Before Hades and Hades II became household names in the gaming world, their creator, Supergiant Games, first made a splash with a humble title set among floating islands. That game—Bastion—is often overlooked today, yet its DNA runs throughout the studio's later masterpieces.
Bastion introduced the isometric action-RPG style, the responsive narrator, and the weapon upgrade system that later defined Hades. Players who fell in love with the fast-paced combat and rich storytelling of Hades might be surprised to find those very elements perfected in this earlier work.
Though it received a perfect 10/10 from many critics at launch, Bastion has faded from public memory as Supergiant moved on to Transistor, Pyre, and finally the blockbuster Hades series. Yet for those who remember, it remains a cornerstone of modern indie game design—a quiet masterpiece that set the stage for a legendary run.