If you ask me, there can never be too many action-RPGs. So, when an indie start-up comes along — one made up of ex-Command & Conquer veterans and a former GameSpot Editor-In-Chief no less — to offer its take on the genre, my face lights up like a child’s on Christmas morning.
My latest action-RPG crush is Supergiant Games‘ newly-unveiled Bastion, a game that promises to pull players into its colorful, hand-painted universe and have them build “civilization’s last refuge” after a cataclysmic event known as the Calamity splinters the world into a chain of floating islands. Players will roam the floating islands in search of supplies and survivors to construct their safe haven, slaying nasty monsters, customizing gear, and sipping on “specially-brewed spirits” to develop powerful abilities along the way, while a narrator dynamically reacts to and narrates player actions as they occur in real time.
“Our goal with Bastion is to hit players’ emotional chords in unexpected ways, in addition to delivering highly responsive gameplay that rewards finesse and experimentation,” said game industry veteran Greg Kasavin, Supergiant Games’ Creative Director. “We’re pushing to make it so that players become absorbed in the game’s distinctive setting and narrative tone from the first moments.”
Bastion‘s development is currently scheduled to wrap up by summer 2011, at which point it will be digitally distributed on PC and console platforms. Check out the official trailer below and the first screenshots here for a glimpse of the game’s lush visuals and intriguing narrative style.