Bound by Flame is out today, and while the protagonist is of two minds courtesy of a demonic possession, the majority of critics have their minds made up that Spider's RPG is thoroughly unimpressive. Our review is on the way but for now you can check out the scores below:
Bound by Flame Launch Trailer Shows the Worst Case of Split Personality Disorder, Ever.
Game Informer, 8 out of 10 - "Fantasy action/RPGs are plentiful, so any entry in the genre needs to be more than just competent to stand out among titans like Dark Souls II and Diablo III. Though Bound by Flame does not reach those heights, it should not be overlooked. Precise combat and plenty of of customization make it more fun – and more challenging – than it first appears...A skilled player doing no sidequests and blowing through dialogue can complete the game in about 10-12 hours, but this is sacrificing a ton of content both in the quest, exploration, and relationship-building categories. When you invest the time to master the challenging combat and explore the world, Bound by Flame is a solid romp with rewarding tactical action supported by rewarding boss battles and plenty of ways to see your choices reflected in the world around you."
GamesRadar, 7 out of 10 - "...like most action RPGs, the choices you make here--whether you listen to said demon's advice or try to snuff him out--claim to shape your adventure. Just don't expect to run wild with all that power. Like your demon, the game makes you believe you're calling the shots, but you're not as in control as you may think...Though Bound by Flame's combat is great, its illusion of choice is not. At first your demon "friend" seems like a catalyst for making bad decisions. It'll chime in during during a conversation to express its disdain if you decide to help out some poor soldiers or agree to take the safe route towards an enemy's base. But opportunities to side with him don't come that often, and when they do, they don't make much of an impact on those around you...If you go into Bound by Flame hoping to play a choice-laden game where every selection you make slowly shapes the world around you, you'll be greatly disappointed. While you do get some say in how things play out, the outcome will no doubt be the same and your decisions don't seem that important in the overall development of the story. It's the rapid-fire decisions made mid-battle and the rich customization options at your disposal that truly let you make the game your own. You do have a demon on your side, after all."
Bound by Flame's Achievements / Trophies Drop
GameSpot, 4 out of 10 - "Bound by Flame is the kind of game you might hear people describe as having "a lot of heart," and the game it tries to be is certainly one worth celebrating. Yet by the time this frustrating adventure comes to a close, it's clear that there's a wide gulf between the game you just played and the vision that inspired it...To be sure, there are choices to make in Bound by Flame's story that have nothing to do with the demon within, but narrative choices are most effective when you're invested in the potential consequences, and the game's poor dialogue and characterizations aren't apt to make you care about anyone's fate but your own...Over time, the narrative problems compound so greatly that you can no longer take any occurrence seriously. Transitions from gameplay to cutscenes are jarring, with characters repositioned instantly, and often performing wholly different actions in one moment than they were in the last. Other times, your companion simply disappears once a battle is finished, and the story takes over, an occurrence that proves highly distracting when the lack of witnesses to a particular event is a plot point...By RPG standards, Bound by Flame isn't a very long or expansive game. If you don't consider the battles you must repeat, the adventure is around a dozen hours long, and there is no world to explore, unless you consider a few medium-size levels made up of twisting hallways to be a world. Bound by Flame shoves too many ideas into its cramped boundaries, thus giving none of them the room they deserved to blossom, and thereby allowing the flames to burn the joy away."
Videogamer, 2 out of 10 - "Bound By Flame likes RPG tropes so much, it features every single one of them. They're all here, including choice-driven narrative and karma-determined character appearance. It can be justifiably described as the poorer cousin of almost every RPG that’s been released in the last 15 years. Of course, you know this. Nobody’s expecting it to be the next Mass Effect, or even Alpha Protocol. At best, I suspect, people are just hoping that it scratches that Big RPG itch while we wait for the next major entry in the genre to surface – particularly if they’re on next-gen, as this is pretty much the first game of its type on those platforms. Unfortunately, it is an awful game which doesn’t deserve anyone’s time or money..."
