Developer: Supergiant Games
Publisher: Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment
Rrp: £10.99
Released: 16th August 2011
Available on Steam
The Kid, as protagonist names go, would it’s not the most memorable one I’ve stumbled upon although it is unusual. But that’s the thing about Bastion, everything about it is unusual, and that’s it’s charm.
For the most part this game is what I would call a hack and slash, you have two attack moves and a special move. The special move requires you to use a tonic (of which you can carry three) to do. You can also block attacks which if you time it just right will counter the attack stunning your enemy and perhaps doing damage. The combat is solid and can be quite challenging throwing multiple enemies that require different tactics.
There are some light rpg elements such as choosing your loadout and upgrading your weaponry with items you find in the world. I must stress that it has elements of a rpg, the closest you’ll find to stat management is being able to change the tonics you have equipped which add passive buffs.
One of the clever things Bastion does is having good narration that doesn’t feel forced or out of place. It also takes notice of events with the game, the best example of this being in the first combat you encounter. If you get hit at all the narrator will mention it in passing. This kind of contextual narration occurs throughout the game.
The story of Bastion is told, as you may have guessed, by the narrator. The thing is the story is told as if you enter in at around the middle of it. It’s a clever technique because it places you into a similar sort of confusion that the protagonist would be. As you play through the story will unfold and, if you play through the optional training areas (called reflections) you find out more of the story that happened before you came into it.
There are two modes of difficulty, one being much less punishing than the other and allowing for a player to experience the story without too much frustration. Once you’ve completed the story you can replay in a new game plus mode. You can also make the game more challenging (once you’ve created a shrine) by invoking the gods. This gives you a experience bonus but also makes the enemies more difficult to defeat.
I cannot recommend this game more, yes it’s kind of short being only about eight hours long. But the addition of the new game plus mode and the dual endings makes it worth it in my opinion. Also if nothing else the soundtrack alone should win you over, after playing this game I immediately sought it out.
