I didn't pick up Bastion until early 2012. A friend had been putting pressure on me to play this 'new and exciting game' and, at first, I wouldn't budge. Isometric camera angles didn't float my boat, and I had long since moved away from basic platform games. But after his relentless yammering, I broke and plugged myself in. It was one of my best decisions I had ever made.
The art style of this game needs be witnessed to be believed. Stills simply do not do the game justice. The colours can be bright and cheerful, or darker and solemn when needed. You can feel, when playing it, the love and care the developers poured into every pixel. It is vibrant, it is powerful and it will stay with you long after you complete the basic story. The weapons reflect this attitude, each more than just a hammer or a bow. They come with stories and unique art designs, as well as upgrades and side challenges for you to complete. You find them throughout the course of the story and, in general, they are all very well-balanced.
Plot and character development are two further points that I cannot rave enough about. It doesn't set up the story in the typical 'hero' fashion. Instead, you find yourself amongst the rubble of a ruined world and it is your job not only to piece the world back together, but to discover the truth behind the great Calamity that befell the land. I loved that approach. It felt far more fluid and urged to me to delve deeper, to search each area over and over for any secrets it held. The characters grow on you, and not a single one is bland. The Kid, your central character, has an optional side quest in which you learn about his past. The same can be said for the other three survivors you encounter. Each and every one of them has multiple dimensions to their personality, and you start to care for their well-being.
The soundtrack is an aural delight. It seamlessly blended together tints of the Old West with that of Asia, into something that has to be heard to be understood. The score matches each area or scenario perfectly, from the savage Wilds to the calm core that is the Bastion. I have this soundtrack in my collection, where it takes pride of place in being the only game soundtrack that I listen to regularly. It transcends the often-occupied realm of 'background music' into something much, much more.
How did this game change me, I bet you're wondering. Well, to be honest, it converted me. I adored this game, more than any in a long time, and I would defend it to the hilt. I no longer shun a game simply became of its camera angle, or because it's 'just another platformer'. Neither will I ignore the soundtrack of a game which, I now realise, can be an incredibly powerful mood-setter and often sets the tone for the entire game. Bastion is one of those games that, while short (Seven hours if you play solidly), makes you want to go back and find all those nuggets of truth. To upgrade your weapons and change the fate of their world through the choices offered to you at the game's end. To conclude, you must play this game. I want everyone to appreciate what a game should be: Not a money-grabbing franchise but something that envelops you and changes you for the better.
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