For those few of you reading these articles that aren’t members of my immediate family, my Bastion review may have given you the impression that I was some kind of starry-eyed optimist about things. In fact, I’m more the typical nerd in that I hate pretty much everything. Bastion was one of those rare works whose craft can overcome my cynicism and surprise me for the better, but in general, I find most things I encounter to be poorly conceived and shoddily executed. On that note: From Dust!

From Dust is the brainchild of designer Eric Chahi (famous for his 1991 release Another World/Out of This World in North America), a spiritual sequel to the original “god game” Populous. You control the mysterious force known as “the Breath”, scooping up water, earth, and lava to build bridges and remove obstacles so groups of villagers can move around various islands. Why you actually do this is anybody’s guess.

The plot is as ephemeral as your avatar, each level opening with one or two sentences that vaguely justify the ensuing gameplay challenges. There’s a lot of catchphrases and symbolism that seems to hint at an overarching story that simply isn’t there. An in-game codex contains brief selections of backstory, but nothing that explains the story properly. Not that that would improve things, as a game’s story is not something that can be appreciated only outside of playing it.

When you actually get around to playing From Dust, there’s certainly enjoyment to be had. Manipulating the environment is deeply satisfying, especially when using some of the special powers villages grant you. For example, in certain cituations you can temporarily solidify water, allowing you to part seas and rivers and hope the villagers run through the path in time. You can also move around special plants that can burn, flood, or blow up the area around them, extremely useful in certain situations.

Unfortunately, the most basic obstacles can be compounded by the stupidity of the villagers. These are the kinds of beings that can drown in a few feet of water, or throw themselves into lava, or refuse to move over what seems like easily passable terrain. Add to this the fact that you have only the most rudimentary control over them, and more often than not failing in the game seems like it’s less your fault than the game’s.

Where From Dust shines is in its presentation. Its graphics are beautiful, creating sweeping vistas of rippling water and flowing lava. And although there’s no real soundtrack, the subtle sounds of the sea and gurgling lava provide a nice accompaniment.

Watching a gigantic tsunami sweep towards a village as you hurriedly pour lava into a protective wall, you can forgive most of the game’s faults if you approach it in the right state of mind. From Dust is nothing spectacular, and probably won’t be remembered long past its release, but it’s certainly an interesting experience. Definitely download the demo first, but do give it a try.

3 / 5 Melons

Note: At the time of this writing, there is a storm of controversy surrounding the PC version of From Dust, particularly its online-dependent DRM and port quality, or lack thereof. Potential customers are advised to further research the situation before purchasing.

“Proper story’s supposed to start at the beginning.  Ain’t so simple with this one…” -Narrator

The kid never stops.  Not before the Calamity, when fate seems determined to make his life as rough as it can get.  Not after the Calamity, when what little life remains comes after him like they don’t have long to settle their grudges.  Certainly not up on Prosper Bluff, with the song dancing in the air around him, pulling him forward through what, with every passing second, feels more and more like a dream.

But when he reaches the singer, he sees her standing there, sadness and grief ringing off her every word.  And he stops.  He sits down, and waits for her to finish.

It’s a beautiful moment that will probably forever rank amongst my favorite in gaming, and it’s made all the more powerful by the fact that it didn’t have to happen.  I easily could’ve ran up to the girl immediately, pressing X to move the game along, and most people probably did.  But even though it’s a simple downloadable game, Bastion managed to draw me into its setting and characters more deeply than most big-name, blockbuster titles.

At first, one could be forgiven in thinking Bastion hardly has a story at all.  The only explicit information source is a dusty-voiced narrator, who follows the player-controlled kid as he attempts to repair the eponymous Bastion.  It houses the few remnants of Caledonian civilization following a Calamity so thorough it stripped away the ground itself, leaving the player to maneuver perilous paths that re-form themselves (and occasionally collapse) beneath his feet.  The setting is similarly revealed to you gradually, with the Narrator’s anecdotes, quips, and ramblings being so much more intriguing than the giant walls of text offered as backstory in more verbose titles like Dragon Age or Mass Effect.

Even though this is Supergiant Games’ first release, the team behind Bastion are industry veterans, and it shows in the gameplay.  The action is quick and responsive, each of the dozen or so weapons feeling very different and being upgradeable in different ways.  On the defense, you can dodge away from, around, or into enemies, or block almost all attacks, with proper timing resulting in a counter, damaging the enemy in return.  With these elements in play, you end up always moving, active in offense or defense, and never feeling like you don’t have the tools to overcome your obstacles.

The RPG elements work admirably as well, at their simplest supplying currency in the form of shards you can use to buy weapon upgrades, memorabilia you failed to find in levels, secret moves, or tonics.  Tonics provide passive bonuses, with more slots opening up every level, and their effects vary widely.  Some provide simple increases to max health or damage, while others prevent death from some blows, and one even encourages the player to fall off the world in order to damage enemies.

With all these tools at your disposal, the game can become less than challenging, which is where Bastion’s clever Totem system comes into play.  By calling upon an in-game pantheon of gods, you can increase difficulty in ten different ways, making enemies tougher, stronger, faster, occasionally turn invincible, drop bombs when they die… Previously feeble enemies quickly become terrifying swarms, and you soon find your comfort level of danger.  And the idols help in return for the hurt they do – each difficulty increase has an equal experience bonus.

Possibly the best feature of all this customization is that it is entirely impermanent.  You can swap out weapons, upgrades, tonics, and idols anytime you return to the Bastion.  With the dizzying array of possibilities, the game can keep fresh for much longer than one play-through. It’s just as well since they included a new game plus mode, carrying over your progress to re-play the game as many times as you wish.

Bastion’s presentation pulls everything together, hand-drawn art and backgrounds seamlessly interacting with 3D characters and monsters.  The sound design is distinctive, enemies and weapons easily distinguishable in the heat of battle and yet another way of keeping track of goings-on.  And the music is near-perfect, pulse-pounding battle tunes driving you on, with more atmospheric songs evening out the experience, with occasional pieces of haunting beauty.  When a fan campaign instantly forms demanding for your game’s soundtrack to be made available for sale, you know you’ve done something right.

In short, Bastion is wonderful.  Every aspect of its design and presentation are great on their own, and merge together to create a wonderful experience.  Available now on the 360 and soon on the PC, this is one game you should definitely give a try.