It's our pleasure to announce that Bastion is now available for PC via the Steam Store! We're very excited to bring this great new version of our game to a whole new audience (and to some of you dedicated fans looking to experience Bastion all over again). Visit our Steam page to download the game or the free demo. Bastion for PC will be coming to other digital stores in the coming weeks.
Launch Week Offer: We're offering Bastion for $14.99 in North America, and as a launch week bonus we're also bundling the game plus our highly-acclaimed soundtrack in MP3 format at a discounted price of $19.99. We encourage everyone to play through the game before listening to the soundtrack, as the music is best heard in context first.
Enhanced for PC: Bastion started its life as a PC game, so we hope you'll find it feels home-grown on the platform, thanks to features like native support for stunning 1080p resolution and fully remappable controls. Read our previous post for more details.
And Thanks! Ever since Bastion's launch on the Xbox 360 a few weeks ago, we've been getting some amazing emails from players telling us how strong of an impact the game has left on them. We can only hope this new version will create many, many more such experiences. As ever, thank you all for your support,
- Jen, Gavin, Logan, Andrew, Greg, Amir, and Darren
Bastion is coming to Steam in just a few days, so we wanted to show you what we've cooked up with the PC controls. Due to Bastion's focus on fast, responsive action, it was very important to us to provide PC controls that let players move and fight quickly and easily. We do offer gamepad support but we weren't about to sacrifice the quality of the experience for those players who don't have gamepads. With that in mind, we came up with a set of PC controls we think you're going to enjoy. Here's a sneak peek at the controls setup screen:
As you can see, our controls screen on PC offers three different default settings, centered on your choice of which device you want to use for moving around:
- Slinger-Style: Our default PC control scheme, reminiscent of shooter controls where the keyboard is used to move your character and the mouse is used to aim and attack. Having free-aim on the mouse feels great even if you're used to the auto-aim mechanic we have on console.
- Mason-Style: Our alternate PC control scheme, inspired by traditional action RPGs, where clicking or holding the Left Mouse Button moves your character. This provides a smoother analog feel for character control.
- Trigger-Style: Our original console control scheme for those preferring to play using a gamepad. Controller vibration is supported. Unlike on console, the commands are all fully remappable.
Each of these settings is fully remappable if you want, though we made sure the defaults felt good and made sense in each control scheme.
Beyond the control differences, the other key enhancement in Bastion for PC is that it runs natively in 1920x1080 resolution (up from 1280x720 on the Xbox 360). To see what this means, compare this 1080p image from the PC version to this 720p image from the console version. Our loading times are quite a bit faster on PC as well.
Bastion is coming to Steam on Tuesday, August 16 at 10:00am PST, and will be available for other digital distribution services in the following weeks. We're very excited to bring this version of our game to a whole new audience, especially since Bastion started its life as a PC game. It's finally come full circle!
Hot on the heels of our Xbox 360 debut last month, the PC version of Bastion is officially coming to Steam on Tuesday, August 16, 2011. Yeah, that soon! You can visit the Bastion page on Steam right now to preorder the game in time for the 10am PST launch or for more info. System requirements, the works!
What's different about the PC version of Bastion? We've taken the time to make sure the experience feels right at home on your gaming rig, specifically with these features:
• Gorgeous 1080p ResolutionExperience the lush world of Bastion in stunning detail.
• Custom-Tailored PC ControlsFully redesigned, remappable controls created for PC – plus gamepad support.
• DRM-freeWhen you buy something it should be yours.
• Steamworks EnabledCloud saves, Leaderboards, and Steam achievements.
Bastion for PC retails for $14.99 in North America, and will be coming to other PC digital distribution services later this year.
While you wait, have a gander at these fresh new screenshots of Bastion in full 1080p glory. And be sure to read our earlier post about the just-released Bastion Original Soundtrack!
"The Bastion ain't going to build itself. Well, not entirely."
Count on the Scrap Musket to clean up any mess.
Say hello to the dreaded Anklegator, one of many colorful creatures you'll meet in the game.
"Proper story's supposed to start at the beginning. Ain't so simple with this one."
To everyone holding out for the PC release of Bastion, thank you for your patience and we hope you'll find the wait was more than worth it! We look forward to hearing from you.
The wait is over! We're pleased to announce that the Bastion Original Soundtrack is now available in a high-quality, DRM-free digital format. Check it out, and read on for details!
Spoiler Warning: The music in Bastion is key to the experience. We advise playing through the game before listening to the soundtrack.
Brand-New Content: In addition to packing in all the tracks you love from the game, this fully remastered album features a new narrated intro plus a very special bonus track, "The Pantheon (Ain't Gonna Catch You)". It's an hour of original music spread across 22 tracks, and it can all be yours for the predictable price of $10! Head over to our Bandcamp page and have a listen!
Bastion OST on Disc...at PAX: In September we will also be offering the Bastion Original Soundtrack on compact disc. You can preorder it now, or have a chance to get it early live and in person at PAX Prime in Seattle this August 26-28, where our audio director / composer Darren Korb along with the rest of our team will be on hand to sign your copy if you want! We hope you'll stop by and say hello.
. . .
About Our Soundtrack: The music in Bastion was essential from the early stages of development, back when we had a feel for the kind of tone we wanted but could only begin to get at it with words. Darren ran with those ideas, creating a style of music he calls acoustic frontier trip-hop -- an expression of the particular blend of familiar and exotic that we wanted for Bastion's world. Darren's music nailed our high-contrast tone perfectly and fueled much of our content creation.
We'd like to thank you again for the overwhelmingly positive response to our game and its soundtrack. While different aspects of Bastion have stood out to different people, one thing that's resoundingly clear is that you love our soundtrack and want it! We're happy to oblige, and hope this album lives up to your highest expectations.
It's our pleasure to announce that Bastion is now available on Xbox LIVE, marking the beginning of this year's Summer of Arcade. Visit the Bastion page on Xbox.com to download the game, or you can do it the old-fashioned way straight from the console.
Dozens of reviews are flooding in from all around the world. Here's a taste of what game critics are saying about the full experience:
"Supergiant Games' debut effort isn't just good – it's a must-play." - Game Informer (9.25 / 10)
"Bastion isn't just one of the year's best titles. It's also one of the best stories you'll see in an indie game." - GamePro (5 / 5)
"This game is amazing and you owe it to yourself to download it." - IGN.com (9.0 / 10)
"It's frightening to think how much the human voice has done to distance Bastion from the crowd." - Edge (9 / 10)
"The entire game drips with passionate artistry from the gorgeous watercolor aesthetics to the stirring soundtrack." - Wired (9 / 10)
"Bastion...wishes to persist, as a living artwork that may be revisited forever." - Kill Screen (9 / 10)
* * *
Today marks the most important moment yet in the short history of our studio: Bastion, our first game, is real. Through it we hope you'll come to better know us as a team. And if you like what we did here, know that we're very excited to keep on going. Much obliged,
-- Amir, Gavin, Darren, Logan, Jen, Greg, and Andrew
As we near Bastion's July 20 launch date on Xbox LIVE Arcade, we're very pleased to present the all-new Launch Trailer. Check it out, if you'd like to know more about it, read on!
We built this trailer with our own bare hands (OK and some software), just like the game itself and our Reveal Trailer from last year. Our process for creating trailers is a little unusual so we wanted to take you through how we made it.
Step 1: Concept & Narrative
When it comes time to create a trailer, we start with the story. Story is an important part of our game, so rather than just spell out Bastion's feature set or show a bunch of cool-looking clips from the game, we aim to capture the tone and atmosphere using original content. This way, those unfamiliar with the game should get a feel for it, while those already familiar should gain new insight into the world.
Once we decided on an angle for the story, I wrote the narration in collaboration with Amir (akin to the writing process for the rest of the game), then Darren recorded the narration with Logan our voice actor. We then had a narration track to serve as the spine of our trailer.
Step 2: Artwork & Motion Graphics
In conjunction with the narrative thread, we wanted to create original artwork for this trailer to express the look and feel of the world. Jen has long wanted to illustrate a more dramatic scene from the game, so she pursued the idea of an image where the Kid is squaring off versus a gigantic Scumbag, one of the more colorful creatures in our game. As this would be an animated painting, we wanted it both to reveal the look and feel of the gameworld while also showcasing some of our characters. Our friend Andre Mina did the motion graphics on this piece, in collaboration with Jen.
Step 3. Musical Score
With the narrative and art concepts in place, Darren then worked on creating original music for the trailer based on the tone we wanted. By this point we had a general sense of the timing and flow of the piece, though that really wouldn't come together until Darren created the music. The music ends up being the real driving force of the trailer. As with our Reveal Trailer, the music in the Launch Trailer is an original composition written for this video.
Step 4: Gameplay Footage
We had much less to show when we were making the Reveal Trailer last year, but this time around we had a whole game's worth of stuff to show. We wanted to make sure to show a greater breadth of content, to express that Bastion is a grand adventure that will take you to a wide variety of places. At the same time, we made sure not to spoil anything here, as we hate it when trailers give away a game's coolest surprises. Lastly, we wanted to show more of the RPG systems at work. With all that in mind, I sat down and captured lots and lots of HD footage from the game, and cut it into clips, which Darren then used to cut the piece together.
Step 5, 6, 7, etc.: Rough Cut & Iteration
With the artwork, narration, music, and video footage in hand, Darren proceeded to cut the whole thing together into a cohesive piece. Once we have a complete piece to look at, we start reviewing and iterating. We got up to about version 9 before we decided to lock the thing down, with Darren tweaking and editing and mixing, trying to get each little moment to look and feel just right. 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.
There you have it! We had a great time putting this piece together, and thought it would be the perfect way to count down the last few days until our game is out.
Today Microsoft revealed more details about its fourth annual Summer of Arcade on Xbox LIVE, and that means some big news for us here at Supergiant Games: It means we can tell you that Bastion is coming to the Xbox 360 on July 20, less than a month from now.
Bastion will be the first of five Summer of Arcade titles, and will be selling for 1200 Microsoft Points.
With the game releasing so soon, we're very, very excited to see what you all will think of it, and we have some cool stuff planned between now and July 20. Thanks so much to all of you who saw the potential in Bastion to get us to this amazing point in our studio's relatively short history.
To those of you learning about Bastion for the first time, welcome aboard! Please follow @Supergiantgames and check out our Bastion FAQ for more info.
Our team is back from what's been another amazing show...! We love seeing people's reactions to Bastion. Especially considering how E3 is the battleground for the heaviest hitters in gaming, stuff like Battlefield 3 and Uncharted 3 and whatnot, we came away very, very happy that a smaller title like ours could earn so much attention amid all the AAA blockbusters throwing their weight around.
Bastion in Summer of Arcade
The big news for us coming out of E3 is that we got into the exclusive Summer of Arcade on Xbox 360 this year, following in the footsteps of great and inspiring games like Braid, Castle Crashers, Shadow Complex, 'Splosion Man, Trials HD, and LIMBO, among others. This is a real honor. Summer of Arcade starts on July 20 and runs for five weeks, which means Bastion will be released sometime during that period.
As for how E3 went, the best evidence of how well we did at the show is that we racked up 10 award nominations from various gaming publications! Here they are, followed by a selection of Bastion coverage posted around the Web:
Bastion E3 2011 Award Nominations
Game Critics - Best Original Game, Best Downloadable Game
Please note some of the winners in these categories have yet to be announced at the time of this writing.
E3 2011 Coverage Highlights
There's been a ton of great new Bastion coverage during and leading up to E3. Here are some examples!
"I think it'll capture the imagination of most gamers. I know it did mine." - IGN
"We're pleased to see there's plenty of substance to complement Bastion's style." - GameSpot
"This is one of those great stories you find in the industry: passionate people put together a great game, it gets noticed by the right people, and maintains its strong and unique ideas through development." - Ars Technica
"My time with Bastion proved that the buzz it received at E3 was well deserved." - Game Informer
"Bastion is one of most stylish action-RPGs to come along in a while." - The Escapist
"You're not going to want to miss this one." - Games Radar
"[S]triking visuals and a keen sense of humor." - A.V. Club
"Bastion is one of the truly imaginative role-playing games I’ve seen, a rarity among the fantasy-themed video games that come and go by the dozen." - Venture Beat
"This cute, colorful, post-apocalyptic romp may shape up to be E3′s little engine that could." - Entertainment Weekly
"Its approach to narration [is] fascinating, not only because it adds to the fun of the classic action-RPG experience but because of the way it tackles the fundamental problem of storytelling in videogames." - Wired
"Even with the massive depth of material available within Xbox Live Marketplace, there's nothing quite like Bastion." - Official Xbox Magazine
"It's bursting with charming visuals and a really approachable play style." - GameSpy
"Bastion, is sure to turn some heads – showing that games can be art." - Game Rant
"It was quite apparent that this is a game with heart and soul." - DualShockers
"The game manages to strike a balance between old-school nostalgia and next-gen innovation." - The Game Effect
"All of [the] pieces fit together to make Bastion much deeper than the average action RPG." - XBLA Ratings
"It's hard not to be enchanted by Bastion's charm." - GameFront
"Bastion was our favorite surprise of E3." - Complex
"Gameplay is fast and exciting, and the art style is colorful and imaginative." - Bitmob
"It's hard to believe that Bastion was the work of a team of only seven people, but the hard work they've put into it clearly shows off." - Middle East Gamers
"Despite having a small showing in the Warner Bros.' booth, Bastion...stole some spotlight away from its retail brethren with its unique appeal." - Gaming Union
"The short demo of Bastion at E3 was so well done, that it almost made me miss one of my appointments with a major developer." - Attack of the Fanboy
That's just a sample of what's come in so far, and we expect to see still more coverage of the game in the coming days.
Supergiant Games E3 Photo Gallery
Want to see more of us at E3? Check out our E3 2011 photo gallery on Facebook.
Once again, thanks to everyone who's taken the time to play the game so far, as the support and positive word-of-mouth we've received has made all the difference.
This week our entire team is in Los Angeles for the Electronic Entertainment Expo, where we'll be letting people get their hands on Bastion at the Warner Bros. booth. To keep up with the latest, follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook because that's where we'll have rapid-fire updates.
It's the first time we'll have all seven members of our team together at a show. So if you're going to E3, stop by, say hello, and try the game for yourself.
Click for the full-size version. Jen created this piece just for the show. Big thanks to the folks at Warner Bros. for having the courage to promote an independent game from a small studio in this fashion, amid all the big AAA blockbusters clamoring for attention. To all our friends and supporters out there, thank you for believing in us!
With E3 and our not-yet-determined summer release date approaching, we couldn't resist snapping a few more screens of some of the game's different areas. Have a look at some never-before-seen foes and environments, as well as a new weapon, the Scrap Musket... which works an awful lot like a 12-gauge shotgun. And don't worry about spoilers, this stuff is just the tip of the iceberg.
Also, all you keen-eyed observers should compare some of these shots with some of the older shots we released, to see some of the added polish (detail, lighting, and so on) we've added to the game.
Talk about a rude awakening. The Calamity didn't leave much behind.
If subtlety ain't your style, you can always count on the Scrap Musket to clean up any mess.
Beyond the City of Caelondia lies the Wild Unknown, packed with dangers and mysteries.
The Kid decides to break for a little training with his trusty hammer.
The beasts of the wild don't much care for trespassers.
