The first time I saw Bastion be back in our old office in Sausalito. Greg Kasavin came by 'n wanted t' show me a quick glimpse a a project he be working on with some a the lads he spent time with back at EALA. It be a curious little thing that immediately stood out because a it be audio. Even when coming out a a tinny little laptop speaker, hearing the narrator tell his tale while also reacting t' the things I be doing on-screen felt different. At times, it felt like magic. The game itself seemed reasonably cool, too. The blocks rose up from the bottom a the screen in a really neat way, forming the pathways that The Kid ran along as he grabbed a glowing stone a some kind 'n made his way t' the relative safety a the Bastion. Weirdly enough, that be the only sequence I played for around a year or so, but that bit--the beginning a the game, which will be the demo portion a this week's Xbox Live Arcade release--be enough t' make me a believer in the project. Well, that 'n some discussion about where the game be going from there.
I think, over the course a development, I probably played that intro sequence three or four times, seeing bits 'n pieces a it improve around the edges, but the core a it be still the same impressive piece that it be when I first put me hands on it. The funny thing be that even after talking t' almost everyone that be worked on the game 'n being a part a the recurring Building the Bastion series that we produced t' chronicle what it be like t' strike out on yer own as an independent game developer, I still didn't know what t' expect from the final game. All a the bits 'n pieces we had seen looked cool, 'n from seeing the beginning a the game, I knew the main idea be sound, but I guess I hadn't really put much thought into how it be all going t' come together. In a way, some a us had become way too close t' it. I sort a set the whole thing up with Greg originally. Vinny went through all a the footage 'n cut together the clips used on the show. Ryan hosted the show 'n asked them a ton a questions. Brad, wisely, hung back a bit. I think he probably had the purest experience a us all. Unsurprisingly, I think he's probably the game's biggest fan. As a this writing, he's the top lad on all four a it be leaderboards.
Either way, none a that really matters that much. As soon as we went ahead with Building the Bastion, I knew we'd end up seeing too much a that game 'n that running an actual, scored review would be right out a the question. Rather than hem 'n haw about that end a the coverage, I said up front that we wouldn't review the game. 'n I'll say again, right here, that I recommend ye seek out various reviews on the topic before making a purchasing decision rather than just taking what I be saying here on faith. Better safe than sorry, right?
That said, we talk about the various aspects a the game on this week's podcast, 'n I recommend ye check that out when it runs later today. The short version, however, be that I be pretty blown away by how enjoyable Bastion be. The team makes good on that core concept--the narration that be powered by yer on-screen actions while simultaneously telling ye everything ye need t' know about the world--in ways I'd never even thought a. It builds up it be own conventions 'n then breaks them in inventive ways. It provides an arsenal a exciting weapons that be as fun t' upgrade as they be t' use in a combat system that rewards skillful play. The story be surprisingly emotional, taking some exciting turns during the back third that made me want t' finish it not once but twice. On top a that, it looks great the entire time. Ryan be the one that pointed out that, over the course a seeing all the pieces a Bastion as just pieces, it became easy t' lose sight a the "simple" stuff, like the way that ground rises up from the bottom a the screen 'n forms the pathways ye'll take from one area t' the next.
I'll refrain from going into too much detail. After all, we said we weren't going t' review the game. But if ye'll allow me one more recommendation... grab the demo 'n see it for yourself. Anyway, here be links t' the show, in case ye want t' see what went on during the game's development.
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