Bound by Flame

Editor's Notes

PS4 version reviewed.

Introduction

Based out of Paris, Spiders development studio may still be considered new to the video game industry. From the investigative mysteries of 'The Testament of Sherlock Holmes' and 'Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper', to the less-than-notable 'Mars War Logs', they've yet to have a mainstream breakout success. Now, it seems the developer has turned to the more mainstream action/fantasy RPG genre, which already means that their latest development effort, 'Bound by Flame' is ambitious.  By targeting the PS4, that ambition quotient gets raised even higher. With a surprising amount of marketing attention provided by publisher Focus Home Interactive, 'Bound by Flame' may be the title needed to boost Spiders to the next level of video game development accreditation. But are their efforts creative enough to stand apart from an already crowded genre?

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

As one of the Freedom Blades - a group of mercenaries for hire - you are tasked with protecting the Red Scribes as they desperately search for the magical means necessary to combat the Ice Lords and their undead army, the Deadwalkers. Set in a typical fantasy RPG, 'Bound by Flame' begins as any number of similar games that have preceded it – through character creation. Thankfully, as I've never been a fan of the nuances that some character creation mechanics have allowed for in the past, 'Bound by Flame' keeps things simple: facial structure, hair-no-hair, and a name that you baptize your character with. However, I did find it odd that regardless of the name you chose for yourself, every other character in the game calls you Vulcan. At first I thought it was a title or nickname, but quickly realized that wasn't the case. Not a game breaker by any means, just an odd mechanic.

During the prelude, the Red Scribes come under attack by the feared Deadwalkers. Their ceremony, designed to banish the Ice Lords and their minions, goes terribly wrong and poor Vulcan takes the brunt of the ceremony's intended purpose. As a result, his body becomes host to a demon that provides Vulcan with the power to wield flame – hence, 'Bound by Flame'. From here the story unfolds over the course of several acts, numerous main and side missions, and across a handful of settings. The journey along the way attempts to keep things interesting while delivering a tale that is equal parts mystery and adventure.

While the bulk of 'Bound by Flame' undoubtedly finds its source material from the likes of 'Skyrim', 'Dragon Age', and 'Kingdoms of Amalur', there is enough left over to still provide a somewhat unique experience. The combat of 'Bound by Flame' is its primary saving grace. Being able to change battle stances on the fly between a fierce and powerful warrior, and skilled and deadly ranger, provides tactical variation in a world populated by monsters and demons with larger-than-life health bars. With the press of R1 on the Dualshock 4, your character not only equips the weapon specific to that stance – long sword or daggers – but immediately takes on the attributes of that fighting style. Sword blocks are exchanged for quick dodges, and heavy strikes are replaced with a flurry of blades.

Add to this your newfound ability to harness fire – shooting from your hands or engulfing your weapon in flames – and one might suspect that your character would be a menace to be reckoned with; a force of overpowering, . . . um . . . power. That assumption couldn't be further from the truth. While having additional combat abilities at your disposal certainly doesn't hurt, even the most common of monsters can dispatch you quickly and efficiently. You'll learn early on that mastering these combat techniques will be your only saving grace. Button mashers need not apply and will undoubtedly fail. This forced learning curve is, in the end, much more satisfying than what you might expect. 'Bound by Flame' is not at the level of 'Dark Souls' difficulty, but knowing your opponent - knowing when and how to attack - is what keeps the game interesting.

Adding to the fluid combat mechanics, 'Bound by Flame' also includes a fairly robust leveling-up and crafting system. Spread across the two combat stances, as well as the flame ability, the experience trees offer enough variety that spending those skill points is often a thought-provoking experience. Thankfully, earning the experience needed isn't necessarily a grind, and you'll find yourself making these decisions often. And like any qualified RPG, looting everything and anything will yield riches both common and rare. Being able to take everyday objects and craft them into the resources needed for weapon and potion upgrades is a nice feature that will come in handy quite often. Although, understanding which items benefit you the most takes time to learn, I appreciated being able to pause the game at any point to craft a much needed health potion, or upgrade my weapon just enough to better manage that horde or Deadwalkers. It saved me from a number of chapter checkpoint restarts.

Still, as much effort as the developers at Spiders clearly put into the robust combat mechanics, the same simply cannot be said for other, just as important, aspects of the game. Enemy and environmental variety, especially early on in the game, could have benefited greatly from additional development attention. And while the story kept me somewhat interested, the dialogue writing and delivery was severely lacking. I may not be a historian by trade, but much of the communication between characters came across as more 21st century rather than born of an epic fantasy. If the intent was to consistently rip me from the experience, they succeeded.