Genre: Action RPG
Year: 2011
Developed by: Supergiant Games
Published by: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Platforms: Most of them
#200
Feeling Like: The Goal in Sight
300 down! 200 to go!
The goal is indeed in sight and I feel like that’s an appropriate label for Bastion. Released in 2011, it was one of the early examples of how a small studio could make their game commercially successful through digital download. That’s not news in 2023, but back then it was a fairly big deal. Gone were the pressures to bend to a massive publisher, costs for packaging and how to choose which physical media it would appear on. Supergiant now is the golden standard for the medium sized team that does its own thing; I can’t think of another developer where their games get better with every subsequent release, but that’s Supergiant’s history so far. Transistor is stronger than Bastion, Pyre is a creative endeavor that’s even better and Hades is their crown jewel, a game that was so critically acclaimed there’s no wonder a sequel is in the works, a first for Supergiant.
But it all had to start somewhere and you can easily see why the prototype blueprint worked. The graphics are tremendous, a terrific mix of hard and soft lining, a variety of colors and lighting that never feels oversaturated. The style is slick, it truly feels like a significant step in video game development. There’s a nice story here too and it takes a page from some of my favorite sci-fi novels; it contains a small cast, but FEELS grand.
The star of the show, or rather the voice of the show, is the narrator. In a trick that you’d really only see with audio commentary in sports games, you get real-time narration based on the actions you’re taking.
This was definitely the hook that turned heads and raised eyebrows, but the rest is just as interesting. The concept of the path being built before you is visually pleasing and, I’m assuming, a brilliant trick on Supergiant’s part since the game doesn’t have to load the level until you’re close by. Normally this would be seen as maybe a cheap way to skimp on memory or loading, but it’s clearly intentional from a design standpoint. It also ties gameplay to story, something Supergiant does better than almost anybody. Since a horrific event called the Calamity ruined the city, you’re attempting to rebuild it. So, it makes sense that not everything is put together. It works. It really, really works. The smoothness of the tiles, the ever-alluring mystery to go see what’s down an unfinished path and the fluid combat meant I had a great time the whole way through.
The assortment of weapons and challenges was also a nice touch. I’m not much of a range guy, but it’s hard to avoid using them when the game rewards you for doing so, both in-game and in the separate challenge areas. There’s more than a few RPG elements in Bastion and by now you should know that I’m moderately addicted to gaining Experience and Leveling Things Up. Nice touch.
If there’s one aspect of Bastion that’s remained with me, it’s the soundtrack. In particular, the character Zia’s song “Build That Wall.” It’s worth a listen.
It comes at the perfect time, I won’t spoil it as tempting as it is. Supergiant does this kind of song a few times in their future games, where sparing use of lyrics or voice acting is more impactful because you’re not bombarded with it. Most video games will use a musical score to evoke emotion, but the industry is evolving to be unafraid of lyrics to varying levels of success. Blue Dragon, for example.
But “Build That Wall” is fantastic. It’s a somber, haunting track that incorporates simple but meaningful words that relate heavily to the theme of Bastion. Rebuilding a city. We’ll be there soon. Darren Korb is a genius.
The end credits theme is brilliant, too.
Supergiant games really do contain an embarrassment of riches. Ever since Bastion, they’ve been an auto-purchase for me and that was before they launched into a different galaxy with Hades. Each game builds upon their philosophy of tightly designed mechanics, original characters, stunning world building and a confident attitude towards building on previously enjoyed tropes from other games. Bastion may not have won my game of the year like Hades did in 2020, but it’s clear that I enjoyed the hell out of it and for a fraction of the price of most AAA studio offerings.
Bastion is one of those games where the more I research and reminisce, the less confident I am about it’s placement on the 500. Point blank, if somebody asked me if Bastion was in the top 199 games I’d ever beaten I would say yes without thinking. Glancing ahead to the next five or ten games, I’m not entirely sure I made the right choice. Don’t let my ranking get in the way of you enjoying the best appetizer a developer has made in recent memory. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
The 500 