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I don't post much on the games forum, but I picked up a game recently on a friend's recommendation that is ideal for discussion on AbWrite.
The name of the game is Bastion. I got it for the PC on Steam, but I understand it's available for some consoles also. It's a very unique game.
It's an isometric platformer -- you run around in a 3/4th view, like Diablo, and hit things with weapons. But it's as though someone decided to redesign platformers from the ground up. The world is in pieces, and those pieces only assemble into walkable paths as you move toward them. So there isn't always an obvious path to go, which encourages exploration and experiment.
The gameplay is innovative also, with a unique 'idol' method for customizing difficulty by ticking off the gods who then make the enemies stronger to spite you. It also has built-in achievements that give in-game rewards. The weapon system isn't unique but is handled well, with ten different weapons, all of which can be upgraded along two trees, and you can handle any two weapons at once plus a magic spell. Usually you'll be carrying some kind of melee weapon and some kind of gun, with the magic spell as an emergency 'clear the room' button.
But what makes this such a unique game, and a game AbWrite might be interested in, is the narrative. What you do in the game is narrated. The narrator is a character in the game, and he watches your actions, and he adjusts his speech to what you do and how well you do it. That makes Bastion feel very much as though you're uncovering a story as you play. And it's a very interesting and engaging story. I won't give spoilers, but the Bastion is part of an epic storyline, and you are neither at its beginning nor at its end. It's a very well done piece of interactive novelization.
Now, there are some problems. The game is very linear, as you'd expect from a game that has to have text for everything you do. And the difficulty in the game is not very even -- you might be hacking enemies to bits on one section and then get your face eaten in no time in the next area.
Those are minor nitpicks, though. In all, Bastion is an intriguing experiment in nonlinear storytelling as part of an interactive game. I recommend it if you like platformer or rogue-style games.
The name of the game is Bastion. I got it for the PC on Steam, but I understand it's available for some consoles also. It's a very unique game.
It's an isometric platformer -- you run around in a 3/4th view, like Diablo, and hit things with weapons. But it's as though someone decided to redesign platformers from the ground up. The world is in pieces, and those pieces only assemble into walkable paths as you move toward them. So there isn't always an obvious path to go, which encourages exploration and experiment.
The gameplay is innovative also, with a unique 'idol' method for customizing difficulty by ticking off the gods who then make the enemies stronger to spite you. It also has built-in achievements that give in-game rewards. The weapon system isn't unique but is handled well, with ten different weapons, all of which can be upgraded along two trees, and you can handle any two weapons at once plus a magic spell. Usually you'll be carrying some kind of melee weapon and some kind of gun, with the magic spell as an emergency 'clear the room' button.
But what makes this such a unique game, and a game AbWrite might be interested in, is the narrative. What you do in the game is narrated. The narrator is a character in the game, and he watches your actions, and he adjusts his speech to what you do and how well you do it. That makes Bastion feel very much as though you're uncovering a story as you play. And it's a very interesting and engaging story. I won't give spoilers, but the Bastion is part of an epic storyline, and you are neither at its beginning nor at its end. It's a very well done piece of interactive novelization.
Now, there are some problems. The game is very linear, as you'd expect from a game that has to have text for everything you do. And the difficulty in the game is not very even -- you might be hacking enemies to bits on one section and then get your face eaten in no time in the next area.
Those are minor nitpicks, though. In all, Bastion is an intriguing experiment in nonlinear storytelling as part of an interactive game. I recommend it if you like platformer or rogue-style games.
