Bastion (PC, 2011)
Graphics-7.5 Sound-8 Control-7/6** Challenge-7/7.5*/6*** Story-6.5
Level Design-7 Frustration-7.5*/7/5.5*** Fun-7 Originality-5.5
Overall Score-7
*First two Who knows where levels
**The jump and using the battering ram
***Final level
+
Diablo/Ys-like ARPG gameplay in isometric view (exp point leveling, basic buff/skill slot system and weapon crafting (use materials+money found in the levels or gained through challenges to upgrade them with buffs at the forge buildings), gear focus, dodge roll move (can change direction during it+ some invincibility time during it), manual blocking with a shield (can also reflect shots back at enemies as well as do counter-block damage if you can time bringing out the shield right), unlock a shop an hour or so into it)
Pretty nice VA (voiced narrator, provides a bunch of lore and comments on your actions as you make them)
One selectable special attack/"secret skill" for each weapon (can only hold one special at a time though (not one for each held weapon) and can only switch at arsenal buildings) as well as some additional ones, Some interesting specials (squirt lure - calls on a friendly minor enemy to aid you in combat (doesn't follow you around much though), grenade which can be lobbed/volleyd)
Some good humour (playful, ironic, tongue in cheek, "badass", the rail level commentary)
Timing-based charge attacks/power shots with ranged weapons (hold to charge and let go when your avatar flashes)
Basic 3-hit attack combo with the hammer (timing sensitive last strike though it has some odd things about it - see below)
Item drop magnet (short range by default which can be upgraded with a convenience skill (fetching fizz drink); Sonic 3)
Control config (the game displays XB360 pad buttons when using a PS4 pad though)
Good overall art direction (nice artwork stills in particular), Some nice visual effects (how level tiles hover into place, )
Difficulty options (normal and easy)
Some mini-games (bow challenge - decent except you can't see the trajectory past what you're aiming at nor switch targets while charging (can also make it pretty easy by upgrading the bow's damage), machete challenge - pretty easy once you figure out the right tactic and impossible if you don't, shield challenge - pretty good if a bit drawn out (the shield special also doesn't work here), repeater gun challenge - easy unless you're using the rate of fire/spread fire upgrade, musket challenge - decent besides the bug, slinger challenge - so-so (button masher and the auto-aim sometimes fails), army carbine - easy with a couple of speed upgrades, pike - pretty good, mortar - easy with a couple of upgrades, flamethrower - easy)
Basic dialogue trees (can choose which subjects to talk about with the one NPC in the bastion (home base/friendly area, eventually a few of them) however it's pretty limited and you can only ask about something once)
Volume levels (sfx, voice, music) and various resolution options
Can recover (land on your feet) after getting knocked into the air - similar to Streets of Rage
Can cancel potion drinking animations and the end of attack animations (post-hit) by rolling+cancel rolls with attacks
Some interesting drink buffs/skills (werewhiskey=100% crits while below 33% HP (risk/reward), hearty punch=1 extra life/chance if you die during a level+damages enemies next to you like in some old school beat 'em ups, falling malt's secondary effect (deal damage by falling on enemies), lifewine=saves you from death (putting you at 1 HP) then resets if you heal again - mender mead=gain some HP from counter-blocking (situational though) and leechade (same thing but when hitting but your health potions also get less efficient), if lifewine is combined with stabsinthe or werewhiskey+leechade you often won't need to manually heal after being saved for it to reset),
Risk/reward system in the shrine idols (activate a shrine to make the game tougher in some ways while at the same time gaining better money+exp rewards from combat)
Switch ranged targets with l/r
4 optional battle arena levels (who knows where; more of a character's past is revealed in portions as you play through these)
Enemies can hit each other which causes in-fighting
Some creative level design (the "mole gator" that chases you in one level, )
Pretty good variety of weapons and some fun ones (hammer, shield (countering), flamethrower, musket, specials: grenades, mines)
Fight alongside rescued NPCs at the home base at one point
Two story choices (whether to rescue Zulf or not and whether to restore the world to a previous state or escape from it and move on in the end)
Unlockable new game plus and score attack modes (no hard mode though)
+/-
Auto-saving only (in-between levels, one slot per game - a minor problem due to some points of no return and not being able to revisit a beaten level), One extra life/chance per attempt at a level (can be upgraded to 2, not a consumable like extra lives in most games, respawn on the spot), No mid-level checkpoints
Mostly linear structure (a couple of open-ended levels after the intro level and one near the finale (bushes and switches gimmick level), hub map structure where you unlock either 2 levels or a challenge mini-game+1 level per beaten level after the second one (mostly the latter), )
Can't jump (besides some limited jumping via jump pads) until Tazal Terminals/the final level where the roll is replaced with a jump move - would've been cool if it could've been used elsewhere or in new game plus
Basic buff/skill slot system (choose between one of the acquired skills/buffs per unlocked level, you don't unlock new skills by unlocking levels - instead you can use more skills at once)
Game is very forgiving about falling into pits (lose a little bit of health and respawn where you fell)
Can respec your selected buff/skill (drink) slots and weapon upgrades at any point - can only have one of them active per level at a time and can't use more materials to have 2 weapon upgrades active at once (basic weapon upgrade "tree" - choose 1 out of 2 upgrades per level)
Voiced narrator also serves as a minor tutorial in the beginning (doesn't pause gameplay but feels a bit too handholdy at times) - game also includes some optional tutorials but they are text only (boo!)
Can only hold 3 healing potions and 3 special attack potions at once by default (can be upgraded to 5 each with drinks) - picking up extra ones yields a bit of exp if you're at full health/capacity (or auto-uses the health potion if not)
Kinda slow movement means you'll want to be rolling everywhere
The shield locks you onto the nearest enemy when used
The buffs/skills are themed around strong drinks/spirits made in a distillery (weird since the player char looks like he's in his teens)
Silent protagonist and the narration is all in past tense
No armor equipment besides the shield
Enemies don't respawn
No weapon inventory - can carry only two weapons at once and have to visit arsenal buildings to switch
Can't strafe or move at all while using the repeater gun (only the bow and the machete's ranged attack)
Post-apocalyptic fantasy setting (feels inspired by Fallout to an extent)
Damage numbers on top of enemies when you hit them (would've preferred life bars)
Basic world restoration theme (rebuilding the bastion area and repopulating it - could've let the player make more choices regarding building placements and its layout though (you only get to choose between which one out of 2-3 at a time to build which has a minor effect on drink buff/skill progression)
Tight timing on spamming the roll without getting a delay in-between each one
Some unavoidable damage in melee combat (your attacks don't stun enemies and because of the delay on rolls+inputs not registering if mistimed issues; the game tends to let tons of enemies loose at you and then counter that with tons of healing and special attack potions - feels a bit messy compared to games where you can avoid almost everything and maintain a good flow with enough skill (and more crowd control possibilities like throwing enemies into each other/choke points (though there are some)/knocking enemies down/stun locking - at least there is one repeater gun special that slows a single enemy down and some breakout-style special moves though but since you can at most carry 5 (and you don't get this drink until mid-late game+black potions drops are sometimes rare) it's not as flexible as in most retro beat 'em ups))
Most lore is very lightweight (like one sentence per memento item you bring to one of the NPCs in the bastion)
Melee combat is harder than ranged combat
Few bosses (generally uses enemy gauntlets instead)
Some achievements with attached money rewards (memorial building; some are decent while others happen as you play normally or make you collect stuff)
Pretty short invincibility time after taking a hit
Cutscenes are just artwork stills
Short endings
Leveling is a bit slow (you won't reach the max level (I reached level 6) if you don't grind in the arena levels)
No puzzles in the regular levels (the bow, machete, musket and pike challenges are puzzle-ish though)
-
Some control/interface issues (the jump controls are so-so (no height control and too slow/floaty+can't jump straight up since it automatically moves you forward a bit at the beginning of the jump arc+minor delay after landing before you can jump again) and it was a bad idea to replace the roll with it and do it during the final level - it being so long messes up your timing when fighting the enemies here, blocking with the shield isn't completely reliable - sometimes your avatar rotates to block a different volley of projectiles right after blocking the first one in the previous volley, the bow's auto-aim isn't completely reliable/consistent - also affects its special attacks/secret skills, sometimes (rare) your avatar doesn't turn around to block something while most other times he does), annoying how if you press the button to roll too early during an attack animation then it doesn't even register, can't roll cancel while charging up a shot attack, could've also been back to Skyway besides Back to Bastion in the menu (end up back at the bastion when exiting a mini-game level even though the exit says skyway), can't skip dialogue/narration at all (on a per sentence/paragraph basis would've been best), no special attack/move inventory - should've at least been able to carry one per weapon and switch out the one you picked up during a level since you find them so frequently, should've also been able to switch back to the previous weapon when picking up a new one in a level, odd timing on the 3 hit combo with the hammer and the first swing type doesn't happen unless you're moving forward+it's weird how if you swing once then move and stop it will still continue the combo you started, can't strafe without being in attack range of an enemy and movement is pretty slow while doing it, sometimes lacking skill descriptions (the rate of fire one is also a bit misleading - rellay adds some spread rathe than increase it), no message log/journal - sometimes you get distrated by the action and miss lines (the final level for example), sometimes overly big hit boxes around buildings you can enter (skill tree and arsenal/equipment buildings), sometimes a little sloppy hit detection on breakable objects - miss when hitting from one angle but not from another even if it looks like it's the same distance from the object (in a few instances it also looks like you can shoot something with the repeater gun from afar but the shots don't land), weird how you can't lock onto enemies with the repeater gun without using the shield, can't reload the repeater gun manually - means you always have to empty the magazine to make it reload, you occasionally get semi-stuck when moving into smaller obstacles, can't see your current level without entering a distillery/skill tree building, unskippable bootup logos, the machete throw misses too easily - should've been pretty much a guaranteed hit if you managed to time a charged shot, the aiming reticle for the machete's ranged attack doesn't display outside of its challenge level, somet hit detection issues around certain objects and when shooting things from certain angles (pretty noticeable in the cinderbrick fort level), poor control over the spin attack, can't check your build while in a level, sometimes sloppy melee hit detection on the burrowing birds, )
Can't revisit beaten levels (missable resources/consumables and perhaps specials as well? - some points of no return in levels as well, can grind for money and exp in the battle arena levels however)
Sometimes hard to tell what you can and can't break in the surroundings (breakable objects contain resources), Sometimes hard to tell what you can and can't stand on, Distracting visual effects when getting close to death or when poisoned
Some trial & error (if you fall after grabbing the core in the beginning than you fall to the next area and can't retry that segment - falling elsewhere just respawns you where you fell off, enemies that create pits in the who knows where arena, various tiny stumps of paths that look like they will trigger a proper one but when you walk up to them they don't)
Can't select twin stick controls on a controller to simulate the mouse aiming when using M&KB or to strafe while using a shield or bow in parts where you can't lock onto enemies (the second stick is usable but mapped to the shield for some reason)
Some invisible walls here and there
The repeater gun feels gimped on purpose to make the first upgrades for it useful (faster reload and more ammo capacity per mag)
The voiced narrator sometimes comments a bit too much about mundane events and it's a bit immersion breaking when he says you took one route and then you change your mind and the voice acts like nothing happened
The mirror shield special move isn't that good? (doesn't hit when moving into things so you have to be getting attacked for it to do anything)
Parts of the backgrounds have a somewhat sketchy look to them and feedback during combat is somewhat weak
No level maps
Some more control over drink buff/skill progression might've been nice (more akin to a skill tree)
Some drinks aren't so good (graver gimlet (small chance to go berzerk and do 2x damage for a few seconds) tends to activate when not needed, )
The level 3 weapon upgrades are the same as the level 1 upgrades (they do stack though)
Money dropped by enemies over pits drops into the pits - some enemies you want to take out from afar since they'll perform a fast attack otherwise and some birds will just keep shooting from above pits (can jump into the pit to grab it but you'll take damage)
A bit repetitive (levels tend to be flat and straightforward in structure (few stairs, lack of heights/slopes/climbing (also can't enter buildings besides the upgrade ones) - does have some minor platforming in some levels with platforms falling down as you step on them as well as some jump pads though the latter are very limited in how you can use them (you only gain control during the landing and after the game has selected which platform to land on), some enemies are repeated too much)
Some tedious parts (the battering ram isn't that fun to use - can't roll or jump nor strafe while blocking, painfully slow movement when carrying Zulf, the third who knows where level is too drawn out, levels with a lot of armored plant enemies - particularly where you can't reach them with a melee weapon if you don't have a ranged attack that does good damage per hit (can get a hammer upgrade that bypasses armor but you get it very late))
Zulf and Zia aren't voiced until after the final level where Zia suddenly is
Can't trade one material for another
Sometimes uneven difficulty (easy toad boss and final level (gain a lot of black potions here+a smart bomb-style attack), relatively tough first two arena levels)
Feels a bit empty/rushed how some buildings don't have a clerk or host in them and NPCs in the bastion don't perform any activities (they stand around and have exclamation marks over them when you can ask them something new which feels very MMO-ish and arcade-like)
The lack of the story becoming present tense until after the final level makes the showdown with the last boss and meeting up with Zulf again less impactful plus it makes the player unable to form much of a relationship with Zia or Rucks (the narrator) during the game - when the time comes to choose whether to restore the world or escape from it then this+getting distracted by the action during some of the monologues+not being able to ask Zia or Rucks what they want you to pick makes it feel like it doesn't matter which one you pick
Rescuing Zulf doesn't change the ending besides him showing up in a couple of artwork stills during the credits
Bugs:
-Crashed once during the final level
-During one of the flashback segments where you start out sleeping you can start moving without waking up
-The rifle auto-aims along the rail in that level (can't shoot non-enemy objects to your sides)
-Can't roll during the musket challenge (there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to)
Level Design-7 Frustration-7.5*/7/5.5*** Fun-7 Originality-5.5
Overall Score-7
*First two Who knows where levels
**The jump and using the battering ram
***Final level
+
Diablo/Ys-like ARPG gameplay in isometric view (exp point leveling, basic buff/skill slot system and weapon crafting (use materials+money found in the levels or gained through challenges to upgrade them with buffs at the forge buildings), gear focus, dodge roll move (can change direction during it+ some invincibility time during it), manual blocking with a shield (can also reflect shots back at enemies as well as do counter-block damage if you can time bringing out the shield right), unlock a shop an hour or so into it)
Pretty nice VA (voiced narrator, provides a bunch of lore and comments on your actions as you make them)
One selectable special attack/"secret skill" for each weapon (can only hold one special at a time though (not one for each held weapon) and can only switch at arsenal buildings) as well as some additional ones, Some interesting specials (squirt lure - calls on a friendly minor enemy to aid you in combat (doesn't follow you around much though), grenade which can be lobbed/volleyd)
Some good humour (playful, ironic, tongue in cheek, "badass", the rail level commentary)
Timing-based charge attacks/power shots with ranged weapons (hold to charge and let go when your avatar flashes)
Basic 3-hit attack combo with the hammer (timing sensitive last strike though it has some odd things about it - see below)
Item drop magnet (short range by default which can be upgraded with a convenience skill (fetching fizz drink); Sonic 3)
Control config (the game displays XB360 pad buttons when using a PS4 pad though)
Good overall art direction (nice artwork stills in particular), Some nice visual effects (how level tiles hover into place, )
Difficulty options (normal and easy)
Some mini-games (bow challenge - decent except you can't see the trajectory past what you're aiming at nor switch targets while charging (can also make it pretty easy by upgrading the bow's damage), machete challenge - pretty easy once you figure out the right tactic and impossible if you don't, shield challenge - pretty good if a bit drawn out (the shield special also doesn't work here), repeater gun challenge - easy unless you're using the rate of fire/spread fire upgrade, musket challenge - decent besides the bug, slinger challenge - so-so (button masher and the auto-aim sometimes fails), army carbine - easy with a couple of speed upgrades, pike - pretty good, mortar - easy with a couple of upgrades, flamethrower - easy)
Basic dialogue trees (can choose which subjects to talk about with the one NPC in the bastion (home base/friendly area, eventually a few of them) however it's pretty limited and you can only ask about something once)
Volume levels (sfx, voice, music) and various resolution options
Can recover (land on your feet) after getting knocked into the air - similar to Streets of Rage
Can cancel potion drinking animations and the end of attack animations (post-hit) by rolling+cancel rolls with attacks
Some interesting drink buffs/skills (werewhiskey=100% crits while below 33% HP (risk/reward), hearty punch=1 extra life/chance if you die during a level+damages enemies next to you like in some old school beat 'em ups, falling malt's secondary effect (deal damage by falling on enemies), lifewine=saves you from death (putting you at 1 HP) then resets if you heal again - mender mead=gain some HP from counter-blocking (situational though) and leechade (same thing but when hitting but your health potions also get less efficient), if lifewine is combined with stabsinthe or werewhiskey+leechade you often won't need to manually heal after being saved for it to reset),
Risk/reward system in the shrine idols (activate a shrine to make the game tougher in some ways while at the same time gaining better money+exp rewards from combat)
Switch ranged targets with l/r
4 optional battle arena levels (who knows where; more of a character's past is revealed in portions as you play through these)
Enemies can hit each other which causes in-fighting
Some creative level design (the "mole gator" that chases you in one level, )
Pretty good variety of weapons and some fun ones (hammer, shield (countering), flamethrower, musket, specials: grenades, mines)
Fight alongside rescued NPCs at the home base at one point
Two story choices (whether to rescue Zulf or not and whether to restore the world to a previous state or escape from it and move on in the end)
Unlockable new game plus and score attack modes (no hard mode though)
+/-
Auto-saving only (in-between levels, one slot per game - a minor problem due to some points of no return and not being able to revisit a beaten level), One extra life/chance per attempt at a level (can be upgraded to 2, not a consumable like extra lives in most games, respawn on the spot), No mid-level checkpoints
Mostly linear structure (a couple of open-ended levels after the intro level and one near the finale (bushes and switches gimmick level), hub map structure where you unlock either 2 levels or a challenge mini-game+1 level per beaten level after the second one (mostly the latter), )
Can't jump (besides some limited jumping via jump pads) until Tazal Terminals/the final level where the roll is replaced with a jump move - would've been cool if it could've been used elsewhere or in new game plus
Basic buff/skill slot system (choose between one of the acquired skills/buffs per unlocked level, you don't unlock new skills by unlocking levels - instead you can use more skills at once)
Game is very forgiving about falling into pits (lose a little bit of health and respawn where you fell)
Can respec your selected buff/skill (drink) slots and weapon upgrades at any point - can only have one of them active per level at a time and can't use more materials to have 2 weapon upgrades active at once (basic weapon upgrade "tree" - choose 1 out of 2 upgrades per level)
Voiced narrator also serves as a minor tutorial in the beginning (doesn't pause gameplay but feels a bit too handholdy at times) - game also includes some optional tutorials but they are text only (boo!)
Can only hold 3 healing potions and 3 special attack potions at once by default (can be upgraded to 5 each with drinks) - picking up extra ones yields a bit of exp if you're at full health/capacity (or auto-uses the health potion if not)
Kinda slow movement means you'll want to be rolling everywhere
The shield locks you onto the nearest enemy when used
The buffs/skills are themed around strong drinks/spirits made in a distillery (weird since the player char looks like he's in his teens)
Silent protagonist and the narration is all in past tense
No armor equipment besides the shield
Enemies don't respawn
No weapon inventory - can carry only two weapons at once and have to visit arsenal buildings to switch
Can't strafe or move at all while using the repeater gun (only the bow and the machete's ranged attack)
Post-apocalyptic fantasy setting (feels inspired by Fallout to an extent)
Damage numbers on top of enemies when you hit them (would've preferred life bars)
Basic world restoration theme (rebuilding the bastion area and repopulating it - could've let the player make more choices regarding building placements and its layout though (you only get to choose between which one out of 2-3 at a time to build which has a minor effect on drink buff/skill progression)
Tight timing on spamming the roll without getting a delay in-between each one
Some unavoidable damage in melee combat (your attacks don't stun enemies and because of the delay on rolls+inputs not registering if mistimed issues; the game tends to let tons of enemies loose at you and then counter that with tons of healing and special attack potions - feels a bit messy compared to games where you can avoid almost everything and maintain a good flow with enough skill (and more crowd control possibilities like throwing enemies into each other/choke points (though there are some)/knocking enemies down/stun locking - at least there is one repeater gun special that slows a single enemy down and some breakout-style special moves though but since you can at most carry 5 (and you don't get this drink until mid-late game+black potions drops are sometimes rare) it's not as flexible as in most retro beat 'em ups))
Most lore is very lightweight (like one sentence per memento item you bring to one of the NPCs in the bastion)
Melee combat is harder than ranged combat
Few bosses (generally uses enemy gauntlets instead)
Some achievements with attached money rewards (memorial building; some are decent while others happen as you play normally or make you collect stuff)
Pretty short invincibility time after taking a hit
Cutscenes are just artwork stills
Short endings
Leveling is a bit slow (you won't reach the max level (I reached level 6) if you don't grind in the arena levels)
No puzzles in the regular levels (the bow, machete, musket and pike challenges are puzzle-ish though)
-
Some control/interface issues (the jump controls are so-so (no height control and too slow/floaty+can't jump straight up since it automatically moves you forward a bit at the beginning of the jump arc+minor delay after landing before you can jump again) and it was a bad idea to replace the roll with it and do it during the final level - it being so long messes up your timing when fighting the enemies here, blocking with the shield isn't completely reliable - sometimes your avatar rotates to block a different volley of projectiles right after blocking the first one in the previous volley, the bow's auto-aim isn't completely reliable/consistent - also affects its special attacks/secret skills, sometimes (rare) your avatar doesn't turn around to block something while most other times he does), annoying how if you press the button to roll too early during an attack animation then it doesn't even register, can't roll cancel while charging up a shot attack, could've also been back to Skyway besides Back to Bastion in the menu (end up back at the bastion when exiting a mini-game level even though the exit says skyway), can't skip dialogue/narration at all (on a per sentence/paragraph basis would've been best), no special attack/move inventory - should've at least been able to carry one per weapon and switch out the one you picked up during a level since you find them so frequently, should've also been able to switch back to the previous weapon when picking up a new one in a level, odd timing on the 3 hit combo with the hammer and the first swing type doesn't happen unless you're moving forward+it's weird how if you swing once then move and stop it will still continue the combo you started, can't strafe without being in attack range of an enemy and movement is pretty slow while doing it, sometimes lacking skill descriptions (the rate of fire one is also a bit misleading - rellay adds some spread rathe than increase it), no message log/journal - sometimes you get distrated by the action and miss lines (the final level for example), sometimes overly big hit boxes around buildings you can enter (skill tree and arsenal/equipment buildings), sometimes a little sloppy hit detection on breakable objects - miss when hitting from one angle but not from another even if it looks like it's the same distance from the object (in a few instances it also looks like you can shoot something with the repeater gun from afar but the shots don't land), weird how you can't lock onto enemies with the repeater gun without using the shield, can't reload the repeater gun manually - means you always have to empty the magazine to make it reload, you occasionally get semi-stuck when moving into smaller obstacles, can't see your current level without entering a distillery/skill tree building, unskippable bootup logos, the machete throw misses too easily - should've been pretty much a guaranteed hit if you managed to time a charged shot, the aiming reticle for the machete's ranged attack doesn't display outside of its challenge level, somet hit detection issues around certain objects and when shooting things from certain angles (pretty noticeable in the cinderbrick fort level), poor control over the spin attack, can't check your build while in a level, sometimes sloppy melee hit detection on the burrowing birds, )
Can't revisit beaten levels (missable resources/consumables and perhaps specials as well? - some points of no return in levels as well, can grind for money and exp in the battle arena levels however)
Sometimes hard to tell what you can and can't break in the surroundings (breakable objects contain resources), Sometimes hard to tell what you can and can't stand on, Distracting visual effects when getting close to death or when poisoned
Some trial & error (if you fall after grabbing the core in the beginning than you fall to the next area and can't retry that segment - falling elsewhere just respawns you where you fell off, enemies that create pits in the who knows where arena, various tiny stumps of paths that look like they will trigger a proper one but when you walk up to them they don't)
Can't select twin stick controls on a controller to simulate the mouse aiming when using M&KB or to strafe while using a shield or bow in parts where you can't lock onto enemies (the second stick is usable but mapped to the shield for some reason)
Some invisible walls here and there
The repeater gun feels gimped on purpose to make the first upgrades for it useful (faster reload and more ammo capacity per mag)
The voiced narrator sometimes comments a bit too much about mundane events and it's a bit immersion breaking when he says you took one route and then you change your mind and the voice acts like nothing happened
The mirror shield special move isn't that good? (doesn't hit when moving into things so you have to be getting attacked for it to do anything)
Parts of the backgrounds have a somewhat sketchy look to them and feedback during combat is somewhat weak
No level maps
Some more control over drink buff/skill progression might've been nice (more akin to a skill tree)
Some drinks aren't so good (graver gimlet (small chance to go berzerk and do 2x damage for a few seconds) tends to activate when not needed, )
The level 3 weapon upgrades are the same as the level 1 upgrades (they do stack though)
Money dropped by enemies over pits drops into the pits - some enemies you want to take out from afar since they'll perform a fast attack otherwise and some birds will just keep shooting from above pits (can jump into the pit to grab it but you'll take damage)
A bit repetitive (levels tend to be flat and straightforward in structure (few stairs, lack of heights/slopes/climbing (also can't enter buildings besides the upgrade ones) - does have some minor platforming in some levels with platforms falling down as you step on them as well as some jump pads though the latter are very limited in how you can use them (you only gain control during the landing and after the game has selected which platform to land on), some enemies are repeated too much)
Some tedious parts (the battering ram isn't that fun to use - can't roll or jump nor strafe while blocking, painfully slow movement when carrying Zulf, the third who knows where level is too drawn out, levels with a lot of armored plant enemies - particularly where you can't reach them with a melee weapon if you don't have a ranged attack that does good damage per hit (can get a hammer upgrade that bypasses armor but you get it very late))
Zulf and Zia aren't voiced until after the final level where Zia suddenly is
Can't trade one material for another
Sometimes uneven difficulty (easy toad boss and final level (gain a lot of black potions here+a smart bomb-style attack), relatively tough first two arena levels)
Feels a bit empty/rushed how some buildings don't have a clerk or host in them and NPCs in the bastion don't perform any activities (they stand around and have exclamation marks over them when you can ask them something new which feels very MMO-ish and arcade-like)
The lack of the story becoming present tense until after the final level makes the showdown with the last boss and meeting up with Zulf again less impactful plus it makes the player unable to form much of a relationship with Zia or Rucks (the narrator) during the game - when the time comes to choose whether to restore the world or escape from it then this+getting distracted by the action during some of the monologues+not being able to ask Zia or Rucks what they want you to pick makes it feel like it doesn't matter which one you pick
Rescuing Zulf doesn't change the ending besides him showing up in a couple of artwork stills during the credits
Bugs:
-Crashed once during the final level
-During one of the flashback segments where you start out sleeping you can start moving without waking up
-The rifle auto-aims along the rail in that level (can't shoot non-enemy objects to your sides)
-Can't roll during the musket challenge (there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to)