Bastion + DLC

After this year’s Video Game Awards, those who haven’t played Bastion yet have got to be curious about what this downloadable title has to offer. Winning best downloadable game, best original score and best original song in a game, Bastion certainly achieved a renewed sense of notoriety. Heck, Bastion is even now playable through Google’s Chrome browser, adding yet another method that players can access the game. So what’s the deal with Bastion? Is it truly an award worthy downloadable title, or is just another Xbox Live release that ended up being better than the competition? Read on to find out.

Plot

Bastion takes place in the wake of the Calamity, an apocalyptic disaster that has reduced the world to crumbled ruins and wiped out most of the population. You play as The Kid, a young boy who sets off to the titular Bastion, a floating town in the sky and the agreed upon meeting place in the event of disaster. The problem is that the Bastion is in shambles, and it becomes your mission to fix the place up. In order to do this you’ll have to traverse the varied lands and levels in the hopes of finding shards that can be used to revitalize the now incomplete land. This is the basic premise of the game, though along the way you’ll find out a bit more about the Calamity and the people that once occupied the unique world this game has created. It’s not a terrible premise, it just falls short in the face of the games other outstanding features.

Presentation

 Within minutes of turning on Bastion the graphics and design just pop. The levels you navigate are made up of floating platforms and paths that literally form as you progress. Bits of stone and blocks rise up from the depths and fall from the sky, creating the board as you move forward. Likewise, enemies will drop from the heavens or sprout from the earth, creating both an environment and experience that seems to form solely for the player. Each bit of the world that springs up, as well as every enemy that appears, seems as if it has been hand drawn and colored. One can see a clear attention to detail, and the style of Bastion makes one imagine an artist stooped over a drawing board, designing and painting each fragment of the game’s world. The backdrops of these floating levels are swirls of muted shades, less vibrant and slightly more ominous than the boards themselves. Bastion’s design is so gorgeous, that at times I would have to just pause and admire the graphics as my character stood there on a floating platform in the sky as sparks flew through the air, little bits of iridescence in a beautiful yet fragmented world.

Another unique feature Bastion has to offer is its use of real-time narration. The game’s narrator sounds as though he’s taken a cue from Tom Waits as his raspy voice recounts your every action, from your accomplishments to your mistakes. He’ll praise your abilities if you annihilate a slew of enemies, while making passive jabs at you when you accidentally fall off the edge of the board. The narration is one of the more interesting things about Bastion, but for some it can grow old or even annoying. While I was never bothered by having a spectral voice recounting my actions, I found myself eventually tuning out a lot of what he had to say. The problem with this is that the player learns a majority of the game’s story through the narration, so if you’re not paying attention you may miss a thing or two.

You may also find yourself ignoring the narrator because of Bastion’s fantastic soundtrack, which is a mix of twangy strings and heavy, artificial bass. At times you may be fortunate enough to hear a track featuring some outstandingly captivating female vocals, but I only counted a couple instances of this. Overall, this is a game that has a strong grasp on how well music can set the tone for individual levels. Certain tracks have the ability to inspire a western, gunslinger feel, while others are able to create a mood of complete loss and desolation.

Gameplay

All of these factors add up in the end and they contribute to the overall experience of Bastion, while also complementing the gameplay. When I began playing Bastion I thought the gameplay was going to be fairly simple. Turns out I was wrong. At any time you’re able to carry two different weapons, with the number of available weapons increasing as the game progresses. Personally I opted for a melee and ranged weapon combination. In this regard the options the player has to mix and match is quite impressive. Each weapon you find can be leveled up with the shards you’ve earned by playing levels, so if you find a set-up you like you can roll with that the whole game. In addition to the two weapon slots, you also have a special ability that can be exclusive to one of the weapons you’re carrying or totally independent. At certain times the combat system can seem a bit hack-and-slash, but eventually you realize the importance the game has placed on countering with your shield and timing certain shots just right. Slaying the bizarre foes of Bastion grants the player XP, which in turn increases the player’s levels, opening up tonic slots. Tonics are the alcoholic beverages of the land, granting certain assists to the player. 

As you progress through the game the Bastion itself begins to grow. There are a number of different structures you can build, including a shop to change your weapon or tonic load-outs. For those hungry for shards to spend on weapon upgrades, there’s a place to check out the in-game challenges and redeem the shards earned for those that have been completed. If you feel the game is too easy, you can always activate any number of idols, which are unlocked as the player progresses. The idols are basically difficulty multipliers, with each idol adding a unique challenge to the game, while maximizing the amount of XP earned.

As you further the plot of Bastion you’ll inevitably meet other survivors of the Calamity. The result is that you may end up finding some strange objects turning up around the edges of the Bastion. Once the player engages with these objects, things start to get weird. Puffing on a hookah or curling up in a lone bedroll transports the player into a sort of dream sequence. These dream or even memory sequences are aptly titled “Who Knows Where,” and the player finds themselves on a foreign board. In a way these are sort of like challenge maps from other games, as the player has to face increasingly difficult waves of enemies. There is a twist though: throughout each wave, or reflection, you’re literally told a story pertaining to one of the game’s few living characters. It’s surprisingly different to play through something like this while being told a story, but in the end it just works. These sequences do increase in difficulty as the game progresses, and truly provide a nice change of pace.  

Features such as these truly help to keep Bastion’s gameplay fresh. Just when I thought I might want to put down the controller for the night, there was always something new just around the bend, whether it was a weapon challenge or simply something I just hadn’t seen yet. When I beat the game I was tempted by a new game plus mode, and immediately wanted to experience Bastion all over again.

Stranger’s Dream DLC

A couple of weeks ago Bastion got its first, and presumably only, DLC release. If you’re on Steam it won’t cost you a dime. On Xbox Live the addition is only 80 MS points, or one dollar.

The content itself is not exactly an additional storyline or area to explore, at least not in the traditional sense. You do get a ton of content for your dollar though, all of which is geared towards bringing the player back to play through the game an indefinite number of times.

First off you get a brand new Who Knows Where sequence, aptly titled “Stranger’s Dream.” In this one you get to know the game’s narrator, Rucks, a little better. Those who listen closely will also get some insight into the land of Caelondia itself. Stranger’s Dream also features a huge amount of reflections for the player to fight their way through. These were also a bit more difficult than the others. Overall, this is a nice addition to the game, adding a bit more plot and back story, while providing a challenging new sequence of reflections for players who have begun a new game plus.

The DLC also gives you two new modes for the game. First, there’s No-Sweat Mode, which is kind of like Bastion for beginners. It’s not nearly as difficult, nor does it really punish repeated deaths. While this mode will probably not be too popular with those who crave a challenge, it’s certainly perfect for someone looking to simply experience a fun, beautiful game.

The second mode that comes with Stranger’s Dream is a brand new Score-Attack Mode. As the title suggests, this offers an opportunity for the player to experience Bastion with a slightly competitive twist. Choosing this option will start the player out virtually from scratch in terms of level and unlocked weapons. All of the game’s possible spirits and idols will be made available though. As you could have already guessed, as you play through the game and defeat enemies a score will accumulate at the bottom left of the screen. Destroying multiple enemies in quick succession builds your score multiplier, resulting in a larger overall score at the end of section. If you’re playing Bastion on Xbox or Steam, there are also leader boards available for this mode.

Overall, this is a great addition to Bastion. Score-Attack Mode is a great new feature and brings an entirely different element to the game. At the same time though, it feels completely natural and not a bit out of place given the nature of Bastion’s gameplay. If you’re looking for a challenge and consider yourself pretty skilled at this game, then Score-Attack is for you.

Though this new set of DLC doesn’t exactly give you new areas to explore or enemies to face, you can’t really argue with content that’s either free or only a dollar. The new Who Knows Where challenge is certainly fun and insightful, while the new modes breathe new life into a game that had already warranted numerous playthroughs. Score-Attack Mode really stands out and should be a guaranteed favorite for both new and veteran players. 

Closing Comments

It can be hard to find a really good downloadable game, one with a value and length to justify the price tag. Plenty of them are good, but every so often one that is great comes along. Bastion is such a game, one that truly shines and seems to hit all the right notes. This highly addictive action-RPG has a lot to offer-notably its brilliant art direction and level design, as well as its tight combat system and entertaining usage of real-time narration.

Though the story was slightly lacking and could have been conveyed in a better manner, the new DLC helps clarify things a little bit and bring some more depth to the game. Bastion is truly one of those rare downloadable games that seems to do almost everything right. From its superb graphics to its enthralling soundtrack, it’s safe to say that there was never a moment when I didn’t feel totally immersed in something amazing. On top of that you get a tremendous bang for your buck, guaranteed to provide numerous hours of enjoyment. The world of Bastion is something you have to see to believe, and you owe it to yourself to take the trip.

Written by Rich Kovarovic

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