Bastion - Review

 

Just over ten years ago Bastion was released by Supergiant Games. Initially I was curious, it looked like a lot of fun, and as you played your actions were narrated. I played the game for a very short amount of time and very quickly it seemed a little gimmicky, and my brain lost interest. Fast forward ten years and I found myself browsing games in the PlayStation Store (yeah, I'm still rocking one) and decided I would give it a proper go. 

I remember when KitKat Chunky was first released, I was not a fan. I liked the little break-away fingers, running my fingernail along with the foil and breaking off a piece. I found the chunky version too unwieldy for my mouth (yeah, yeah, stow it). Years later I found myself nibbling on one without even thinking about it and thought, 'yeah it's different, but still good in its own way'. Playing Bastion I found myself asking was this like my dilemma of the Kit Kat Chunky, had I simply not given it enough of a chance the first time around?

Story

The game has you take on the role of 'The Kid', a silent protagonist who awakens after 'The Calamity', which fractured and partially destroyed the city of Caelondia and some of the areas around it. He is journeying to the Bastion - a place of safety. You quickly meet Rucks (who is also the narrator of The Kid's journey), and he asks you to collect shards to help repair the damage to the Bastion. I'll leave any further explanation so as to not spoil the plot.

The game offers two types of side activities; proving grounds, used to hone your skills with any new weapons, and 'who knows where' another type of proving grounds but with a big emphasis on collecting crystals to upgrade your weapons. There is also a plus game which is great for anyone looking to get a higher overall completion rate and try the two endings the game offers.

Overall the story did not hugely excite me, I did not really connect with the characters, and the endings themselves in some ways seemed to be both bad choices based on what you learn throughout the game. The narration is great initially but loses its appeal after a time.

Visuals

While I may have found the story to be a little lackluster, the visuals I did not. The game is awash with vibrant colors, not only the levels themselves but also all the enemies. The thing really stood out for me was the details; barrels, market stalls, walls, and flowers, and provided some idea as to how beautiful the world may have been before the Calamity. 

One massive thing that sets the games asides from top-down games, or games in general, is that when navigating levels sections raise up in front of you. This is a great mechanic and while it would have been simpler to keep basic colors or visuals with these raised sections, instead the Supergiant Games team ensure that every part of the level was as visually impressive as another.

Overall the visuals far outshine the story, it felt like something new, and every effort was made to make it look as impressive as possible. 

Music 

American songwriter Darren Korb describes the soundtrack as "acoustic frontier trip-hop" combining "heavily sampled beats in layers along with acoustic elements".  To me there was very much a cajun flavor, elements reminded me of Becks Odelay and middle eastern music.  Korb also worked with Supergiant Games on Transistor, Pyre, and the critically acclaimed Hades. 

The soundtrack is an hour long yet despite that and the hours I played of Bastion they never felt overplayed which really is a testament to how great the soundtrack is. My favorite tracks are:

A Proper Story 

In Case Of Trouble

Terminal March

Percy's Escape

Mine Windbag, Mine

Build That Wall (Zia's Theme, vocals by Ashley Barrett)

Brusher Patrol

Setting Sale, Coming Home (Ending Theme)

Overall a fantastic soundtrack that made me very curious about Korbs other works and from what I have heard they may even be better than Bastion.

Gameplay

The gameplay is a lot of fun and is where the game really shines. The main object of each level is to collect a shard and return it to the Bastion to help restore it. The more you restore the more access you have to new weapons, upgrades, trials, and more. The Kid gets to carry two weapons, a shield, and a special weapon. There are a number of weapons in the game and the game to a degree forces you to use each weapon for a time so you try everything once. My personal favorites were Brushers Pike and the Fang Repeater, along with the Special Squirt  Lure.  The Brushers Pike is a great distance weapon, The Fang Repeater is a great way to clear an area fast, Squirt Lures help distract enemies from you and do a nice of damage too. Each weapon can be upgraded with crystals and materials and is well worth it.

The enemies all have their own patterns - initially, a little button bashing is fine but will need to throw that mindset aside quickly or you will go through health potions like there is no tomorrow. It also makes the game both more challenging and fun, some enemies can be a pain but nothing that can't be overcome. There are not any real bosses as even the larger enemies can be beaten in less than a minute.

There is a leveling up system, each time you level up you can hold new passive potions, which will help increase damage, health, lives, and more. If you are looking for more of a challenge they are a must as you can add idols to each level which will increase both the rewards and difficulty. 

The Bastion itself can be upgraded but there are really fun things that can be added to it. The first are mementos that help expand on the world, are interactive and some provide 'who know where' challenges. There are also pets, which I won't spoil as they are so awesome but well worth exploring every level thoroughly. 

For those looking for more, there is a Plus Game, Score Attack Mode, and even a no-fuss Chill Mode. I played the game twice and was certainly time well spent. 

Overall some really great gameplay, and some great replay value too!

Final Thoughts

So, after almost twenty hours of playing how did I feel?  Not bad at all, I certainly left with an overall better impression of the game than my first time around. In terms of the story, I could not help but feel a little underwhelmed about it and the endings certainly did nothing to help with that which is a shame. The visuals are stunning and were a big part of making me want to play. Korb's soundtrack was really cool and had a very cajun flavor to it which worked fantastically with the game. The gameplay was really great and offers a decent amount of replay value. I was at odds as to how to score the game but finally settled on 3 out of 5