Review of Bastion

Bastion is a flying fortress, the last bastion of humanity. It was supposed to be the place where all survivors would gather in case of a catastrophe. The catastrophe happened. Unfortunately, only a few people gathered, just two: an old storyteller and a young guy, our main character (originally referred to as The Kid, but it's hard to call him a kid). Moreover, the Bastion itself didn’t look very welcoming: debris and ruins were everywhere. Essentially, the refuge was just a floating patch of grass with an enigmatic monument in the center.

Our journey begins upon arrival at the Bastion. The catastrophe struck suddenly; the old world is destroyed. Now our task is to find survivors and finally learn what really happened. But the main agenda is to restore the Bastion. For that, we need special crystals scattered across the ruins of the old world. However, even though many people have died, these ruins are far from empty. After the Catastrophe, hordes of monsters moved into the city, clearly unhappy with our presence. So we must embark on this long and dangerous path with a hammer in hand and a shotgun on our back (or something else, in Bastion, everyone will find their preferred weapon).

And although there are indeed a lot of monsters, the process of destroying them never gets boring. Old enemies are replaced by new ones, the terrain changes, and the Kid finds new weapons that he immediately wants to try out. Overall, the combat in the game is quite fast-paced. There are no moments where you have to stand and hold back waves of similar enemies for even a few minutes, as is common in slashers and ARPGs.

The game environment greatly contributes to such circumstances. The terrain in Bastion is not a static image. Floors, walls, stairs – significant parts of the surroundings are constructed on the fly and can just as quickly be destroyed. The Kid runs, and the bridge literally assembles before his eyes. Sometimes it’s the other way around, and the floor collapses. There’s no time to think about enemies here; it's time to run. Although for the main character, falling into the abyss is not fatal at all. If you accidentally slip, the storyteller grandpa will come to your aid.

The magical phrase "No, it wasn't quite like that" or something similar, and the Kid lands back on the ground, losing a bit of health. The storyteller keeps us company, commenting on almost every action. For example, if you decide to smash the wooden crates lurking in the corner, the grandpa will surely say something like "The Kid is a bit off; he needs to blow off some steam." In addition to commenting on our actions, the grandpa gradually unfolds the story of the world and describes the places we visit in search of crystals. For instance, if the Kid finds himself in a thick forest, the grandpa starts to tell about the forest, who lived in it, and when.

This approach proves to be fully justified. How many people read walls of text in games of similar genres? Hardly any. This way, the player absorbs the story in bits and pieces without being distracted from the main goal – destroying enemies. At the same time, the grandpa's tales prevent players from drowning in a sea of battles, maintaining an air of mystery.

After completing each level, the Kid returns to the Bastion. It's about time to review tactics, choose a different weapon loadout, and talk to the grandpa and other characters about the items found. Of course, it’s most pleasant to return to the Bastion with a new crystal. The refuge gradually gets rebuilt, adding new buildings and possibilities. For instance, over time, a temple will appear where you can choose a few idols for worship or a shop where you can acquire new skills or materials for upgrades.

Purchasing and upgrading will, of course, require some currency, represented by Fragments in the world of Bastion. These are small pieces of the old world, tiny (and later larger) blue objects. They can be found practically everywhere: lying on the ground, popping out of crates or other design elements when you strike them with something, or simply falling from the sky. But no matter how many fragments you have, you cannot upgrade your beloved spear or musket without a special artifact. There are only five such artifacts in the game for each type of weapon (thus, each weapon can be upgraded five times).

Some "upgrades" can be purchased in the shop (which also needs to be built first), some can be found in levels (a great reason to pay some attention to the surroundings), and some can be earned as a reward for achievements in special training areas. Each weapon (as well as the shield) comes with a special training zone where you can hone your skills with that weapon. For instance, training with the hammer involves destroying a hundred various objects. The faster you do it, the better the reward.

The only thing that can hinder a comfortable gaming experience is the saving system. The main issue is the complete absence of any checkpoints in the levels. You go through a level, killing hordes of monsters, and then at the very end, bam – and you die unexpectedly. You must start over. Personally, I don't consider such an approach "hardcore"; it's just annoying. The good news is that the levels are not too large, and some are beautifully designed, so it's not a shame to take a look at them again. Additionally, there are some issues with the controls. The fact is that the world is isometric, and the movement direction diagonally does not correspond with the axis of the axonometry. To put it simply, in half of the cases, you have to zigzag to avoid falling off a narrow bridge.

P.S. One of the problems was corrected shortly after the article was published by a patch, hence it’s crossed out.

Despite this drawback, Bastion is an excellent game; it’s hard to step away after four to five hours of gameplay when after another death at the end of a level, you have no desire to play the entire mission over again. During my adventures, I constantly felt like I was inside some painting. Moreover, this painting was being finished right now, with someone commenting on every brushstroke. This amazing feeling is enough to make you want to play Bastion.