Bastion

Played the trial. It's a fun and clever isometric RPG Beat-'em-Up. The narration is what really stands out. The Narrator actually react to what you're doing and comments on it without repeating himself. From what I understand it's like that though the entire game.

If the combat felt less like a button masher it would have been a definite buy for me.

I played several hours of Bastion last night, and I absolutely love it. There is quite a bit of depth to this game already. In fact, I don't think it plays like Torchlight at all. Torchlight is a mindless click fest, but Bastion has more structure to its combat than that, and it's very satisfying.

There are several different weapons in the game. I've got five of them now, and each one is fun to use. Each weapon is also very different to use from the others, making experimenting with them a must.  So far my favorite is the machete that slashes really fast plus you can also throw it making it a cool hybrid between melee and ranged. You can upgrade each weapon by finding a special material and spending the game's currency on it. Each time you upgrade, you get a choice between two different types of effects, but you can later switch it back and forth as many times as you want.  Each weapon has three upgrade tiers to it, becoming much more powerful each time you upgrade it. I've found upgrade materials for at least three more weapons that I don't have yet, so the variety in just the weaponry is pretty impressive. Each weapon also has a challenge room that you can find where you try to complete a specific task to win up to three prizes. The better you do, the more items you get. So far, the top prize in each has been an additional special move for the weapon you are using.

I almost forgot to mention your shield. You can block incoming attacks, but you can also counter them by putting up your shield at the proper time.

In addition to the weapons, you get various "tonics" that give you passive abilities, and you're able to use more of them at once each time you level up. There are a bunch of different challenges that you can do (such as doing something special with each weapon type, to get more currency. There is a store where you can buy various things from more special moves to new tonics. There is an idol where you can "invoke the gods", basically adding modifiers to the game to make it more difficult. They're kind of like the skulls in Halo, but actually woven into the game's narrative.

The narrator is awesome. He's actually a character in the game that you meet pretty early on. They must have recorded a TON of dialogue for this game because he has a ton to say (without ever becoming annoying) and he hasn't repeated a line thus far. The way he talks about the story and what you are doing is pretty cool, plus it gives the game an extra layer of flavor and personality.

The art in Bastion is gorgeous. I've seen several different levels now, and each of them has a unique flavor while still fitting into the overall style.

So yeah, I really love this game, and I can't wait to play more of it.

In case anyone is curious about the backstory to this game, it was literally made by a half dozen people. Giant Bomb has been covering it for months, doing several interviews with the guys behind it and making several behind-the-scenes videos for it. You can find links to all the videos in this recent article: http://www.giantbomb.com/news/a-look-back-at-building-the-bastion/3499/

Apparently the narrator is a guy named Logan Cunningham, who was a roommate of one of the developers. This guy needs to do a lot more voice work if Bastion is any indication of the quality.

Edit: These are the guys who made Bastion, http://supergiantgames.com/

I can't believe I forgot to mention the music! The music in Bastion is great! I think this is the first downloadable game that I've wanted the soundtrack to.

Such are the perils of being a small developer I guess. Perhaps they'll make a PS3 port after finishing the PC version of the game.

They're part of the Summer of Arcade, so no PS3 for at least 6-8 months.

Also, the game is great.  I've seen some people in other places bitch about the Narrator.  They are fools.  It's a very cool thing in a very cool game.

Fired up the demo earlier this morning, thought I'd give it a whirl even though I'm completely sick of Diablo-likes. Hours later I emerge in a daze, hopelessly addicted to this game. It really is its own thing, the Diablo elements are kept to a minimum here. Usually I make it a point to wait for XBLA titles to go on the Deal of the Week or some other such sale, this was an easy purchase.

I got to play a bit of this at a friend's house.  I ended up easily dropping at least 2 hours on it.  Gorgeous, simple, and fun.

I can't decide whether I want my next xbla buy to be this or From Dust damn it.

Well I can definitely vouch for Bastion so far: Great little game, and surprisingly deep when it comes to the combat. You get little side arenas as you progress which are basically different stages of Survival Mode, and they’re surprisingly fun to play (And provide a heap of backstory that really helps fill out the world and characters)

Superb narration as well. They’ve really nailed the balance between providing information and making it fun, and it never grates. Of course, it helps that the voice actor sounds kind of like Tom Waits to boot. There’s lots of lovely touches in there as well; at one point I was going through a level trashing everything for cash, prompting the narrator to say “Kid just raged a while..” Cue one huge grin from me.

It’s a genuinely captivating game with a ton of content. I haven’t played From Dust yet – cracking into the trial tonight – but if it turns out as cool as it sounds I’ll be picking some points up and grabbing it tomorrow. But for now, I can certainly give a thumbs-up for Bastion.

I got the "Kid just raged a while..." comment too. Apparently I really like busting things apart.

I've been listening to a bunch of the Bastion soundtrack that somebody posted on YouTube. If they ever release an official soundtrack to Bastion, I'll be all over it. The music is one of the best things about the game.

In case anyone else is interested, there is now an official soundtrack release for Bastion. You can buy it both digitally and on CD.  Although the CD version won't ship until September, you can get the digital version right now.

http://supergiantgames.bandcamp.com/

Thanks for the update!

Now I'm imagining the Heavy with a spiky, white-colored wig on his head in the style of The Kid from Bastion. It is damned amusing.