Bastion

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

In a world crumbling on the heels of The Calamity, Bastion brings to life the story of the Kid, who is set on restoring things to the way they were.  From his new found home of Bastion, one of the last remaining sites of the old world, he will travel from area to area searching for the pieces needed to bring his world back together.  Along the way, he’ll find new weapons to clobber enemies with, and rescue other survivors from the bizarre creatures that invaded their world.  This amazingly artistic game is an absolute gem for any RPG fan out there.

Each area of the game is beautifully crafted as it, quite literally, builds up around you.  Walking forward will have tiles fly up out of the abyss to reveal paths, buildings, enemies, and scenery, all wonderfully rendered.  The narrator, who you meet early on, provides delightfully reactive commentary throughout the entire experience.  I use the word reactive as he talks about everything that happens to the character, from falling off a cliff to spending too long beating up piles of rubble, he’ll have something to say about the Kid’s story. It’s little things like the highly entertaining narration that really enhance a game.  Upon completion of missions, the Kid will always return to Bastion where more of the story will unfold, new conversation topics will open up with the characters in town, and additional upgrades will become available.

The weapons in this game are quite interesting.  You have access to a hammer, sword, shot gun, throwing knives, flame thrower, and much more.  Hammer and Sword are simply melee weapons, the throwing knives are limited in quantity and suffer from a short recharge time when they’ve been used up, and the flame thrower has a gauge which gradually replenishes when not in use.  A nice variety in the arsenal, if I do say so myself!  Each weapon is upgrade-able through the use of gems collected and parts found or purchased.  Each upgrade tier has 2 options which can be changed at any point.  Mixing and matching upgrades and choosing the right weapon combination makes a huge difference in effectively dealing with enemies.

Overall, Bastion is an entertaining game and a great addition to any RPG library.  I give it a 5.0/5.0, between its art style, fun gameplay, and brilliant story telling.  For 1200 MS points, you can grab it today, or wait until later this month when it’s available for the PC on Steam.  I highly recommend picking this game up, regardless of what platform you choose!