(scroll down for TL;DR. I have a lot to say about this game so I won't be offended if you do =P)
(As a sidenote I got the soundtrack edition and don't regret it. It has some good songs on it.
Sample1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8cELTdtw6U
Sample2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYaFbFLAQlQ)
Bastion is a hack and slash style game. However, it's not like Diablo or Torchlight. In those games you had to constantly upgrade gear. You would find something awesome and then half an hour later you would replace it with something better. Not so in Bastion (more on that later). Something that is familiar to hack and slash games is health potions. You will be using plenty of these in Bastion... or at least I do =P. It also has "Black Tonics" which are used up when you use a special ability. It also has a narrator that tells the story as you play it.
Throughout the entire game there is a narrator telling your story. When I first heard about this, before I bought the game, I thought it might be annoying and just get in the way. In reality though the narrator makes you want to find out what's happening next. It's just like playing a story that's being told to you. Not to mention he has sort of a sense of humor. If you fall off the side of the level the narrator says things like "and then the hero falls to his death... just kidding" (if you fall off the side you don't die you just get hurt and fall out of the sky onto solid ground). He also comments on things you do from time to time. If you kill a powerful enemy he will say something like "And he will be no more." Or if you go to switch out your weapons but change your mind and stay with what you had he will say something like "the Kid stuck with tried and true methods." It really does add to the game.
In Bastion you have a few weapons which can all be upgraded with "world shards" (or something, which is the currency) and a specific item for each weapon, which you find while going through the levels ("something heavy" for the hammer weapon, etc.). This way you don't replace your weapons and you can keep your favorite weapon throughout the whole game. Or you can play every level with a different weapon if you want and still be just as effective. This system provides enough variety since you can equip two weapons and mix and match both ranged and melee weapons to find your favorite combo. The special abilities add an "oh Sh** button" so to speak. They are powerful defensive or offensive abilities that use up black tonics. That can clear a room or block all projectiles for a short time and everything in between. The weapons and special abilities are all very different and are not available at the beginning of the game; as you play through the game you find new weapons.
The weapons are very fun and I have yet to find one that doesn't have a real feeling of destruction when you use them (which is always a brilliant feeling). Each weapon also feels unique and has different strengths and weaknesses. For example, the hammer swings slowly but deals tons of damage when standing still. The different weapons allow for very customizable loadouts. Not only are each of the weapons different but each weapon has different ways of using it. What I mean by that is that there is an upgrade system for each weapon. There are 3 tiers of upgrades with 2 separate upgrades on each tier. To make this system even better you are not stuck with the upgrade you chose at first. You can test it out and switch freely between the 2 upgrades on the same tier to see which you like better. Through this weapon system the combat is highly customizable and can fit a large variety of playstyles.
In addition to the weapons you have a shield. The shield blocks attacks which stuns melee enemies for a short time. You can also counter attack ranged baddies if you block right before the projectile hits you. The shield only blocks in front of you though so watch out for attacks from behind.
There are also challenge levels for each weapon (and the shield). You get rewards for using the different weapons effectively which benefit those weapons directly by either the upgrade item for that weapon or (the "something heavy", etc.), if you use the weapon effectively enough, a special skill specifically for that weapon. These levels are good to hone your skills with a certain weapon or just to kill some stuff.The levels are not that long in Bastion but there is replayablity in each level due to the Shrine. At the shrine you can invoke the wrath of the gods which makes the baddies in each level harder. It may be by giving them more health or by making the baddies drop small grenades when they die (it took me a while to realize what was happening with that one =P). Not only does this add replayablity but it adds challenge. This is not without a reward however, as you get extra experience and money for activating these challenges. Which brings me to leveling...
There is no skill tree nor are there talents or anything like that. Each time you level you get more maximum health and a slot in your distillery. The distillery is a place where you equip Spirits (a drink not a ghost) which give passive bonuses. These bonuses are quite helpful. To give examples of a few there is one that allows you to get back up with a small amount of health after you die for the first time in a level and another that makes health potions heal all your health and you can hold 2 more. So needless to say these spirits are pretty helpful.
TL;DR
Bastion is amazing. It's a hack and slash game that strays from the traditional styles of games like diablo and torchlight but in a good way. There's no loot but the weapon and upgrade systems allow for tons of customization of gameplay. There's a narrator that tells your story as you go through the game which really adds to the story of the game. Most hack and slash games don't have a very enticing story (or at least not really enticing enough to make me pay attention) but Bastion certainly does. I would highly recommend this game.
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