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Bastion's canceled feature: 'Find a shoe? Plant it.'
Supergiant Games spent one year working on a "rich gardening feature" for Bastion that the entire team was "really excited about," but was eventually cut from the game, designer Amir Rao said at GDC. The final version of Bastion demonstrates the team's obsession with plants, but gardening itself was set to play a pivotal role in exploration and players' overall sense of accomplishment, Rao said, breaking it down into four functions: Players would find seeds for story items and worlds Planters on the Bastion would open up gradually, limiting how many seeds could be planted Plants would be watered with blue "cores" They would sprout and the fruit would offer its item, world, etc.Gardening in Bastion faced a slew of problems, but mostly the seeds had no aesthetic connection to the final plant -- "What does a 'hammer plant' look like?" Rao asked -- and Supergiant eventually realized that they were solving the wrong problem. What Bastion really needed was a menu.
Bastion down to $7.50 on Xbox Live this week
Lest you haven't bought Bastion yet, a title that made number five in Joystiq's prestigious 2011 top ten, this just might be the week to do it. The game is available for $7.50 this week on Xbox Live, half the usual price. We think Rucks would agree when we say it's a heckuva deal.
How a physical copy of Bastion wound up in Afghanistan
"He told me they had no plans of releasing a physical copy in the future, but if I gave him my address then he would see what he could do," one lucky Reddit user and Afghanistan-stationed United States Air Force officer wrote on the social news site earlier today. User "bolivar-shagnasty" was speaking about Supergiant's multi-award winning Bastion -- a game only available digitally for both Xbox 360 and PC.But "shagnasty's" internet connection while stationed in Afghanistan is ... let's call it less than ideal. "My internet connection is disgustingly slow and it costs so much that it seems like price gouging," he wrote. And despite his best efforts to snag Bastion via both Direct2Drive and Steam, he was rebuffed at both stops. Rather than give up, however, he decided to shoot an email to Supergiant and see if the studio had plans to release a retail version of the game at some point.Supergiant isn't a big studio by any means. Beyond creative director Greg Kasavin, six other folks can refer to themselves as full-time Supergiant-ers. So when the Air Force officer emailed what he expected to be customer support, he actually got a direct response from the aforementioned studio head, Greg Kasavin.
Bastion musicians provide today's musical interlude
In honor of Bastion earning a spot on Joystiq's Top 10 list, composer Darren Korb and singer Ashley Barrett gave an impromptu live performance of "Build That Wall" and "Setting Sail, Coming Home" in Supergiant's studio. Well, officially it was done just because they both happened to be around together, and the performance was recorded before we announced the award, but we're pretty sure it's because of our thing.
Joystiq Top 10 of 2011: Bastion
The Kid sat down to write about Bastion, his mind empty like a soldier's wallet. Where to begin? What to say? The game wasn't a blockbuster production, but it was beautiful and expertly executed, and an epic concept delivered by a team that knew its limitations. When there isn't an army of artists, engineers, writers and coders to impress those critical gasbags, you put your vision on display. Bastion's dynamic narration is to be the game's long-lasting cultural hook. A smooth and comforting voice relays events, but doesn't stop at exposition. There was very little the narrator didn't have a comment for, be it weapon combinations or that moment the kid simply starts smashing everything in sight. Much like "Still Alive" did double duty as Portal's end and as its revelation, Bastion takes a similar opportunity in its credits to deliver the haunting "Setting Sail, Coming Home." A combination of themes that become familiar to players through the game, the song delivered the type of emotional conclusion that even the best cutscenes rarely offer.
The kid succeeds: Bastion sales exceed 500K
It's been a critical success and now developer Supergiant Games has revealed Bastion is also a commercial success. The recent Steam and Xbox Live Arcade sales helped to push Bastion over that 500,000 mark, the developer's blog states. "When we set out to make Bastion, a sales number like that seemed astronomical to us, so it feels great to have hit that mark," creative director (and Bastion writer) Greg Kasavin said. "It goes to show that a lot of folks out there like what we're doing and want us to keep going, which is great, because we intend to stick together as a team and do just that." Considering the universal praise for the studio's first game, we can all agree that's a very good thing.
Stranger's Dream is the last planned Bastion DLC
Supergiant Games' creative director Greg Kasavin made his way down the red carpet at yesterday's Spike Video Game Awards, and stopped to speak with Joystiq about releasing the excellent Bastion on the Google Chrome browser platform. "It was an interesting project from a bunch of different angles," he said. "We were very curious about it technologically, because I'll be the first to admit that as a game player, I have certain preconceptions about what browser-based gaming is like." The whole project took about two months to make, and the team was uncertain they'd match the console version in quality, despite assurances from Google. "We were skeptical, but we got it up and running and we were like whoa, this actually works." The company is also planning on releasing a pack of DLC called "The Stranger's Dream" next week that will take players through another Who Knows Where sequence about the Rucks character. When asked if there will be more DLC after that, Kasavin gave a flat "no," but he's not so clear about whether this is the end of Bastion for good: "We don't know that for sure, but it's the end of our plans." So what's Supergiant up to next, then? "We have a bunch of little things brewing and whatnot," Kasavin promises. As for platforms or genres, however, he told us that "it's too early to say."
Bastion gets The Stranger's Dream DLC next week, $0 on PC, $1 on XBLA
It looks like the folks at Supergiant Games are really getting into the holiday spirit. As "a show of thanks" to their fans, the Bastion devs are releasing The Stranger's Dream DLC on December 14, "a new fully narrated Who Knows Where sequence, bigger and more challenging than the others. You'll gain a bit more insight into Rucks' backstory as well as the history of Caelondia if you can survive this fight." In addition to that Who Knows Where sequence – think challenge arena, if you haven't played Bastion yet – this DLC pack will enable a "Score Attack Mode" in which your combat performance is evaluated in each level, and a "No-Sweat Mode" so those of you who really stink at video games can still enjoy the narrative and aesthetic experience of playing Bastion. The catch: To access The Stranger's Dream and Score Attack Mode, you'll need to finish the game at least once; fortunately, No-Sweat Mode can help you make short work of that challenge. The other catch: Though the update will be available for free for PC, via Steam, the Google Chrome version, or other online vendors, the Xbox Live Arcade version needs to cost something. That's Microsoft's policy, holidays be damned. So Supergiant has priced this DLC at just 80 Microsoft Points or, as you and I may call it, $1. Supergiant's Greg Kasavin said that price is "about as close as we could get" while following Microsoft's policy. We appreciate that.
Play Bastion in your Chrome browser right now
Google's new "Native Client" tech lets developers compile high-end programs to run directly in a Chrome browser window. One of the first companies to take advantage of this is Supergiant Games, who has released its PC/XBLA hit Bastion to the Chrome Web Store. If you're running Chrome, and you meet the system requirements, trying out the new version is as simple as opening that link and hitting "Launch App." If it works well for you, you can purchase it for $14.99 and take your saved progress to any Chrome browser on any computer you happen to use. It worked pretty well for us -- on a Mac!
Steam daily deal: Bastion for $5
I can tell you, I've wandered this world for a while, but I ain't ever seen nothin' like what I saw today. There was the Kid, runnin' about, popping Squirts and introducing Gas Fellas to the business end of a Cael Hammer. Only it wasn't the Kid. Not really. It was some sort of electric facsimile, a collection of dots, like moving grains of sand on a pane. I don't rightly know how it works. Zia tells me it's a "video game," an invention the Ura dreamed up years ago, and this one is about the Kid's adventures rebuildin' the Bastion. I saw her pull the game from the ether, funneling it into a machine via some Steam powered contraption. As if that wasn't enough to jumble this old man's marbles, she told me the wondrous thing only set her back five dollars. Now, what exactly a dollar is, that she couldn't say.
Supergiant Games opens online store
The Kid needs coin, he's got a whole world to rebuild. Bastion developer Supergiant Games recently launched its online store, featuring merchandise related derived from its summer standout. There's the soundtrack for ears, the limited edition "Kid vs. Scumbag" print for eyes, and the Bastion bandana and t-shirt to cover one's naked shame. For those with the cash to spare, the Bastion Collector's Bundle includes a mess of goodies, along with a copy of the previously mentioned "Kid vs. Scumbag" print autographed by all seven of the Supergiant Games team. They mention that since Bastion launched, they've received a ton of requests for different kinds of game-related merchandise, but would rather "release a smaller number of high quality items over time than try to do everything at once." But, Supergiant, imagine all the cash you could make off white wigs, face bandages and hand wraps!
Bastion narrator takes a hilarious journey through other games
What happens when Bastion's ever-present contextual narrator lands in some of gaming's most famous titles? Pure hilarity, as seen in the Dorkly-crafted video above.
Bastion half-off on Steam today and tomorrow
Supergiant Games' lovable action-RPG Bastion has won over the hearts of many -- though folks who aren't willing to dish out $15 for a downloadable game have remained, as ever, non-plussed. If you're in this camp, act fast: The game's half off on Steam until November 3.
Bastion's Rucks has a problem with Cave Johnson
Rucks, a.k.a. the narrator from Bastion, is a learned man, capable of technological wizardry and spinning a good tale. He's not the only one of his kind, though, as proven by this video in which Rucks takes none other than Aperture Science founder Cave Johnson to task.
Bastion coming to PC on August 16, soundtrack available right now
Xbox Live Arcade's Bastion has gotten its launch date on the PC. Bastion will be available as a $14.99 download on Steam August 16, one day before From Dust debuts on the platform. You're getting two Summer of Arcade goodies in one week! Additionally, we'd like to point out that the Bastion soundtrack is currently available as a $10 download, replete with a new narration intro and bonus track, "The Pantheon (Ain't Gonna Catch You)." If you're looking for an actual physical disc, maybe to clutch against your bosom tightly as you fall asleep at night -- hey, no judgment here -- then you can shell out $15. The actual CD comes in a custom wallet, featuring original art by Jen Zee and (optionally) signed by composer Darren Korb. If you're really distrustful of your mail man (or don't want to wait until September when the disc ships), you can snag the album at PAX Prime in Seattle at the end of the month. Before you go diving into those beautiful tunes, take some of our advice: the songs are definitely best heard first in-game.
Bastion's Squirt made plush, adorable
The Kid had seen merchandise before, but it paled in comparison to the handmade Squirt plush doll sitting before him. He asked the lady how much, but she told him it wasn't for sale. It was the worst news he'd heard since the Calamity struck.
Get The Maw free with Bastion purchase at Microsoft Store
Maw? Maaaawwww? Where is that little purple guy? Oh, there he is -- as part of a free Summer of Arcade promotion on the Microsoft Store. Those who pick up a copy of Bastion via the Microsoft Store will also receive a free copy of Twisted Pixel's adorable adventure, The Maw. As we mentioned only a few words ago, The Maw is positively adorable and a decent game to boot, making this an attractive deal for those interested in Bastion. Strangely, the site notes that the deal applies to "any" Summer of Arcade purchase, though a footnote claims that the deal is valid solely for Bastion. Considering Bastion is currently the only Summer of Arcade title available, it's possible that the deal will be applied to the rest of the Summer of Arcade lineup as each title is released.
Bastion review: Classic composition
If Bastion had been made by hundreds of people instead of just a handful, it would have started with a big-huge bang. The city of Caelondia would go from an everyday murmur to a cacophony of toppling buildings and panicked, immolated citizens while a tutorial told you to quickly crouch here, jump there and look at all this stuff we spent 10 million dollars on. The land would shake itself to rubble, the screen would blur and black out, and the logo would appear alongside a crass, Hans Zimmer honk. BASTION This much better version starts with you getting out of bed. All you know is that a calamity has wrecked the world -- and that you must be a heavy sleeper. A warm, attentive narrator identifies you as "The Kid," a character so central to the story that the world literally reforms beneath his feet, step-by-step. For reasons that I'll leave you to discover for yourself, The Kid and a handful of other apocalypse survivors are drawn to The Bastion, a floating island that may offer safety, answers, and perhaps a roll of duct tape large enough to put the world back together.%Gallery-124482%
Bastion launch trailer is part prologue, briefly anti-log
Bastion's hero smashes a couple of logs with such ferocity in this launch trailer, we couldn't help but draw attention to it (not to mention our ability to conjure up eye-rolling headlines). Writer and designer Greg Kasavin describes the creative process behind the video in sincere detail on the Supergiant Games site. While footage of the vividly drawn action-RPG would have sufficed, the small development team created original art, music, writing and narration specifically for today's presentation. "We iterate until the level of our nitpicking makes us want to kill each other or ourselves, which is when we know we're done," writes Kasavin. Bastion launches this Wednesday, July 20, on Xbox Live Arcade as part of Microsoft's Summer of Arcade promotion.
Xbox Live Summer of Arcade 2011 kicks off July 20
Can't have summer without hot new Xbox Live games, right? Microsoft has announced its line-up for the warmer months, kicking off July 20 -- strangely, in an email and not, you know, during its E3 2011 press conference. Regardless, a total of five games will be on offer. No exact time table for the games was announced nor prices but, hey, at least we know what's coming. The first game listed is Toy Soldiers: Cold War, a sequel to one of 2010's most lucrative Xbox Live Arcade games. The next game listed is Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, Fuelcell's stylish UFO simulator, followed by Fruit Ninja Kinect, a flail-tastic port of Halfbrick's darling mobile (and soon, Facebook!) title. Next we have Bastion, a game we suggest you all should keep an eye on. Finally, rounding out the list of games is From Dust, Eric Chahi's god game. An impressive list, to say the least. It's important to know that this is simply how Microsoft listed the games in its press email and not indicative of when each title will launch throughout the promotion.
