I wish I could say that I enjoyed the game in its entirety more than I actually did. There were parts that I liked, and parts that just didn't impress me. The game begins rather slowly, but ramps up in the second half. It is almost as though the developers got halfway through the game, realized they had forgotten to turn on the "awesome" switch, then cranked it to full blast.
We begin our journey with our white-haired hero, known only as "The Kid," waking up in a scrap heap as the lone survivor of the Calamity, a mysterious apocalyptic event that left his city in ruins. After a short trek through the now monster-infested remains, which acts as a tutorial level, the Kid arrives at the titular Bastion, a shelter meant to house survivors in the event of a disaster. Here he connects with Rucks, the rugged ol' narrator of our story, and sets to work collecting crystals to power up their new home.
Most of the game consists of flying off to various locations in and around the ruined city to retrieve a crystal. The Bastion itself acts as your hub for the game, in which you can visit different shops, talk with other survivors, upgrade weapons, and choose which area to tackle next. The crystals allow you to customize the Basion and unlock more shops, although this really just amounts to deciding which shop goes on which empty lot, and not much else. You can also harbor a handful of pets that you can pick up during the levels, which are friendly versions of the games weaker enemies. These pets are mostly aesthetic except during one specific set piece late in the game.
The gameplay is hack 'n slash/run 'n gun hybrid. The first half of the game primarily consists of you visiting different locales, fighting enemies, and retrieving the macguffin. For a while, there isn't much else to it. Go here, fight bad guys, find crystal. There are two other survivors that you meet eventually, although they don't add much to the game until the second half, either. There isn't much to focus on during the beginning, which is unfortunate, because without much else to do, the game's biggest flaw starts to shine through.
Stripping away everything else and leaving nothing except the core gameplay, the basic root of the game is just kind of "meh." The combat and exploration are ultimately very, very average, if not a little flawed. The Kid carries two weapons, usually a melee weapon and ranged weapon, each mapped to one of the mouse buttons. He also has a single special move, many of which are extensions of specific weapons, and a shield, which can reflect most projectiles.
Close range combat consists solely of mashing the button. Although there is a decent variety of ranged weapons, none of them struck me as both fun and efficient. In my experience, using ranged weapons is often unreliable anyway, as most are clumsy and unreliable. Most of the time, my use of range weapons consisted solely of picking away at a larger enemy that was too dangerous to fight up close. Your mileage may vary on special moves. For what it's worth, the game makes sure you get a chance to try each weapon, immediately equipping each one you find and putting you in a situation tailor made for its use, before allowing you to switch back later on.
The shield is essential, although that does not make it fun to use. It slows the Kid down considerably. It does have an auto-aim which keeps you focused on a enemy to make reflecting and aiming your guns easier while holding it. The problem is that rarely are you in a one-on-one battle, meaning that trying to defend against one enemy just opens you up to attack from another. Monsters have different patterns and weaknesses, giving them some variety. Unfortunately, most battles will have you being blitzed by multiple enemy types from several directions, making most fights quickly dissolve into thrash-fests and rendering strategy mostly moot.
The end result is, no matter what loadout you carry or what enemies you fight, your ability to win a battle depends more on your skills in managing your healing items than your actual combat prowess. Even this isn't necessarily deep, as you only get one type of healing item, they are very common, and you get an onscreen prompt whenever you are about to die.
Level design is also pretty standard at first. To find your crystal, sometimes you will need to just find it; other times, you will need to unlock a door, defeat a horde of enemies, or chase a boss around to corner it. The ones at the beginning are nothing out of the ordinary, although plot-relevant set pieces in the latter half of the game make later areas significantly more interesting.
There are also multiple "training grounds," or challenge stages built around using a certain weapon. In my experience, these are more unique than standard levels. However, trying to master a weapon that you don't like is frustrating, and the rewards are rarely worth it. They add some spice for completionists, although I found them mostly inconsequntial and glossed over most of them.
The final type of level is the dream sequence: four arena-style endurance matches, each corresponding to one of the main characters. As far as gameplay goes, there isn't much to them. You stay in one room and fight waves or enemies. Since I've already mentioned how the combat didn't impress me, you can imagine that I found these endurance contests to be kind of a bother. The only motivation I had for completing them was to hear Rucks's narration during them, which expound on each respective character's backstory.
The verdict is that the basic core gameplay does not have much to offer. It's very, very average. It is not necessarily bad or painful, just mostly unremarkable and inoffensive. In the slow first half of the game, not much happens, and there isn't much to focus on or think about other than the gameplay itself. With this in mind, if it weren't for the game's story and presentation, it would probably just vanish from my memory banks for being rather dull.
The good thing is, the aforementioned presentation and story do an excellent job in turning the game around. In fact, these two things are what alter take Bastion from being forgettable to being extraordinary.
The quality of the game goes hand-in-hand with the way the plot unfolds. The first half of the game has only small bits and pieces of any relevant plot. That changes in the second half, when you begin to find out exactly what the Calamity was, what hand the survivors had in it, and how it is going to affect our heroes' future. Since most of this comes into play in the latter half of the game, I wouldn't feel right spoiling it for you.
I will say that while it is nothing mind-blowingly unique, the way the plot begins to shape the actions of the characters and the set pieces that arise because of it completely reverses anything bad I had to say earlier. Playing through the second half of Bastion, I no longer noticed the clunky firing mechanics or button-mashing combat. It wasn't that it got better; rather, which the excitement ramping up, I found myself with a reason to keep going. I no longer noticed any of the flaws because I had something to fight for, something exciting that suddenly gave me motivation to push onward. Personal investment in the world of Bastion.
It all comes to a head at the game's climax. I don't want to spoil too much, but I will say that the final battle is one of the most awesome moments I've ever experienced in a game, but probably not for the reason you think. Right before the last room of the last level, you are required to make a seemingly minor moral choice with determines how you proceed into the final showdown. The result was completely unexpected, but at the same, was one of the most powerful, emotional, awe-inspiring moments I've ever had in a video game. It literally gave me goosebumps and almost single-handedly justified both the price of the game and any complaints I had during the first half.
The game's visuals are gorgeous, looking like they came straight out of a painting. They never get old, and perfectly present the tone of the game, as we see withered buildings, overgrown forests, and frosty caverns. There are a few nice flourishes to add the surreal, post-apocalyptic feeling, such as petrified bodies of lost citizens, and the ground forming up around the Kid as he walks (he don't stop to wonder why.)
The soundtrack is equally well done. Most of the music is haunting and melodic, both adding to and capturing the mood of everything. To its credit, Bastion's is the first game I've played in a while that made me want to seek out its music to listen to purely for entertainment. The game's soundtrack is also available for purchase on Steam, and it deserves it.
The sound affects are appropriate. Everything is tied together by narration from Rucks, one of the survivors, who gives a play-by-play in a soulful, grandfatherish voice throughout the whole game. It, too, is a nice touch. There were a few moments early the game where he started to ramble and I wanted him to shut up, but like everything else, it only gets better as the game progresses.
To top it off, there are some small items scattered throughout levels that can be brought back to the Bastion and analyzed to give little bits of backstory and add to the depth of the world's mythology. It's a nice touch.
Bastion is a good game. The slow start and so-okay-its-average combat makes the beginning a little bit of a slog. Fortunately, once the plot kicks in during the second half, the overall quality ramps up exponentially. Coupled with gorgeous visuals and an amazing soundtrack, Bastion is worth downloading and giving a shot if you have any interest in it.
You can buy Bastion on Steam for $14.99, although it frequently goes on sale. However, if you are reading this within twelve days of its initial posting, there is another option available. Bastion is also a bonus game as part of the current Humble Indie Bundle. If you pay more than the average price to the Humble Indie Bundle (currently $7.74) and you'll get Bastion, as well as four other great games. Check it out at http://www.humblebundle.com and thank you for reading. Sorry for rambling!
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