85

So Action-RPGs needn't be soulless loot-grind-monsters? Huh...

Harbinger_87 | May 23, 2013 | See all Harbinger_87's reviews »

I'm not that big into Action-RPGs. I mean, I liked a lot of them in days past- "Terranigma" for the SNES is still one of my favourite games, I played "Diablo" for a while, I have fond memories of the "Gothic"-series and that's not nearly all. But when I look at modern incarnations of this genre, I get the feeling that a certrain statistic-obsession has taken the helm. You get bombarded with loot and change your trousers every two seconds because you found a pair that is a bit better than the one you're wearing. And you HAVE to do this, because if you're not wearring the lightning-repelling trousers at the absolute right time... Well, you get the point. "Bastion" is different. because it is a lot simpler than comparable games, although this stems from it putting it's focus on different things. Like emotion and storytelling. Basically you run around different environments and hit enemies with hammers, machetes, shoot them with pistols or rifles and so on, trying to restore the fractured world you used to grow up in. There's no focus on loot as in there is practically none. You get new weapons at fixed points in the story and there's only like two handfuls of those. Which you can upgrade over time, but you shouldn't expect elaborate skilltrees or such. It's all very minimalistic, but this allows for a very smooth and fluid experience. This is further supported by the way the story is told and therefore the world fleshed out. The whole game is narrated by the incredibly awesome-sounding Logan Cunningham while you're playing it. He explains everything, what you do, why you do it, what happened, he basically builds up the world around you. Without jolting you out of the game. It's an ingenious method of combining storytelling and gameplay and thanks to Cunninghams talent, it provides a lot of very emotional moments. Other aspects of the game don't fare that well. It is a short, rather simplistic game that you could finish in about six to ten hours, it plays okay without reinventing the action-RPG-gameplay (although the missions are quite varried and present you with something fresh every time) and the hand-drawn graphical style looks overcrowded and confusing at times. Like most of the other best story-and-emotion-focused games out there, like "Planescape: Torment", "Silent Hill 2" or such, "Bastion" is a better experience than it is a game. But what an experience it is...

83

An engrossing experience

BTerran | May 14, 2013 | See all BTerran's reviews »

The gameplay for Bastion is easy to understand, but gets complex as you go on without ever becoming confusing. From start to finish, there's always a new weapon or move to keep things fresh despite its hack-and-slash roots.

That said, it's the presentation and story that set this game apart. Bastion's world literally grows as you move and the environments are both varied and appealing to look at.

The narrator keeps things the story going as you progress, giving your journey an epic feel. The story itself isn't up to par with longer games, but what's there is interesting and leaves an impact.

Even if you don't like Indie games, Bastion is one worth trying.

90

A Great Game

Onefatcow | May 3, 2013 | See all Onefatcow's reviews »

You owe it to yourself to buy this game, it really is a good deal for the price. The graphics are amazing, the hand-painted effect on the world makes it seem like you could jump into it. The gameplay is also great, though it seems deceptively simple at a glance. The idea of the floating city is implemented beautifully, and it shows just how great a game can be if it is not rushed. The only things you could say this game suffers from would be: a character that looks nowhere near as good as the backdrop, and it can be a bit repetitive to wade through enemies. All in all though Supergiant Games has created a masterful indie title.

94

One of my all time favorites

PixelKnight | April 30, 2013 | See all PixelKnight's reviews »

Bastion is near flawless in almost every category. The combat is fast paced and fun, the music is fantastic, the narrator can evoke any emotion just by the way he speaks, the art style is beautiful and colorful, and the environments are varied and well designed. Don't expect a review picking out every little detail of the game, this is just me venting my feelings about one of my favorite games of all time.

95

Amazing Indie RPG

massi2323 | April 28, 2013 | See all massi2323's reviews »

I haven't played many action RPGs and I'm just starting to get into the genre and this game along with torchlight 2 have made me love action RPGs. The graphics are nice and vibrant and seem to almost pop out of the screen as if the Bastion was a real place. The combat system is simple, especially if you have an Xbox 360 controller, though to be fair, I haven't tried the mouse and keyboard configuration yet. The story is brilliant and leads you brilliantly into a choice that I spent a lot of time debating simply because the rest of the game had set up the story so well that it felt like it was always making the right choice for me and all of a sudden I had to choose. The reactive narration by Logan Cunningham is absolutely amazing and lends itself perfectly to this game. The proof that this game is so amazing is that I've bought it for both my PC and my iPad.

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