Developer: Supergiant Games

Platform: Xbox Live

Price: 1200 points / 600 points for gold members

Yeah I’m late to the party but shhh alright?

Bastion tells the story of ‘The Kid’, and his journey to collect giant shards to power a giant floating structure called the Bastion. The game is broken up into short action-packed levels that are meaty enough with the number of enemies, but doesn’t stray too far into repetition. The attack system is simple with one button for short melee attacks, one button for long ranged weapons and one for a special technique. Unlike many action games the combat isn’t based on combos but more on the different weapons for each button and finding a system that works to your preference. This is where the RPG element comes in and it works well. As you progress further into the game you can find a multitude of weapons and have the chance to further the abilities of each weapon as well. Because of this though, there is the feeling of a slight lack of depth that comes with this approach to the combat. Hopefully this is something that can be looked into if a sequel is ever made.

The story is narrated every step of the way by a nameless narrator. Personally it gets a bit tiresome that every single action and event needs some form of narration. But the approach is very stylish and credit is given for the presentation. The game is easily one of the most beautiful games on Xbox live. The graphical style and colours pop out and the animation is slick and fluid. Also the soundtrack is gorgeous and complements the game perfectly.

The story is a little lacking and I never found myself truly being absorbed by the plot. But it never delved into style-over-substance, and there is a driving force that keeps the player going.

For 1200 points this is a game that is highly recommended and is absolutely worth your time and money.