Paperbound
Overview -
These days, split-screen, and other flavors of local co-op are a dying breed. One exception that appears to be on the rise is couch co-op which is the focus of Dissident Logic's 'Paperbound.' 'Paperbound' joins a growing class of couch co-op brawlers. In 'Paperbound,' four players battle it out on the glorious pages of classic books to become the king. On paper, anyway.
Video Review
'Paperbound's characters are in Squint-O-Vision, but the effects of pages tearing, enemies dying in a satisfying cartoon POOF are all delightful. The environments they fight in are vast, colorful tableaus of imagination. It'll be hard to notice in the thick of a wild brawl, but they're well done.
Audio Review
Again in the category of "Not much to report". The game's score is playfully rousing, but the sound effects are a bit on the tinny side.
Final Thoughts
'Paperbound' feels like a game on the wrong platform. As a Vita game, or a mobile title, something to play on the go when you have a half hour to kill waiting for something bigger to download, 'Paperbound's simplicity would be a boon, a perfect slice of hectic mayhem to pull out of your pocket on a whim. As a PS4 game, though, it just feels thin, a delicious bite that makes one pine for the satisfying main course that doesn't come. Still, it's hard to be immune to its charms in the moment. There's nothing to dislike about 'Paperbound' aside from the fact that there's not more of it. That's the best kind of problem to have.