Bastion

    Now here’s a kid whose whole world got all twisted, leaving him stranded on a rock in the sky. He gets up. Sets off for the Bastion.

An example of the beautiful graphics
in Bastion.

    After the apocalypse of the Calamity left the world of the Caels and the Ura utterly destroyed, hope for the world remains only in a sanctuary levitating in the sky, a floating island called the Bastion.
    In the game Bastion, you play as a character simply called The Kid. As The Kid, you must travel through what's left of the world, discovering what happened to cause such destruction, and what can be done to fix it. The Narrator, in a calm, smooth tone, describes what you see and do to you, adding a storyteller feel to the game.
    And just like that, the Bastion comes alive. Starts growing again. Growing stronger. Kid’s got to put its power to good use. Now the Bastion can send him even farther, into the Wild Unknown.

    In addition to the unique narration this game employs, the game is complemented with an excellent soundtrack. The musical style ranges from instrumental folk, to more classical music, to ethnic, to heavier rock. The song embedded to the right is perhaps the best one on the soundtrack - part folk, part lullaby, part romantic.
    The art in Bastion is excellent. The landscapes appear to be painted by hand, even though any part of the environment can change dynamically. As you move throughout the levels, smashing or shooting any enemies that get in your way, the ground assembles in front of you, making a path. Crates, bushes, rocks, and buildings fall into place, returning to their previous state before all was destroyed. In dying worlds, the ground falls apart beneath your feet, one chunk of dirt and grass at a time. The Narrator describes it all.

A battle is fought high above the
ground.

    The place is starting to fall. See, that Core the Kid took was the only thing making this particular rock stay afloat. Kid just keeps running.
    The game is played like an RPG, though it feels much simpler than one. You can gain experience and eventually level up from killing enemies, but that isn't the point of this game. This game is really about exploring a world that has been destroyed, and yet is still lush and beautiful. It's about enjoying the music, the art, and the narration as you progress. It's about trying out and customizing each of the twelve unique weapons the game has to offer. It's about becoming entrenched in a piece of art.

Purchase from Steam.
Try the demo using the Chrome browser.