I think I would have enjoyed this game much more if I played it when it came out. Nothing Bastion does is wrong, in fact I think it is a very successful game in nearly every area. The gameplay is tight and enjoyable, the art and sound are wonderful, and the story is cryptically interesting. The main issue is just that I can think of another game that does just about any of Bastion's aspects better, including later games by Supergiant, and it makes me ultimately wish I was playing them instead. No doubt though, Bastion is hugely impressive as the first title for what would become a top-rate studio.

This game was a bore. It is unfortunate because the initial alien attack is fertile ground for an interesting story, and William Carter's tragic past could be a compelling area for development, but both of them go thoroughly undeveloped and the story that is told about agents seeking revenge is very thoroughly dull.

The gameplay is serviceable, and the squad order system is fun, but your allies often have the memory of a goldfish and are likely to stop doing what you need them to at the most inopportune moments. The game also just doesn't set up very many interesting scenarios that can't be dealt with by slow advancement under cover.

Overall I have a hard time calling The Bureau a bad game, but it certainly is a boring one. And I think that might be worse.