We're very excited to announce that Bastion for iPad is now available on the App Store! You can come try it for yourself this week at PAX Prime (we're at booth 6019). Featuring all the narration, music, artwork, and action that made Bastion one of the most acclaimed games of 2011, this latest version reimagines the play experience to work intuitively using the iPad's touch screen.
Have a look at our reveal trailer:
We've got a lot of little details to share about this version so we decided to share them by way of this Bastion for iPad FAQ!
UPDATE -- November 14, 2012: Bastion is now a Universal App! We've updated the contents of this FAQ to reflect the latest changes in the 1.1 version.
What is Bastion for iOS? Bastion for iOS is our award-winning game re-created to work with touch controls and feel right at home on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. If you're not familiar with the original game, you can learn more about Bastion here. If you want to know more about Apple's hardware, visit Apple's web site.
Where can I get it? Bastion for iOS is available on the App Store.
How much does it cost? Bastion for iPad costs $4.99.
Which devices does the game support? Here is a full list of devices supported by Bastion for iOS after the 1.1 update: - iPad 2 - iPad 3rd Generation - iPad 4th Generation - iPad mini - iPhone 4S - iPhone 5 - iPod touch 5th Generation
Bastion will not run on older devices for technical reasons.
Does Bastion for iOS support the Retina display on the New iPad? Yes. Bastion for iPad looks even sharper and more colorful on the New iPad. The screenshots in this blog post should give you an impression of how the game looks.
Is Bastion for iOS optimized for the iPhone 5's Retina Display? Yes. We reworked every screen type in the game to take advantage of the iPhone 5's larger screen. Here is an example of one of the menu screens on iPhone 5.
Does Bastion for iOS include iCloud support for saved data? Yes. As part of the 1.1 update, we introduced iCloud support so that your saved data will transfer seamlessly between devices. You may disable this feature if you wish. To transfer data from the 1.0 version of the game to iCloud, please update the app and load each save slot you want to sync.
Does Bastion for iOS support Game Center? Yes. Bastion for iOS has more than 20 Game Center achievements as well as a leaderboard tracking story progression.
How big is the download? The download size is 542 MB. Once installed, the game takes up around 1 GB on your device (thanks to all that HD artwork). As such, a WiFi connection is required to download the game, though you don't need to have a live Internet connection to play it.
I already own Bastion for another platform. Should I get this version? If you've already played through previous versions of the game, read on and decide if the changes we've introduced to Bastion for iOS make it worth your while to get it again. If you decide to get it, thank you very much for your ongoing support, and we'd love to know what you think.
What are the main differences between Bastion for iOS and previous versions of the game? Bastion for iOS offers the complete game experience found in previous versions of the game, including all the narration, music, artwork, and gameplay. While there are many subtle changes and enhancements, the main difference between this and previous versions is in how you play the game. Also, due to the nature of the iPad's screen, Bastion for iPad is presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio (other versions are in 16:9). Note the iPhone 5 version of the game is closer to the original 16:9 aspect ratio.
How do you play Bastion for iOS? What are the controls like? The default controls are designed to be easy to pick up, while allowing you to maneuver with finesse through the game's scenarios. Touch anywhere on the screen to move to that point, or press and hold onscreen to make the Kid move in that direction. Double-tap to perform a quick Evasive Roll. The Kid will attack automatically when foes or obstacles get in range. You can manually fire certain weapons and can also use the Bullhead Shield to defend, or use a Secret Skill to quickly dispatch foes. You can carry two weapons at a time and freely switch between the two at the touch of a button.
We also offer Classic Controls, reminiscent of playing with a gamepad. With this setting, you move using a virtual joystick and can attack, roll, use the shield, use secret skills, or toggle weapons by pressing the respective buttons.
You can switch control settings at any time. The default setting is intended for new players or those expecting the game to feel natural and intuitive with touch controls, while the Classic Controls may be better suited for Bastion fans expecting a more familiar experience or those accustomed to other games with virtual-joystick controls on iPad.
Does the game include in-app purchases or microtransactions? No. Bastion was always intended to be a complete and immersive experience, so these types of things are not appropriate for our game. This version does include a link to the Bastion Original Soundtrack on iTunes, though, since a lot of players ask us where they can get our soundtrack.
Who developed Bastion for iOS? We did! The same team that created the original game is behind this version (with the help of the latest additions to our team). You can learn more about us on our Team page.
I've played Bastion before. Is there new gameplay content in Bastion for iOS? Any new narration or music? Bastion for iOS includes the Stranger's Dream sequence, which was not in the original releases of Bastion for Xbox 360 or PC but later released as a downloadable extra. The visuals are updated to look best on this platform, there are a couple of new lines of narration relating to some minor gameplay changes, and numerous little fixes, as well as rebalanced Proving Grounds for all the different weapons. Further, we converted the "No-Sweat Mode" added to previous versions into an Infinite Lives toggle setting, for less experienced players who might be enjoying the story but having a tough time with some of the encounters. On the other hand, experienced players can still engage the Shrine system for some very challenging and fast-paced battles. On the whole, though, the content of the game will be similar to what you remember if you've played previous versions. That said, the experience of playing should feel quite fresh on this platform if our playtesters' feedback is any indication. Also, all of the game's menu screens are re-created from scratch for this version, so they have a different look and feel.
Are there any new weapons or upgrades in Bastion for iOS? While the majority of the content in Bastion for iOS is very similar to previous versions, some weapons have been retuned and some upgrades redesigned in order to best fit this platform. If you're a fan of previous versions of the game, we hope you'll enjoy discovering some of the differences in feel in some of your favorite weapons. As with previous versions of the game, our goal here was to ensure that each weapon was viable all the way through the game and in combination with every other weapon -- so it's not about getting better and better weapons, it's about finding a loadout that best fits your preferred playstyle.
Why does the iOS version cost less than other versions and does this mean the other versions have their prices cut? We want Bastion to feel like a great value on each platform where it's available, so the $4.99 price point is what felt right to us on iOS, given the availability of many other high-quality titles at similar price points. We have no plans to cut the price of other versions of the game.
Is there a free trial or demo version of Bastion for iOS? There is no free trial version available on iOS. We didn't want this version of the game to appear like a free-to-play game in the App Store, and we didn't want to create confusion by having a "lite" version as well as a full version, so we decided we'd be better off without a trial version in this case. You can always play a free trial version of Bastion on Steam or Xbox LIVE Arcade if you're new to the game and want to get a feel for it.
Why isn't the game available on older devices such as the iPhone 4 or the first-generation iPad? For technical reasons we only targeted the second- and third-generation iPads for the initial launch. Our 1.1 update added support for the iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, and iPod touch 5th Generation, and we've also verified that the game runs great on the iPad mini and 4th Generation iPad, which released after Bastion's launch.
Why does the Requirements sidebar on the App Store list devices other than the ones above? Due to a technical limitation in the submission process, unfortunately we cannot update which devices appear in that list. That's why we list the real device requirements emphatically at the top of the product description itself.
Why isn't the game available in my regional App Store? Due to publishing restrictions, Bastion may not be available in your regional App Store. We are investigating whether there's anything we can do to address this but ultimately the decision is not within our control. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please note other versions of the game may be available in your region.
How did you get the game running on iOS? Our engineers used Mono, a high-performance runtime engine from Xamarin, to get our proprietary game engine running on iOS devices.
Why make Bastion for iOS? More than a year after the first release of Bastion, we still hear from many players out there about how much they enjoy the game. As such, we continue to be interested in making it available to new players, and the iPad represented a very exciting opportunity to do that. It posed a unique and interesting design challenge for us, having to make the game to feel right at home using a touch device. Our team's interests naturally aligned with this project, as we've been playing more and more games for Apple's mobile devices, in addition to the console and computer games we've always been into.
Does this mean your next game will also be on iOS? It's too early to say what the future holds for us, though we're looking forward to finding out.
I already own another version of Bastion. Does this mean I can get Bastion for iPad for free? Bastion for iOS is a completely new version of the game and is not compatible with other versions. We have no way of gifting the game to players who own other versions of the game already.
Now that the game is on iOS, when will Bastion come to [insert other game platform]? Our stance on other versions of Bastion remains the same as always: We have no plans for additional versions of the game, though we haven't ruled anything out for the future either. Each version of Bastion that we make requires a focused effort from our team.
We hope that gives you a sense of what to expect from the game, and more importantly, that you really enjoy it if you have a chance to try it! We're looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks, and we very much enjoyed our first foray into creating a game for this platform.