Bound by Flame Reviews
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We have rounded up some more reviews for SPIDERS' fantasy action-RPG Bound by Flame, and they're about as mixed as the ones we've rounded up last week.
Destructoid, 7/10.
It's not a long game by any means, requiring about fifteen hours or so depending on how much you decide to explore, but sometimes you just don't need 40 or 50 hours to kick ass and take names. Sometimes you need a set of dull armor, Vulcan's attitude, and a demon to kickstart your hunger for meatier storytelling and content delivery. Bound By Flame is the midnight snack that sates, but leaves you wanting something a bit more savory. But when the snack is this tasty, you may find yourself coming back for a second helping a lot quicker than you might think.
Metro, 3/10.
The game's only unequivocal success is its crafting system, where collected items can be used to upgrade your weapons and armour, and also to create potions and traps for use in combat. Old equipment can be recycled and you can even use gold to make up for any missing ingredients. It's the one thing Bound By Flame does better than any of its would-be peers and we don't think it's any coincidence that it's the nerdiest, most old school role-playing aspect of the game.
Rather then socially-akward teenagers we suspect Spiders are just well meaning fans trying to tap into what they perceive to be the current trends in the genre. But the ugly script and tedious combat don't even come close to matching the quality of the games they're trying to imitate. Instead they'd be much better off sticking to their own ideas, rather than being bound down by those from other games.
OnlySP, 6.5/10.
Bound By Flame is an interesting mixture of concepts, some that work, some that don't. It feels undercooked, uneven, and unsure, but it does have its good parts. I know that, by the end, I liked it a lot more than I did when I first started. The great world, fantastic music, and well executed crafting system is at odds with the average dialogue and mediocre graphics is at odds with the terrible combat. I can see a good game in here, somewhere, I'm just not sure exactly where. And that's Bound By Flame's biggest problem it's unable to express itself as a cohesive whole. It's a mixture of systems and mechanics that are conceptually sound, but lacking enough polish to make them feel right together. Bound By Flame is a nascent spark among the kindling, sometimes burning bright and drawing you in, but ultimately guttering and failing to take hold.
Stuff, scoreless.
The only good thing about Bound by Flame is the way it occasionally manages to evoke memories of much better games. Oh, and that it's mercifully short.
Otaku Dome, 80/100.
Bound By Flame is an excellent place holder for those waiting on the likes of Dragon Age: Inquisition or The Witcher 3. The open world is fun to play around with, and the balance in difficulty helped branch the game out. Spiders made it a point to give players scarce use of their side items such as health potion and mana. The music and overall experience of Bound By Flame isn't anything to gawk at. However, with success comes failures and in Bound By Flame's case the dialogue was rather annoying. Character creation was pretty limited, and it was odd that your chosen name was pretty much ignored by the in-game world. Still if you're looking to feed your action-RPG fix while waiting on the aforementioned titles, then Bound By Flame is the perfect choice.
PC Gamer, 54/100.
But even though I found it strangely addictive, nothing not the music, the sound design, the characters, the story, the sets, the leveling system, the combat, the boss fights deserves any great amount of praise on its own. As a whole, Bound by Flame has enough appeal not to be dismissed as a total waste of time, but I would only recommend it at a quarter of the current asking price, and only then if you've exhausted every other good, modern fantasy RPG.
Forbes, 6/10.
Spiders needs to kick their ambition down a notch and focus on refining core mechanics before embarking on such a daunting project. And they need to hire some new writers and seriously think about creating consistency in voice-acting and accents. Spiders is a French studio, which may be part of the problem, but for English speakers the array of accents is really confusing.
Meanwhile, the attempts at humor and being (gritty) come off as juvenile. And in a market saturated by far more interesting fantasy adventures, we need a far less generic story to work with.
There's a good game hiding within Bound by Flame. It's just not this one.
NowGamer, 6.5/10.
All in all, those that are forgiving enough to get their hands on an RPG for next-gen will find a good number of hours to wade through. It is a budget RPG and it feels like one, but that's not always a bad thing.
GameCrate, 5.3/10.
I would have loved to see the monsters of Bound by Flame in crisp next-gen graphics, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. I played the game on a PS4, but didn't see much of anything that the PS3 couldn't do. The game's lighting engine was good and every once in a while an enemy, especially a boss, would impress visually but far too much of your time playing the game will take place in dull environments fighting against enemies that aren't as distinct as they should be, even on a PS4. In the end, the occasional moments of greatness are lost in the dull drudgery that makes up the majority of the game.
USGamer, 2/5.
Bound By Flame is a number of good ideas poorly crafted into a final product. The story itself is rather generic, with poor dialog and voice acting preventing you from getting emotionally invested in the world. The core combat is good, but once it meets with the larger game, it begins to break down. Even an excellent crafting system can't save Bound By Flame from being a budget RPG. If you can find it for $15-20, it might be worth a go for action-RPG fanatics.
Den of Geek!, 3/5.
Overall, Spiders has a decent, solid start with Bound By Flame, but it ultimately feels lacking in many aspects. Its grand ideas are appreciated, although the execution of those ideas is flawed. Maybe with more time and testing, it could've been more than just okay, but unfortunately it doesn't meet our expectations. That doesn't mean we wouldn't want to see what a Bound By Flame 2 would offer, though.
Dual Pixels, 4/5.
Bound By Flame is proof that Spiders is here to stay. There is some jankiness to the title that could use some polishing, but the overall experience is enjoyable and addicting. It's unlocked framerate was rarely a problem minus a few fluctuations, it won't ooh and aww at first site either, but it is a strong action-rpg for a system that is begging for new experiences.
RPGSite, 5/10.
In the end, it's hard to recommend Bound by Flame to anyone. The game is not very long for an RPG, as it can be completed in about 15 hours even when performing every side quest, so perhaps some who can tolerate shallow combat mechanics can derive enjoyment from the title over a weekend at a budget price. But with incredibly tedious combat and little else of substance to be found, this experience is best avoided.
MMORPG.com, 4.5/10.
Bound By Flame sounded promising every time we saw it... but so do most games. What we ended up with instead is an RPG trying to be as great as its inspiration but never coming close. Poor combat, poor story, and poor acting, all serve to make this "epic tale" one you'll want to skip. Do not buy.
ActionTrip, 7.0/10.
As I'm sure anyone can tell from the discombobulation of words here, I have struggled with my thoughts about Bound by Flame. I have enjoyed it, I really have, but how can I explain it to others? What about it makes it something I must recommend to all of my RPG-loving friends? The sad truth is that there is nothing extraordinary about it to tell anyone Bound by Flame should be on their must-play lists for 2014. Most of the game is very well done, but none of it is that innovative or imaginative. It's fun, but it's a slightly above average RPG.
GamerSyde, scoreless.
Beyond the gaps that arise from the limited financial resources of the studio, the real downside here is its price, which seems excessive given the content especially on consoles (360/PS3/PS4). Knowing the current level of demand from players for high quality visual and variety this might affect the chances of success. Bound by Flame is certainly not the most essential of RPGs but may ultimately still satisfy fans who look for more than just pretty graphics. Take heed, the games world consists largely of narrow passageways of a rather labyrinthine design. It's an old style design that may not satisfy gamers used to open worlds and epic experiences. The Witcher: Budget Edition at heart, Bound by Flame doesn't demand tolerance from us, rather, a certain realism, as cruel as it might be. With no other choices in the AAA RPG space hitting the PC and PS4 thus far in 2014, Spiders game is not without its charm. It remains to be seen whether the harsh reality of the market will give it a chance. Nothing is less certain given the asking price, which would be a shame considering the game is definitely worth checking out.
Saving Content, 2/5.
Bound By Flame is an average RPG held back by budgets and serious design flaws outweighed by its ambition. With the ability to save anywhere, change your fighting style on-the-fly, and craft at any time, Bound By Flame does a lot of little things right while getting all the big things wrong. Difficulty is unbalanced and unfair. Combat is ruined by player animations that can be interrupted resulting in quick deaths and having to load your last save. That's an egregious mistake in the design process to allow such a thing. At first, I enjoyed my time with the game. By the game's end, I was happy that it was over, as in that I didn't have to play it anymore.
Meanwhile, while not a review per se, you might want to check out Giant Bomb's video Quick Look of the game.
