Amazing production value from an arcade title!
Before I review a new game I usually like to wait a day or so after I complete it to let it fully soak in and not get caught up in any recent play hype. That said Bastion is a game that I still feel very comfortable recommending and the overwhelming majority of things I can say about this title are good indeed.
For an arcade release, arcade budget and arcade price this is well worth the money. I will say I found that Bastion had to grow on me a little bit, initially I had mixed opinions but once I allowed myself to get into it a bit, get used to a more classic style of game play and the possible difficulty that comes with it this game shines.
The story of Bastion is not necessarily an epic tale but by the time the end is near if you've taken the small amount of time to pay attention to the narration and talk to the few characters throughout the game you will in fact be satisfied by the backing story. I days later still can remember many moments and characters in the story rather fondly. I also want to make special notice of the amount of narration and quality there of. The script and quality of narrator in this game is top notch and is definitely one of the selling points throughout the entire game.
The game play in my opinion could be a mix of mid 90's plat former and recent Ratchet and Clank. There is an abundance of overhead running, rolling and some jumping through narrow yet detailed maps coupled with a heavy amount of weapon choices and a large list of upgrade options. The movement is tight and fluid meaning there will be very few cheap deaths in a world where if done poorly would be many.
Bastion brings classic game play style into the present without making it feel dated in the least. A good story, lots of weapons, and a decent challenge with easily ten plus hours of game play for fifteen bucks leaves me highly recommending this game.
