Every once in a while, a game will come by that will make you think. It will take you on a journey to another world, make you care for characters that don’t exist, and get you involved in a story that could never happen. Recently, that game was Bastion. Bastion is a indie action-RPG, developed as the debut game of a new studio, Supergiant Games. And it’s fantastic. The art style, narration, gameplay, and story all draw you in to create an unforgettable experience. And at the end, I did in fact cry my eyes out. Why, you may ask? Well, to see what Bastion did right, we must examine what most other games (and all other story-telling mediums, for that matter) do wrong.
For the most part, I play video games for the same reason that I watch movies or read books; I want to experience a story. Each of these three mediums have different ways of conveying stories to the adventurous soul who decides to embark on the journey. Books let its readers’ imaginations run wild, and the reader creates the world the book is set in. Movies (and television shows) show the viewer the story, and hope that the viewer can connect due to the use of real life imagery. But video games, at least for me, evoke the most potent emotional connection and response. Unlike movies and books, video games don’t feed the player a story. In video games, the player is the story. He participates in it, and moves the plot forward. Characters help him and hamper him, interacting with the player. Because of this deep personal connection one feels with the characters in a video game as opposed to a book or movie, emotions seem a bit heightened whilst playing. I can confidently say that I’ve cried more during video games than I have during books and movies combined.
Of course, not all video games have deep, engrossing stories in the same way that not all movies try to tell a story. Some movies just want the viewer to watch as explosions tear apart the screen and dead bodies litter the ground. Likewise, some video games just want the player to experience thrill after thrill, leaving virtually no room to tell a story. But when a game gets it right, and focuses on a character driven story where the player drives the plot forward, it’s a pretty damn beautiful experience. Bastion is one of these games. So even if you’re not a gamer, even if you’ve never played a video game in your life, I implore you to play Bastion. It’s a game that will make you cry, and it’s a game that will make you think about your own life. Bastion poses some big questions about what it means to be human, and like any good game, it’s up to you, the player, to answer them. So yes, I cried when Bastion ended, and I’m sure you will too.
