, which features a bountiful variety of ranged and melee weapons, all of which are upgradable with crystals that you find throughout the world. You can also find tonics (known as Spirits) to unlock passive abilities that will help you on your way, and special attacks to devastate your foes. In the end. the game boils down to crawling through gorgeous dungeons looking for cores to use in the game's main hub, the titular Bastion, these cores allow you to rebuild the world in the way you see fit.

Altogether you can expect to spend about 8-10 hours playing bastion, though you can expect to spend a lot more time wandering around, there are secrets aplenty. RPG Fans will find a lot to like here.