Bastion

"Now this right here is a curious tale.  An Isometric action rpg right out of the days of yore, upgraded for our modern times.  Lets see what the kid thought"



On my first viewing of Bastion, I didn't really get it.  Action Rpg's are far from rare and I couldn't really see what there was to distinguish it from any of the others.

But at a friends recommendation I bought a copy.  What I found was a game that as a game is fairly run of the mill in gameplay that pushes itself into new ground with its aesthetics.

This is a perfect showcase of how to design a story and world around the mechanics of a game.  Based on my research, almost everything about the game came about because of gameplay design choices.  For instance, the way that the ground forms up under your feet?  That came from a desire to not have a mini map in the game.  The forming up of the ground is a way to show the player where the character had already been.

The thing is, it ends up becoming a key aspect of the story.  It informs the aesthetics of the game certainly and also provides a reason for why the kid is the only one capable of accomplishing the deeds required in the story.

By the same token, the narration that Bastion is now famous for came from a desire not to break the gameplay up to deliver story.  Instead of having the player engage in long cutscenes or huge screeds of text, the narrator tells us his story as we're playing it.

The narration generally fits perfects.   It's difficult to go a protracted period without hearing Rucks, but he never repeats himself.  The game avoids the trope of having him say the same thing over and over again, all of which enhances the storytelling.

The story that the game tells is fascinating too.  I don't want to give you too many spoilers (not usually a concern I stress about, but bastion is obscure enough that you may well not know) but the nature of the Calamity, the people who are responsible and the consequences of your actions in the game are all fascinating.  Of particular note is meeting zia, the bit where the kid starts hallucinating and you run through earlier stages twisted and warped into each other and the fantastic "Who Knows Where" sequences.

Overall, Bastion really has to be considered a must play.  It's one of the best, most exciting indie games to come out in recent memory.  It's cheap so there's no excuse.  So go start this strange story.

Posted in: bastion, Game, Game Review, indie, PAX, supergiant, xbox360