Bastion

The Good
Immediately from the beginning of Bastion, the game narrates your nearly every move. This is done by Logan Cunningham, who does the voice of Rucks the old man, and it is done fabulously. It definitely adds a nice touch that really builds the atmosphere and depth of the game.

Graphically, Bastion looks great for an indie game, filled with lush colors and detailed characters and landscapes. The music is also a treat, as the tracks build they play out beautifully and hauntingly against the games somewhat depressing storyline.

While Bastion can be controlled with either the keyboard or joystick, the joystick felt much more comfortable and natural to use. Each button is assigned to a various action, with one button swinging your main melee weapon, another using a ranged weapon, and another using a healing potion.

The game is easy to get into and plays great. There are tons of other nice little additions like being able to build up the Bastion (your home base) and playing mini game challenges for prizes. There are also leaderboards and other challenges, so there is a lot to keep you busy.

The Bad
The game is kind of short, as I clocked in about 8-9 hours on my first playthrough, and it's not too terribly challenging. You can make the game harder by using "idols", but the standard setting won't strain you too much.

The story is kind of weak, and somewhat predictable. It isn't bad, but sometimes seems like it was added in at the last minute once everything else was in place.

And finally the narrator. I know I praised how great this feature is, but after hearing his voice for 4+ hours...well, it started to get annoying to me. It is great at first, but started to wear thin as the game progressed.

The Bottom Line
An original and fun action/adventure/RPG hybrid. Bastion plays smooth as silk and looks and sounds great. Other than a few minor complaints, the game is a fun romp for a rainy weekend.