Bastion Review
An accessible and easily enjoyed action RPG which makes up in style what it may lack in substance
Combat in Bastion is fairly involving, but not exactly complex. Two face buttons are assigned to each of the two weapons carried, a trigger activates your special skill, and the second trigger controls your personal shield. The enemies that The Kid faces come with a variety of abilities, and new monster types appear as you progress through the game. The fights usually play out fairly quickly, with blocking and dodging being often crucial for survival. Except for a few occasions, the game doesn’t overwhelm with enemies and can be fairly easy. The hectic moments that do exist are generally not overly frustrating, as The Kid carries at least three health potions which fully restore life, and even if you fall, the game allows one or more chances to carry on (without restarting the battle).
As mentioned earlier, Bastion itself is a central hub of the game world. From this location, players use teleporting device of sorts to transport themselves to one of the game’s numerous levels. But it is more then that – each Core that you find in the game, while used to restore the Bastion’s secret ability, also allows you to expand the area and build a number of structures. Forges allow weapon upgrades from found materials, armory stores all available weapons, and a shrine actually allows you to place idols which boost the enemies’ abilities, making them much more challenging. There is also a distillery, which allows you to select tonics that provide passive benefits at all times. All of these upgrades are purchased with Fragments, the in-game currency which is most often dropped by monsters or by simply destroying objects in the world. So as players will note, while the levels are fairly small and linear, the game’s different weapons, abilities, and upgrades can provide for a lot of variety to combat. Not everything can be fully unlocked and upgraded through a single playthrough, so a new game plus mode is available.
While the gameplay may feel quite by-the-numbers, the game’s presentation is quite worthy of note. Featuring a neat hand-drawn visual style, mixed with a bit of Anime influence, the world of Bastion can look very attractive the detailed. It’s not quite on the levels of Trine, but it is none the less a very attractive looking title. Similarly, the game’s narrator is the only voice in the game, and he does a superb job. Not only is he able to effectively narrate the story without resorting to cutscenes, there is also dynamic commentary seen through regular play. The narrator will sometimes comment on your actions, from a quickly defeated enemy mob to your favorite weapon selection. It’s minimalistic, but the voice acting and sound design work very well. Soundtrack itself is also flowing and fits perfectly with the world.
Alongside other downloadable releases, Bastion is definitely worthy of note. It may lack the deep customization and expansive worlds of something like Torchlight, but at the same time it offers an actual storyline with excellent visuals and narrative. Combat and upgrade systems all work well, on their admittedly somewhat basic level. If anything, Bastion is an easily enjoyable and highly accessible action RPG title that’s a great first effort for the Supergiant Games studio, and can be easily recommended to casual fans.
Our ratings for Bastion on Xbox 360 out of 100 (Ratings FAQ)
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