Busy Gamer Review - Bastion (Busy Gamer News)

Too busy to devote 12+ hours a day to your gaming habit? Here's a review that's sensitive to your needs: Short and focused on just the things that a busy gamer like you really needs to know.

Reviewed On: Xbox 360. Also available for PC.

In a Nutshell: Action RPG with light level-up mechanics and not much looting but a deep story and riveting musical score.

You play a nameless Kid who awakens to the apocalyptic aftermath of a world knocked apart by an event referred to only as the Calamity. A character patterned on Sam Elliott's The Stranger from The Big Lebowski narrates your adventure and sometimes comments on your specific actions. For instance: "The Kid just rages for a while" is triggered if you go a little crazy with your hammer shortly after picking it up on the first level. You collect a variety of weapons and powerups - some active attacks and others passive skill boosters and upgrades - while exploring diverse locales in search of items to repair your shattered steampunk world.

There are also optional timed challenge levels should you want to test your mettle further, and you can play Plus mode after completing the main story once to go again while retaining your level and other progress from past outings - though you still have to rebuild the Bastion each time you play through.

Learning Curve: The game teaches you the main moves and weapon specific tricks as you find them and offers additional deeper control hints on the load screens. You'll pick it all up pretty quick for the most part, though some nuances (like reloading projectile weapons) may take a little time to uncover. No matter, since the game is pretty forgiving.

Bastion is more of a "story delivery system" by default. If you demand a bigger challenge, don't despair: You'll eventually unlock a Shrine that lets you increase the difficulty of specific game elements. It's purely optional though. As it should be.

The Save Game: You can only save between missions, which typically run you 10-20 minutes each. Watch for the save icon before shutting down! If you mess around with your weapon loadouts and other upgrades upon returning to the Bastion (as you'll be tempted to do), launch to the next level and watch for the spinning gear before quitting. You'll still start back at your base in the Bastion, but at least all of your changes will be recorded.

Family Factor: The violence is cartoonish and bloodless, which makes it a little easier to play with kids around. We won’t let our 8-year-old play since it is still somewhat violent, but he's allowed to watch and we actively discuss the themes it presents around war and intolerance.

Buy or Skip? We consider this a solid buy for action fans. On Xbox Live Arcade, you can grab a trial though I found that unlocking it when prompted didn't seem to trigger the save system (or perhaps I just quit too early) so I had to start over. Still, it's hard to stay mad at a game this good - and soon all was forgiven.

On a Personal Note: While Bastion's gameplay is solid and supports a number of play styles thanks to the wide array of weapons and unlockable special moves, it never quite devolves into a mindless hack and slash. This is probably due to the story, which is compelling and character driven, and the incredible soundtrack by Darren Korb. The music drew me in with its folksy yet modern edge and neat integration with the various realms you visit in your quest to find various cores and shards and such. In particular, making a specific choice near the end of the game can deliver one of the more poignant moments I've encountered in my not unsubstantial history with videogames. (Hint: Show a touch of compassion.) When the credits rolled, I stayed mesmerized on the couch listening to "Setting Sail, Coming Home," Korb's closing duet with soulful singer Ashley Lynn Barrett. All in all, this is one of the best game soundtracks in our extensive collection - so come for the gameplay and stay for the music!