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The usual first impression one gets from RPGs with isometric views, is that they are made for PC mouse and keyboard controls from the level of complexity said games usually have. Coming into Bastion, I was expecting a Diablo-esque loot RPG and wasn’t expecting the action RPG that it is. That was never a bad thing though, rather than a dumbed down loot RPG that tries to mimic and fail miserably, we have in our hands a focused and a very well made action RPG that should be played by anyone looking for a good, short one.
You play as a kid that wakes up in the midst of a disaster known as “The Calamity”, as you progress through it you reach a peaceful spot known as “The Bastion”. It is up to you to rebuild Bastion by collecting cores, these cores will help you build different buildings that will aid you on your quest. The premise is definitely not that original, but what makes it stand out from the rest of this style of game stories is the narrator. Yes, there is a Narrator that tells you every single thing that you do throughout the game.
The narrator gives the game that extra touch, it goes hand in hand with the beautiful saturated and colorful story book art style of the game. In every action you do, the narrator comments on everything and eventually pulls a joke or two. Unlike any other game that is loaded with commentary (usually sports games), the narration here is fantastic, it gives the game that much spirit and character to make you anticipate every word the narrator says. The music in the game is superb, the brooding “cowboy campfire” guitar strumming not only gives this game a cowboy western sort of vibe, but also melds with the narrator’s deep husky voice.
I must clarify again that this isn’t a loot RPG in any shape or form, you do collect weapons and items throughout the game, but they aren’t dispensible whenever you get better loot. as you progress you pick up several weapon types that you use through out the game, the hammer that you start with in the game remains with you until the end of the game. What powers them up though is that you pick up certain items throughout the levels that will give you a choice of two additive abilities that power up your weapon.
You are limited to two weapons, whenever you pick up a new weapon it will replace one of the weapons in your inventory. I wish it gave you a choice of which weapon it would replace, since the X and B buttons are the buttons that use the weapons. The default layout is that B is for melee weapons and X is for the ranged weapons. Personally I swap them, but I would get into trouble whenever I pick up a ranged weapon and it replaces my melee weapon and end up with two weak ranged weapons.
Bringing cores to the Bastion fleshes it out by adding facilities that will be of use to you, the forge helps you power up the weapons that you collect (with the help of the picked up items from the levels and some cash), the armory to change the weapons you have in hand with the ones you collected, a distillery where you collect different spirits (drinks) that give you certain abilities and perks, and so on. The game does good job in giving you a satisfying feeling that you’re working on giving life back to the Bastion, and in return your character becomes stronger to endure the dangers that he faces throughout the game.
The levels are divided into two categories, story levels where you progress through the story in order to pick up the cores, and challenge levels that will test your skill in using a particular weapon. The story levels the mainline quests in the game, as you progress you will unlock more parts of the story and will be picking up new weapons to play with. The challenge levels will have you concentrating on a specific weapon to use efficiently, the quicker clear the level the bigger the prize that you will win.
The game is definitely short, but it also provides a “new game plus” mode that lets you replay the game with all the collectibles that you collected throughout the game (even the narrator points out that you’re going for it a second time), making 100%ing the game less of a tedious task.
What We Think: Well I definitely enjoyed what I played, it is a very charming, short, sweet and very entertaining game. While the game is available on Xbox 360 and PC, I wondered why wasn’t it made for a portable as well? I definitely would see it at home on a 3DS or a PSP and most likely would rebuy it if it was on those systems too. It’s very easy to fall in love with story, the characters and aesthetics of the game, and honestly, why resist it?
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