Bastion
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Bastion
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.
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.
A fascinating journey into a mysterious world has all the hallmarks of a future classic
Bastion is a wonderfully diverse game that offers up a great deal of flexibility in how you approach its many challenges.
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.
Bastion is an aesthetic dream, from the beautiful visuals that look like a painting come to life to the incredible soundtrack that breathes soul into that life. As a game, though, it could've been so much more. There's a great amount of replay value here, from the new game plus mode to the combat challenges, but that's only if the mechanics click with you enough to stick with it. Because of some frustrating controls and combat design decisions, Bastion is held back from being excellent, but remains great nonetheless.
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.
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.
