Game review: Bastion (Demo)

Bastion is a smash-'em up style action roleplaying game by Supergiant Games. Unlike many games hailing themselves a part of the roleplaying genre, Bastion prominently features a narrative story where the player character's actions have the most significant impact on the world and the story.

Summary of analysis
Mixed delight/disappointment new player experience, mostly positive gameplay experience which is likely to be improved by playing on primary release platform, adequately accomplished interface and control scheme that really emphasizes a reason to play it on Xbox rather than PC, graphically appealing style that comes to life in the moment, excellent music & sound (especially the third-person narrator element).

Tutorial/New player experience
The new player experience of Bastion is an equal helping of discovering a delightful innovation and unfortunate disorientation. Right from the beginning, the player gets to experience having a fully-voiced narrator guide them along and give them hints. Unfortunately, they're left to learn the controls without ever being taught and often amidst a hostile environment or opposition. Note: this may have been a particular failing of the demo version. In any case, I cautiously respect the way Supergiant Games chose to try and keep the theme of discovery even though it impacts upon tutorial elements of the gameplay.

Gameplay experience
As a disclaimer, I strictly recommend playing the Xbox version instead of the PC, as the gameplay revealed that to be the target platform with the PC version being a notably buggy after thought. Aside from development focus, the gameplay experience was largely entertaining and flowed nicely; there was clearly a lot of thought in the level design with the player being able to have a good idea of current obstacles and dangers due to the third-person narrator present at all times. One particularly amusing point was my first time falling off the world and the narrator playing it off as a joke they were telling instead of what really happened; sadly, later accidents of that nature felt more like being unjustly scolded as I'd never been doing it on purpose.

Interface & Controls
The interface elements, while on hand since starting are learned much like everything else: in the moment and experimental trial and error. Thankfully, some of the elements first become active in contextual pair with learning some of the game's mechanics. The control scheme is why I recommend only ever playing the Xbox version, as being told to hit trigger buttons on a keyboard and mouse scheme is an infuriating and counter-productive issue that really only gets resolved by having to pause and bring up the controls section of the menu. In addition, having to play a 3/4 perspective game when directional keys are running tangent to the entire layout scheme means having to make a lot of over correcting and more than a little accidental occurrences of falling off the world and additional risk of death by key locking..

Graphics
A lot of work went into the game's particular style and themes through the graphics of Bastion. All the active and passive elements blend together to create an appealing experience that greatly aids a desire to explore the game world. As the player progresses through a level and explores optional side-paths, the world literally comes into view, rising out of the infinite expanse beneath the player and arranging itself emphasizing that feel of a narrated story coming into being as it's been described to an audience.

Music & Sound
Bastion's background music helps evoke the game's exploration and survival themes, but it is (pun warning) instrumental as back up to the game's narrator. As mentioned a number of times by this point, the game's fully-voiced narration is a key element of gameplay and is a masterful attempt of innovation. Even with all the detracting points I encountered in the demo, I'd still recommend playing this game just for the narrated story. The game has a number of triggered nodes that push the narration as the player progresses and also reacts to the player's actions during the course of play.

Commentary
I sincerely hope to have an opportunity to play through the full Xbox version of the game one day but I have no intention of putting myself through the PC experience of Bastion again. It should be applauded any time a game attempts to innovate. When they succeed in contributing to an enjoyable experience and help lend those new elements into the standard, the game studio should be making news in the industry with both player and developer communities alike. As noted in the game's official site, this is the company's first game, lending even more weight to the arguments of why the big studios should be looking to independent studios for hints on how to do things rather than gambling on the ever diminishing appeal of series sequels.
This adds yet another name to my list of companies to keep an eye on in hopes of seeing what they'll accomplish in the future.

Game Review: The Kingdom of Loathing

The Kingdom of Loathing is an online roleplaying game by Asymmetric Publications. At time of this blogging, it is listed as being in open beta.
The game's premise appears very much to just have fun and do a little adventuring in a unique land.

Summary of analysis
Effective new player experience, a fresh take on roleplaying genre gameplay through its presentation to the player, semi-complex but well-implemented interface with mostly mouse-driven controls, surprisingly well-chosen graphics, no sound or music.

Tutorial/New player experience
While at heart the game comes across as significantly less than serious, there's actually quite a bit of mechanics going on behind the scenes and like many roleplaying games a lot to teach to a new player. Thankfully, the overarching theme and succinct tutorial system keeps things rolling along nicely and even though I've had to pause to get through a bout of laughter, it's a welcome slow down.

Gameplay experience
For a run down in detail of gameplay elements, I recommend the Kingdom of Loathing Wiki.
Definitely a one of a kind experience, from fighting off laughter to fighting absurdities, it's fully embraced the roleplaying game meme of random encounters. The game adheres to a lot of the genre conventions: random encounters and level grinding, stat management, inventory systems, etc but it was still somehow refreshing to play through due to the colorful descriptions and comical interpretation of pretty much everything.

Interface & Controls
Like many roleplaying games, there's numerous interface elements to interact with and I'm grateful to see them introduced as they're being placed on the interface (with some exceptions). The mouse appears to be the sole means of controls in the game, at least from what I've found from playing so far though I expect from my research that the keyboard becomes important once a player gets into the social elements of the game.

Graphics
Stick-figure style characters, objects, and environment. Though many games would have a hard time pulling this one off, I think KoL actually benefits its themes and the overall gameplay experience having gone this route.

Music & Sound
No sound or music at the time of this blogging, though I'd love to see it implemented one day when it's in full release.

Commentary
I expected from creating a character that I'd be in for quite a lot of puns and some occasional campiness. Just a few actions in and I realized I was going to be needing a week's rations, a tent, some flint and steel, fifty feet of rope, and a standard issue ten foot pole (actually 11') because this was going to be an adventure into the heart of camp. It's obvious that the developers meant for everyone involved to have fun with the game including themselves and should be credited for taking a job and making it enjoyable (seen far too many game developers that try to discourage others from the industry and barely enjoy what they do).
I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on this game as they've managed to be innovative without the need of a multi-million dollar budget and provide players with recreation through silliness in a well-structured set of mechanics.