Development Info Bastion - the Wonder Years of Action RPGs

[Jason]

Tags: Bastion

<p><a href="http://supergiantgames.com/site/" target="_blank">Supergiant Games</a>, yet another team made up of EA refugees, announced that their first title will be a multi-platform, post-apocalyptic action RPG known as <a href="http://www.supergiantgames.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Bastion</strong></a>.</p>
<blockquote>The goal of the game is to construct a safe haven in the wake of the Calamity, a cataclysmic event that shattered the world into a series of floating islands. As players journey into the wild unknown in search of survivors and supplies, they will confront strange beasts, forge an array of customizable weapons, and gain new powers from specially-brewed spirits. The entire play experience of Bastion is dynamically narrated, gradually revealing a rich backstory as the narrator reacts to the player&rsquo;s actions in real time.</blockquote>
<p>Now about that last part, apparently the game is constantly narrated by a Ron Perlman soundalike, <a href="http://www.giantbomb.com/bastion/61-32085/" target="_blank">haunting your every step</a>.</p>
<blockquote>Bastion's story will be dynamically generated as the narrator react's to the player character's actions in real time. The narrator responds to all of the main characters actions such as when he attacks, counters or finds any item. The narrator will also comment on things happening around the main character such as enemies that appear or important landmarks such as petrified characters that are within the main character's line of sight. It seems he will also change his comments based on how you handle certain situations, such as if the character stops to examine a scene or how he deals with an enemy.</blockquote>
<p>Watch a <a href="http://www.giantbomb.com/first-footage-of-bastion/17-3159/" target="_blank">gameplay video</a> to find out just how <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">annoying</span> emotionally engaging this can be. Left foot, right foot...</p>
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<p>Spotted at: <a href="http://www.gamesetwatch.com/">GameSetWatch</a></p>

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Bro, this RPG looks pretty post-apocalyptic. Reminds me of Fallout.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

Fuck, I just imagined playing Fallout with Ron Perlman reading every description in game. Weird stuff.

 

[Carceri]

Squirts are subterranean creatures but the Calamity drove them up to the surface.

 

[hoverdog]

WELCOME IN POST-APOCALYPTIA

 

[kris]

WELCOME IN POST-APOCALYPTIA

Looks just like fallout 4.

 

[KalosKagathos]

Bastion's story will be dynamically generated as the narrator react's to the player character's actions in real time. The narrator responds to all of the main characters actions such as when he attacks, counters or finds any item. The narrator will also comment on things happening around the main character such as enemies that appear or important landmarks such as petrified characters that are within the main character's line of sight. It seems he will also change his comments based on how you handle certain situations, such as if the character stops to examine a scene or how he deals with an enemy.

Because it worked so incredibly well in Fable.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Or Crackdown. Hay guise lets put in a 10 second voiceover for collectables in a game where you're supposed to jump all over the city at the speed of sound

YOUJUSTACQUIREDASKILLORBYOUJUSTACQUIREDASKILLORBYOUJUSTACQUIREDASKILLORBYOUJUSTACQUIREDASKILLORB
YOUJUSTACQUIREDASKILLORBYOUJUSTACQUIREDASKILLORBYOUJUSTACQUIREDASKILLORBYOUJUSTACQUIREDASKILLORB
YOUJUSTACQUIREDASKILLORBYOUJUSTACQUIREDASKILLORBYOUJUSTACQUIREDASKILLORBYOUJUSTACQUIREDASKILLORB

A narrating voice can be cool, but not for every banal shit you do.

 

[Grunker]

WELCOME IN POST-APOCALYPTIA

:shock:

 

[Castanova]

At least it has something original going for it. Plus I like how the combat is reminiscent of, like, Secret of Mana and all those older hack n' slashers.

 

[nFn]

they should add some vuvuzelas
possibly some cowbells too

 

[ElectricOtter]

Floating islands? I'm sol-

WELCOME IN POST-APOCALYPTIA

eh

 

[FeelTheRads]

I see they don't bother creating graphics anymore. Now they just put in the concept art.

 

[Haba]

Not everything needs to be grimdark

 

[Fowyr]

Atrocious screenshot skipped

My brain hurts. And for some reason I remember voice of narrator from Space Quest 6 and start chuckling.
This will be truly bastion of real PA RPGness.

 

[zeitgeist]

I see they don't bother creating graphics anymore. Now they just put in the concept art.

Apparently indie developers found a way to bypass the previously inevitable "having a website with a few pieces of concept art sitting around for years on end" phase of development, by putting said art directly into the game. Amazing breakthrough for the perpetual underdogs!

Also, pixels.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Not everything needs to be grimdark

Yeah. These are fucking floating islands, maybe the magic is enough to sustain plants and sunlight and happiness in general. Dunno. I like the graffix.

 

[Jora]

The narration works well in the video linked in the news post.

 

[Zeus]

Backgrounds look good, appears to be hand painted rather than rendered or tiles (at least until they get to the reppearing island bits). The narration is a cool idea, not sure if I'll get sick of it or not, but it certainly makes the game stand out. Not crazy about the main character, though.

 

[StrangeCase]

I'm not really sold on the art direction. I'm fine with the general quality (all these graphics whores running around the Codex are a disgrace) but it's a bit too Saturday-morning-cartoon for me to take seriously.

The narration bit is an interesting experiment. I'd have been more impressed if the narrator could adopt a tone other than detached, knowing cool. Veering into melodrama a la Bioware would be an even worse mistake, but some variation would be nice. Maybe have a couple of narrators, each with a different personality? Probably too artsy, though.

 

[Zeus]

I'm not sure it's supposed to be taken seriously. The narrator isn't exactly your typical Gandalf droning on about ancient evils and magic artifacts.

"...finds his lifelong friend, just lying in the road." Only it's not some dying elf or something dramatic, just a bigass hammer.

Of course, Braid looked cheery enough, so this could downslide into pretention. But I'm fine with cartoon graphics. They didn't bother me back in the Quest for Glory days, they don't bother me now.

 

[MisterStone]

Looks like Fischer Price x Diablo

 

[Jaesun]

Bastion is kind of a gay title name. At least, it could possibly be better then Fallout 3. But that's not really saying much.

 

[Tolknaz]

Looks like cel-shaded 3d rather than hand painted.

 

[desocupado]

The gameplay looks seriously better than the "action" rpg bullshit we're used. You know, not like diablo.

Dodge buttons are great.