It’s like Dark Souls, but not as hard. That’s Bound By Flame summed up in a single sentence. If I had to compare it with similar games, I’d say it’s a cross between Dark Souls and the Witcherseries, although I don’t have much experience in the Witcher series.
I didn’t know what to expect going into the game, other than what I know of the game’s genre. Coming out, I’d say it’s a decent experience. Nothing too bad, but not very good either. There are better alternatives out there, but if you’re looking for the generic fantasy RPG, you’ve come to the right place.
Let’s start with combat. The game does a fantastic job in this regard. The combat feels smooth and is easy to pick up, and this is coming from someone who doesn’t play many games like this. The enemies are balanced (for the most part) and I never had too easy or too hard of an enemy. Oh, and enemies actually have some sense. They tend to attack you when you’re charging an attack, which I found rather annoying at the time, but a good addition overall.
The game’s animations are another story. They are both really, really good, but can be disgusting at times. Well, the terrible bits are only really noticeable during cutscenes, especially with facial animations. Not to mention that the voice acting is kinda iffy. During combat however, the animation is fantastic.
As for learning how to play the game, I picked it up rather quickly. The game does a fantastic job of explaining the various mechanics, but it’d be helpful if you have at least some experience in the genre beforehand. The crafting system in particular was a very cool mechanic and was quite easy to learn.
Do note that the game is rather linear. There wasn’t much in terms of choice, to my disappointment. Character customization is also quite awful. You have very few choices to choose from and all of the characters look the same.
I’m also going to point out how useless most of the game’s items are. You’ll primarily be using your sword and dagger loadout, with traps generally being a waste of time. Arrows can be helpful at times, but don’t really help out that much.
Overall, Bound By Flame is a decent fantasy RPG. Not much more to say about it, other than the fact that there are better games out there. However, if you’re willing to put up with it, Bound By Flame is not that bad of a choice.
cublikefoot 