Bastion Reviews

Bastion is ranked in the 98th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
IGN
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Aug 22, 2011

When I beat Bastion for the first time, I reloaded my save and played through for the second ending. When that was done, I started my new game plus. I'm not the repeat type of gamer, but Bastion's leveling, weapon upgrades, and difficulty tweaks are just too gosh-darn addictive. The story could've been better, but it doesn't matter. This game is amazing and you owe it to yourself to download it.

Read full review

Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
7 / 10
Dec 13, 2016

The combat might never feel as clever as the visuals and narration but this is still an engrossing and distinctive action role-player.

Read full review

GamesRadar+
Top Critic
Jul 20, 2011

As long as you're not expecting a profoundly original artistic vision, Bastion delivers on its gameplay. Bastion's main strengths are twofold – the combat is satisfying and varied, and the customization options are robust. Our only major complaints are fairly nitpicky – it's easy to fall of ledges (especially if you're using the shotgun weapon, which causes significant kickback and often kicks thekid off the edge of the world), and when you find a new weapon you're forced to equip it until you can get to a nearby armory to swap it out, which can be particularly annoying if it de-equips your favorite weapon. These are small issues in the larger picture though, and Bastion is still overwhelmingly well-executed.

Read full review

9.3 / 10.0
Jul 19, 2011

A fascinating journey into a mysterious world has all the hallmarks of a future classic

Read full review

8 / 10
Apr 7, 2015

Bastion remains as strong of a game as it was in 2011, but there's no need to buy this version if you already own it.

Read full review

9 / 10
Jul 19, 2011

Bastion is a wonderfully diverse game that offers up a great deal of flexibility in how you approach its many challenges.

Read full review

9 / 10.0
Dec 20, 2016

I now know why people fell in love with Bastion. It's a perfectly proportioned, well packaged, beautiful escape into a foreign world with compelling music, art, and narration. There's no real added benefits to playing it on the Xbox One besides a few more achievements, but then again, it doesn't really need any upgrades. It's fairly perfect as it stands.

Read full review

Jul 22, 2011

Bastion advances video games as art. In the same breath, it can challenge your thumbs and make you wonder about the possibilities of its world. It feels like a retail game; it feels like a straight shot to the summer gaming drag; it feels like the beginning of something bigger. If Limbo is any sign of things to come, you'll probably be hearing a lot of positive things about Bastion over the next few weeks.

Read full review

6.5 / 10.0
Jul 19, 2011

Is the game worth playing? Certainly. It's a decent little adventure that will provide enough solid gameplay to be worth the money. Just make sure one expects no more than that, and it'll be a most worthy purchase. Bastion is fun enough for what it is, but it does not transcend to the levels that it would like you to believe it does.

Read full review

9 / 10
Jul 19, 2011

Bastion is the perfect game to kick off Microsoft's Summer of Arcade, capturing that certain something that Limbo and Braid had in previous years.

Read full review

9 / 10
Apr 5, 2015

When we played Bastion for the first time a few years ago, we literally gave it an instinctive standing ovation as the credits began to roll, and our pleasantly surprised reaction remains justified. This game is a testament to the type of human creativity, innovation, and wonder that are sometimes only possible with indie games, and now that it has graced Sony's systems, you can understand why it will continue to entrench itself as a classic for years to come.

Read full review

Ken McKown
Top Critic
9.5 / 10.0
Jul 19, 2011

Bastion is the epitome of why XBLA alone is worth owning an Xbox 360 for. The game defines what passionate developers can accomplish on the platform, and if you appreciate old-school design with a modern twist, not playing this game could be considered a crime. It has so much to love and is one of the few games I was not ready to be over when the credits rolled. The Summer of Arcade starts off with a massive bang, and I suggest everyone give this one a go when it lands this week.

Read full review

9 / 10.0
Jul 19, 2011

It's not always about the adventure you go on, but sometimes it's the way the story is told. Bastion weaves an incredible story that goes places I wasn't expecting. The game's narrations are unlike anything I've experienced before; improving what could have been an otherwise mediocre dungeon crawler. With some clever twists and turns, Bastion stays interesting from beginning to end!

Read full review

Aug 5, 2011

Bastion is an intriguing and eclectic action-heavy RPG with great audio and visuals, and it mixes some interesting mechanics with tried and true gameplay. $15 might be a little steep for some gamers given its length, but this is a game you ought to play, particularly if you care about replayability.

Read full review

Jul 19, 2011

Bastion's only visible flaw is that it takes a little while to show its true colours. While it's not at all slow or plodding in its opening stages, its most powerful assets - the many imaginative and useful array of weapons, its challenging side activities, and a story far more interesting and thought-provoking than what first appears - aren't obvious from the outset. A demo might not reveal these strengths, but give Bastion a chance - it's a whip smart action title that's satisfying through and through, and gets the Summer of Arcade off to an absolutely rollicking start.

Read full review

9 / 10
Sep 11, 2018

Bastion is an unforgettable and enjoyable piece of software that stands as a strong example of how games can also be perceived as art. A charismatic narrator, beautiful visuals, intense action gameplay and heavy character customization make this a fairytale that you'll want to dive into again and again, and while the isometric view sometimes gets in the way of the gameplay, the other aspects of Bastion more than make up for this slight misstep. We'd highly recommend you give Bastion a try if you haven't played it elsewhere already; though this Switch port brings nothing new to the table, Bastion is a memorable modern classic that is an absolute must-play.

Read full review

9 / 10
Dec 4, 2018

Bastion on the Nintendo Switch brings back a successful RPG that is full of marvelous details, including a brilliant art style, a very involving narration technique and some very accessible gameplay mechanics. Continuing with the practice of bringing major, successful games to the Nintendo Switch, Bastion is worthy of all the attention it gets.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

Apr 8, 2015

Bastion stood out as one of the best titles when it first released years ago, and it stands just as tall this time around.

Read full review

5 / 5.0
Apr 6, 2015

All in all, Bastion manages to maintain its shine. The game is still stunning in both its art direction and writing.

Read full review

9 / 10.0
Apr 5, 2015

This PlayStation release pretty much completes the rounds for Bastion. Chances are that you own at least one of the platforms it is available on, and it's a game that simply needs to be experienced. It's a game that breaks the traditional rules that we're used to, giving us an experience that is still doing things that most other games are not, even four years after its original release. Depth in simplicity. A basic melding of ingredients. A heart. A soul. These are the elements that make Bastion transcend time, being a relevant and necessary release regardless of the year or platform.

Read full review