Pros: Bastion tells the tale of a hero known only as "The Kid," who finds his world torn apart by some great calamity. It's up to the player to...
Cons: It would be unfair to call Bastion a short game, but it's not exactly long, either. However, the game does offer a high level of...
Pros: Bastion tells the tale of a hero known only as "The Kid," who finds his world torn apart by some great calamity. It's up to the player to explore what's left and try to return things back to how they used to be.
Bastion's most unique feature is it's use of an ever-present narrator, who will commentate on your actions throughout the game. It would be all too easy for this kind of gimmick to become tiresome and stale, but Supergiant Games has taken great care to make sure it stays fresh from beginning to end. You will never hear the narrator say the same thing twice, and as the story takes multiple twists and turns, the narration is used brilliantly to help color how you learn about the game's world and characters.
Story aside, however, the game is all action. You control your character from an isometric perspective, and can equip any two of the game's many different weapons to pound, slash, or shoot your way through the game. While that may sound simple enough, the game uses light RPG elements to add some much welcome depth to the combat experience. Not only will The Kid gain experience and go up levels, you may enhance and customize any of the game's weapons to your liking. There are also various "spirits" available at the game's distillery, which you can equip to gain various passive buffs and abilities. With all these options at your fingertips, it is very easy to try out many different play-styles, and find one exactly to your liking.
Cons: It would be unfair to call Bastion a short game, but it's not exactly long, either. However, the game does offer a high level of replayability, thanks to it's New Game Plus feature, and the ability to customize the difficulty to your liking by invoking various idols at the in-game shrine.
Bastion uses a very brightly colored, almost otherworldly palette for it's painted backgrounds. While this is very aesthetically pleasing, the mixture of these colors and an isometric perspective sometimes make it difficult to determine where exactly the ground ends, or how far away an enemy projectile is. The latter in particular can make the game's "counter" mechanic much more frustrating than it should be.
Even the game's greatest strength, it's narration, may still annoy some players. While I found it interesting and entertaining, your mileage may vary.