@imsh_pl: I gave up after I finally cleared the challenge in 26 seconds... only to be told that I hadn't won squat.

Weird, I could've sworn that I finished the Cael Hammer challenge in like 1 second below the time limit.

The Good: Bastion's arsenal reminds me of one of my favorite last-gen series: Ratchet and Clank. Its soundtrack is easily one of the best I've heard from this generation. Upgrades and "idols" allow players to fine-tune the difficulty of their journey by alternately strengthening and handicapping themselves. And the world on offer is unlike any other; suffice it to say that Bastion is one of exceptionally few games that I've begun re-playing immediately upon completion.

The Bad: Even though Bastion is well worth re-visiting, it's slightly annoying that it's literally impossible to unlock all twelve of its achievements without playing it all the way from beginning to end twice. Another trifling complaint: the Cael Hammer challenge claims that its first-place prize can be earned by destroying 100 objects in "under 27 seconds"; in reality, nothing less than a flawless 24-second run is honored, making that particular proving ground obnoxiously difficult.

The Stand-out Moment: "There, the kid hears something he ain't heard in a long while..."

The Verdict: 9.5 (out of 10)