14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has officially kicked off this year's Xbox Live Summer of Arcade promotion, during which a bunch of high-quality downloadable games will be released for the Xbox 360, with the first game, Bastion, coming from developer Supergiant Games and publisher Warner Bros. Interactive.
Bastion is an isometric action game with role-playing elements set in a stylized and colorful world where the only two people left are the speechless protagonist and the dynamic narrator of his events, both trying to find out why they're the only ones left living in the virtual world of Bastion.
With an interesting premise and the task of leading the Summer of Arcade promotion, is Bastion a worthy title or does its style fail to make up for its gameplay? Let's have a quick look at its demo.
Bastion is definitely unique in terms of its visuals, with the world that's rich in colors and the animation that forms it ahead of the player making a pretty good first impression.
The biggest surprise, however, is the presence of a dynamic narrator, which pretty much describes the actions of the player, from getting out of bed to falling off the edge of the world or during combat about his preferred weapons or moves.
While it may sound strange at first, Bastion's narrator quickly becomes a great feature and will no doubt have players hooked on the experience, trying all sorts of in-game actions to see what reaction he has.
The game isn't all about pretty levels and a gimmick narrator, however, as Bastion is backed up by some pretty solid gameplay. You start off with a trusty hammer, which you can use to destroy practically every object in the world, from fences to boxes or fruit stalls, except for the floor on which you stand, of course.
Your arsenal is quickly populated with new weapons, and you can view them all by a visiting the in-game Arsenal shops, which allow to change the weapons in your two slots, as well as equip powerful moves that cost a special black tonic to use.
The role-playing mechanics don't stop here, as at distilleries, the protagonist can equip special passive powers that have an impact on their performance, filling up slots that unlock as you progress through the game.
Combat is pretty tight, with Bastion throwing different kinds of enemies at you throughout the demo, from smaller, more agile enemies to large, slower ones. You need to switch up weapons and alternate between attacking and defending, using your trusty shield, while dodging before attacks hit you.
Overall, Bastion is a pretty good looking and playing game, so it's definitely worth at least downloading the trial (demo) of the game from the Xbox Live Arcade.
If you can't experience it just yet, check out a video of the Bastion demo below.