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