Bastion (2011)

7.5/10

Replayao sam ovu igru nakon... pffft, nemam pojma kad sam ju igrao, tamo negdje 2012-2013, dakle sigurno barem 12-13 godina (hehe, 2012-2013->12-13, hehe). I s obzirom da sam tada još, na neku čudnu foru, očito pamtio (bolje rečeno, upijao) stvari, jer sam bio mlad i bonvivanski način života mi još uvijek nije bio ispio mozak, čak mi je dosta stvari iz BASTIJONA ostalo u sjećanju. Ali ponajviše glas naratora i sjećanje na to da lik komentira svaki tvoj korak, šta god napravio. A lik, budimo realni, ima baš savršen glas koji savršeno pristaje u ovu ipak ne baš savršenu igru. U sjećanju mi je ostao i simpatičan vizualni dizajn ove 2D izometrijske igre (što je u biti 2.5D odnosno fejk 3D). Inače nisam neki ludi fan 2D-a, ali ovdje su boje, animacije, način na koji se "stvaraju" putevi ispred tebe dok trčiš, baš - lijepi. Radosni. Crtićasti. Kolorasti. Neforsirani. Kao lišće kada pada s drveća. Nasilna je to radnja, ali prirodna.

Što se samog gameplaya tiče, kul je što možeš birati main i offhand oružje i glavni skill, pa onda apgrejdati oružja, birati kako ćeš ih apgrejdati itd, dakle svi ti klasični RPG elementi su tu, oružja su zabavna za koristiti, ali realno mogu se koristiti i ova početna 2-3, a ja sam uvijek nekako lik koji će radije masterati dva nego isprobavati sva oružja pa makar bi mi realno i bilo lakše da ih koristim sva. E, ali ovdje svako oružje ima svoj proving ground i realno te natjera da ga tamo "masteriraš", pa je onda lakše se odlučit prebacit na to neko oružje i u "pravim" misijama. Leveli su dovoljno kratki, taman 15-ak minuta jedan u prosjeku, da se ADHD vjeverica u svima nama ne upali prije nego ga stignemo završit.

I na kraju, igra je na "osnovnoj" težini dosta lagana, ali se može modificirati tako da se stave "idoli" (ukupno je njih 10), a svaki idol povećava težinu tako da daje određeni boost protivniku (više healtha, brzinu, jačinu, reflect, regeneraciju healtha itd). U osnovnom gameplayu na kraju se može imati 8 idola, i mogu reći da je igra s njima dovoljno zahtjevna, ali ne i frustrirajuća. U biti - tamaM.

E i da, još jedna stvar, priča. Iako ju prezentira narator za kojeg sam već rekao da je savršen, priča je so-so u najboljem slučaju. Saznaju se neke osnovne stvari, razrješavaju se isto bez previše nekog objašnjenja, postoji na kraju više završetaka, ali koji god da odaberete teško da ćete dobiti odgovore na sve eventualna pitanja. No dobro, tu je, nije užasna, ali nije niti previše bitna. Da narator govori bilo šta, ne znam, recimo prepričava Odiseju dok vi igrate, opet bi bio dobar.

Sama igra, ako idete na neki 100% completion glavne priče, traje cca 10-15 sati, što je taman da ne dopizdi, jer cijelo vrijeme dobivate nove wpne, upgradeove, skillove itd. Taman kad skupite sve dolazi zadnji level i gotovo. Idealno. Da su ga odužili za još jedno 10 sati, postalo bi, imam osjećaj, repetativno.

This indie title is an isometric action RPG that immediately captures attention with its vibrant, hand-painted art style and fluid animation. The MC is called "The Kid", navigating through a world shattered into floating fragments after a mysterious catastrophe known as the Calamity. Levels literally build beneath your feet as you move, giving exploration a sense of wonder and unpredictability. There are also some sections which feels like those bonus/challenge ones from PlayStation 1's platformers such as Crash.

Combat is fast and satisfying, blending melee and ranged weapons with special skills, each upgradeable and customizable to suit different playstyles. The real star of the show, however, is the reactive narration, delivered in a deep, gravelly voice, that comments on your actions, choices, and the unfolding story, creating a strong sense of immersion. The atmosphere is further elevated by a stunning soundtrack that seamlessly mixes acoustic melodies with gritty, emotional undertones.

Though relatively short, Bastion leaves a lasting impact thanks to its unique storytelling approach, tight gameplay design, and evocative world-building. It’s a game that feels personal and profound, rewarding both your reflexes and your heart. What makes this game standout to me are the artistic designs, it is a quite unique experience and if you are artistically sensible enough you can really see it's value beyond it's mechanics. In my opinion this is one of the best indie titles the industry has to offer, definitely a must play for people who likes indie games in general.

Bastion is an RPG game where you play as "the Kid", the main character. The story is a bit confusing and you have to pay attention to all the speech sequences through the game to be able to connect the dots and get the full picture. I've played it twice and I'm not sure I got the story right :S. The voice acting, the art style and the soundtrack add for a good atmosphere, so I must admit I wasn't paying so much attention to what it was being said.

You can level up (which allows you to stack up to 10 skills to improve your character performance) and have 10 weapons that you will discover through the game (you can equip a primary/secondary and they are upgradable collecting shards through the game). Once you are familiar with the game you can increase the difficulty by invoking Gods in the shrine. I tried enabling the 10 Gods at once and the game becomes really hard.

The levels are not open worlds. There is a start and there is an end. You go from point A, killing enemies and finding stuff, till point B. There's no way to save in the middle, which is not necessary as the levels are not really long.

I really enjoyed the game, it was relaxing. I didn't want it to be a challenge, but I could have used the shrine if I wanted to. I replayed it and will play it again given enough time.

TL;DR: Excellent Music, Great Story, Decent gameplay.

Pros:

• Story: This game has a great story. The characters within the game world have a surprising amount of depth to them and you end up surprisingly emotionally invested in all of them. The main plot has a great twist and the ending choice is surprisingly difficult.
• Music: The music in this game is fantastic. I particularly enjoyed the ending theme which really seemed to encapsulate the slightly melancholic atmosphere of the game.
• Graphics: In-game graphics are nice (I particularly like the effect of the game "building" the level as one walks through it) and the VERY occasional cutscene images stand out as being nicely drawn.

Neutral

• Gameplay: The gameplay of bastion is O.K. Unfortunately, I do feel like this is the biggest area where bastion falls. Weapons are decent and variety is great but there is a certain punch missing from the gameplay. The Game is also fairly easy I only died once while playing though the shrine idols can definitely add more challenge. The combat lacks in complexity but is serviceable with weapon variety being its saving grace.

Cons

• Possibly Length?: The game feels slightly too short in my opinion and I would have liked to have seen more from the characters we are introduced too but I also understand that the length of the game allows it to pack a more emotional punch at certain story beats that otherwise might be diluted by extending the game.

Conclusion

Bastion is a great game. Its characters are charming and its music incredible. Its gameplay might not be the greatest but it is entirely serviceable I highly recommend playing it.

just now I am in awe of how a game can be so simple yet so immersive and engrossing. Bastion is an excellent game, and above all, filled with heart.

Bastion is, in essence, a simple game. It's gameplay isn't revolutionary; you go through short levels while killing a bunch of enemies. But Bastion is smart; it's always throwing something new at you. Sometimes it's a level with a different setpiece, sometimes it's a new weapon, a new upgrade, or a new skill, or a new challenge. You always have new stuff to play with, and a lot of the levels do well to set themselves apart in each other.

They are apart not only in gameplay, but in design and sound as well. The game is very pretty, with hand-drawn art.. and well, the soundtrack isn't famous for nothing. Many of the tracks hit on the perfect moment and keep you going through the motions. The ending track in particular gave me chills.

Bastion managed to draw me into it's world without really trying.. it just wins you over. The protagonist you play as, called simply "The Kid", is mute, and he never expresses any thoughts, feelings, opinions. You travel through the ruins of a world that was, a world the player has never met, but piecing that world together was never the point. Bastion is, at heart, a beautiful but sad story about navigating a ruined world, destroyed by "The Calamity", taking what you can in order to save it. The plot seems very simple, but towards it's final act, it all gets very engrossing, with a few twists down the way.

Bringing the whole package together is Rucks, the game's narrator. Ruck's calm, patient voice transforms the Bastion experience into something greater. Through his words, a normal battle against a wave of enemies becomes full of meaning; a normal level romp transforms into an epic journey into the unknown. Rucks is both the game's brain and it's heart; he gives the story's best moments their depth, and he makes the gameplay truly work. He sees The Kid through eyes the player would never see. Also, with several lines tailored to what you are doing at the moment - he's got a line for every weapon combination, for every single upgrade you buy - it's hard not to relate to the character as he narrates your specific journey.

From the opening towards the spectacular and though-provoking ending, Bastion had me.

I loved Bastion and can't wait to play Supergiant's other games. Before that, I gotta go through New Game Plus though. Those upgrades won't buy themselves.

I've had this game lying around for some time before actually picking up and playing. A very nice looking, colourful game with somewhat interesting game mechanics and a really good audio layer.

In short you wake up as a Kid in a world that has been hit by calamity - whatever that means - in short the world is dying, a lot of people died already and soon more will follow. You find a place called Bastion from which you venture forth trying to gather shards in order to restore Bastion to its full glory and stop the calamity.

What really stands out in this game is both great music and superb narration. The story at first seems a bit strange and it's hard to make out what's going on but once you reach the end it all starts to make sense and is in fact quite interesting.

The gameplay is an isometric a little bit like hack and slash but with much more emphasis on arcade action. You don't rely on the stats of your weapon but rather on your skill to doge, block and attack at the right time with the right time. Personally I didn't find the combat extremely exciting although I feel this might be a personal preference and a lot of people might love it. This is the reason why I only went after the story missions and completely avoided any additional challenges. In the end wanted to finish the game for the story, not the gameplay.

The game lets you level your character but levelling up does not increase your stats - rather it unlocks a space where you can hold a bottle of sorts which boosts your stats in one way or another - it's an interesting approach to levelling. The weapons you will have you find along your journey. They're interestingly designed although I found out that at any given time I'm sticking with the choices made early on and not really going for the newer weapons which feel weak. You can level them up - but still - once you find your favourites there is no real reason to change them.

Overall a good 7/10 game - not spectacular but a solid title - worth playing for the story for sure.

- I'm not one to boast about gameplay that much. But frankly, Bastion has a tiring and over-repetitive combat which doesn't even feel a tad bit rewarding most of the time. Or even challenging, for that matter.

- Decent storytelling, but that's just as far as it goes.

- Good aesthetics.

Not an inherently bad game in my humble opinion, but gets way more recognition than what it actually deserves. At least in my opinion, anyway.