Bound by Flame

 PC
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 437 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 219 out of 437
  2. Mixed: 136 out of 437
  3. Negative: 82 out of 437

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  1. robotnist
    May 9, 2014
    8
    i have the game on PS4, its nice to have an actual RPG to play along with the MMO FF14. so here's the deal, i'm a huge RPG fan, so take my score with a grain of salt. my fave RPGs are PSO, elder scrolls franchise, dragon age origins, basically anything bioware etc. i came to metacritic to check out a review right after my girlfriend bought me a copy today and was freaked out to see a 4 outi have the game on PS4, its nice to have an actual RPG to play along with the MMO FF14. so here's the deal, i'm a huge RPG fan, so take my score with a grain of salt. my fave RPGs are PSO, elder scrolls franchise, dragon age origins, basically anything bioware etc. i came to metacritic to check out a review right after my girlfriend bought me a copy today and was freaked out to see a 4 out of 10 from one of my fave sites, Polygon. (but they also gave ESO a 6/10 so guess i'm not surprised).

    i immediately thought to myself, "maybe i shouldn't open the packaging and take it back?"

    im so glad i didn't!!!!

    BbF is a great RPG!!! the GFX don't "scream" next gen, but they're def NOT old gen!!! in fact i'm very anal about frame-rates and textures/lighting/anti-aliasing, what have you, and i'm very happy with all of the above. it also needs to be noted i'm not one of those RPG, or to be precise, "JRPG" fans who complain about western localization/voice-over as opposed to having the japanese voices that are ultimately the most obnoxious aspects of all RPGs, ever, lol. meaning as long as voices are semi-professional i have NO issue what so ever with them. i mean japan INVENTED obnoxiousness, come one. i say that lovingly, it was japan who delivered me to my love of RPGs in my childhood with the likes of dragon warrior, phantasy star and final fantasy!!!

    the story works great. let me elaborate... when i say works, i'm not a story snob as far as games go. so many people hold their nose up at stories that aren't the next "memento" of games... i feel as though if the story has interesting lore, and it supports the game play, it "works". i play games for the fun of the gameplay, the story works for me if it doesn't interfere with the fun i'm having.

    the combat in BbF is so good. i was, again, blown away at how well this aspect of the game was handled. and the way you advance your character lets you choose whether you want him to be a warrior, ranger (rogue) or mage. and depending on how u spend your points, 2 skill points per level and 1 feat per level makes tweaking your character fun. it kind of reminds me of dragon age here, where in DAO ur skills kind of handle some of the esoteric features of gameplay.

    there are so many times i played this game and felt references to RPGs that have come out in the past few years, and here they are, i hope this helps u make a decision to purchase this game if this is what you enjoy.

    i sensed the new game of thrones RPG right off the bat, now i agree that game isn't as good as it could be, but it had great ideas with simply poor execution. where BbF shares any similarities here i said to myself "this is what GoT the RPG, SHOULD have been".

    another game i felt it resembled early on was DA2s weapon type attacks. but bound by flame has all active combat the really trumps DA2, even though i am a huge fan of DA2 (being a bioware game as well)

    and most importantly, i kept getting a nagging feeling about a game from my past that this game really felt like... i couldn't remember and then it hit me 3-4 hours in, this is a new age Jade Empire!!!

    it has map setups just like JE. now i know thats not the most promising aspect here, the maps in bound by flame ARE NOT open world. they're not even as large as Dragon Age Origins, but they are very fun to explore and find loot for upgrading, crafting. there's tons of nooks and crannies and the character/item/skill advancement is SO much fun, the maps don't detract AT ALL!!! in fact, they really are large enough in the cities and wilds to keep the combat to explore ratio perfect!!! and you never tire of either, that's probably the best thing i can say about bound by flame!!!

    so for those of you who made it this far, i just wanted to say, i wrote this HUGE obnoxious review because so many times i have been curious about a new game, and i have come to metacritic and been disappointed by a lack of info in the areas I'M interested in. i don't care how the story of a new game starts, how reviews are so apt to talk about them for paragraphs, i want to know how the game "feels" in my hands.

    hopefully, if your an RPG fan like me and your on the fence, you will have enough info to decide if Bound By Flame is the game for you. either way, i hope this all helped, cheers.    … Expand
  2. sauriolb
    May 9, 2014
    8
    Bound by Flame is much better than the "pros" are leading you to believe. It is not perfect by any means, but it is still a damn good action rpg. The combat takes some practice but it is actually very engaging as has a lot of depth that the reviewers are just not bothering to learn before reviewing. The story is decent, but the english localization does lead to some strange dialogue. TheBound by Flame is much better than the "pros" are leading you to believe. It is not perfect by any means, but it is still a damn good action rpg. The combat takes some practice but it is actually very engaging as has a lot of depth that the reviewers are just not bothering to learn before reviewing. The story is decent, but the english localization does lead to some strange dialogue. The visuals are fantastic, one of the better looking games this year.… Expand
  3. MONG
    May 9, 2014
    9
    Bound by Flame could have easily been just another fantasy RPG clone that we see hit the market every few months, which is honestly what I expected it might be. But it wasn’t, instead it’s flames shined brighter than I could have ever imagined it could. Highlighted by a thrilling story and fun strategic combat, Bound by Flame should be a game everyone plays.

    For a little context, The    Bound by Flame could have easily been just another fantasy RPG clone that we see hit the market every few months, which is honestly what I expected it might be. But it wasn’t, instead it’s flames shined brighter than I could have ever imagined it could. Highlighted by a thrilling story and fun strategic combat, Bound by Flame should be a game everyone plays.

    For a little context, The world in Bound by Flame has been forced into chaos and ruin by the Deadwalkers, an army of rotting, deformed, and downright disgusting zombie-like creatures. The Deadwalkers were summoned over 150 years ago by the Lords of Ice, who are hell-bent on conquering the world. The Lords of Ice are a circle of mysterious immortal necromancers who have been successfully leading their legions of undead in the extermination of all other known races.

    By the time your quest begins, most of the sentient lifeforms have been wiped off the map and have unwillingly joined the Deadwalker army. You enter the story as Vulcan, an upstart human mercenary with a bad attitude and a whole lot of sass. Disaster strikes while protecting a group of mages and Vulcan accidentally ends up on the wrong side of a Demon summoning spell and becomes possessed.

    As the fight against the Lords of Ice and their Deadwalker army wages on, Vulcan is constantly tormented by the Demon, tempting him to give up his humanity in order to gain unheard-of levels of magical powers. You are given several chances either take up the demons offer, or preserve your humanity, which can significantly change the story outcome and Vulcan’s appearance.

    Spiders did a fantastic job at establishing both compelling lore and an awesome story. I found myself talking to every single character, while making sure to investigate all dialogue options so as not to miss any of this rich story. Most of the story is told through these dialogue investigations, so if you decide to skip them you will surely miss out.

    One aspect that sets Bound by Flame apart from other fantasy RPGs is that it doesn’t bother overloading you with thousands of meaningless sidequests. I will admit, I was once a gamer obsessed with finishing every single sidequest in every game just to say I did it, but that is not the case anymore. I simply do not have the time or the patience to spend hundreds of hours completing fetch quests and other throwaway chores for characters you will never speak to again.

    I was able to complete both the main questline and the majority of the sidequests available in just over 25 hours. Even if you take your time and dive even deeper into the story that I did, you will still only clock in about 30-35 hours. This is the perfect length for a great fantasy RPG and I commend Spiders for hitting nail on the head.

    Bound by Flame looks absolutely gorgeous. Spiders built a world of incredibly diverse environments. However, when comparing Bound by Flame’s unique art style to that of other games in the genre, it doesn’t quite compare the the photorealism that many games have achieved in recent years.

    The voice acting in Bound by Flame was far better than what I had expected. But sometimes you will be taken out of the experience because the lip syncing is basically nonexistent. This can be annoying if you are paying close attention to a character’s mouth, but honestly it is not that big of a deal when very few studios actually get this right.

    The most common question I have seen asked about Bound by Flame has been, “What is the combat system like?” Well good news, it is fun. However it can be a little difficult and will require strategy to get through most fights. This is not a game where you can run into a large group of enemies and just hack-and-slash your way to victory with no second thought. In fact, that is the easiest way to find yourself dying quicker than the amount of time it took you to run into them.

    The strategy required to defeat the many different beasts and Deadwalkers increases tenfold when you encounter a boss fight. Spiders did a great job when designing their terrifying set of bosses. Not only are each of them horrifyingly creepy looking, but they also all have completely new styles as well. If you are anything like me, you will find yourself dying several times on every boss encounter until you can finally develop a well-oiled strategy.

    Bound by Flame is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise crowded genre. Spiders has achieved what many developers fail to ever do by creating a beautiful world with an incredibly deep and interesting history while also including a rock solid combat system. I was very glad that I didn’t have to be bothered by all of the silly distractions that are in most triple a RPG’s on the market today. Hopefully this is a step forward in getting rid of fetch quests just for the sake of making a game longer. Bound by Flame was everything I wanted it to be and then some.    … Expand
  4. EMG
    May 9, 2014
    10
    I stopped caring when the same reviewers who are bashing this game give the likes of every Call of Duty every year a 10/10 and the likes of Diablo 3 a 10/10 praising it for being....fun. I have played 3 hours so far, and honestly it is a bit rough around the edges and is in no way GOTY but it is FUN for me at least, the game is simply enjoyable if you go into it with the right frame ofI stopped caring when the same reviewers who are bashing this game give the likes of every Call of Duty every year a 10/10 and the likes of Diablo 3 a 10/10 praising it for being....fun. I have played 3 hours so far, and honestly it is a bit rough around the edges and is in no way GOTY but it is FUN for me at least, the game is simply enjoyable if you go into it with the right frame of mind..."professional" reviewers are just people except they either have biased towards a game or were not paid enough :) 10/10 for keeping me engaged.… Expand
  5. kurumbu1
    May 9, 2014
    9
    Great game and fun what is most important

    Gameplay-9
    Graphics-8
    Sound-7
    Length-8
    This game do not deserve a score like 20 or 40!
    Really GOOD game, from me 9 because some pathetic score who think that this game want to be comparison with Dragon age 3 or Witcher 3
  6. zombiekilljoy
    May 12, 2014
    8
    while its lip synching and friendly companion a.i. are not very good, bound by flame is still a fun action rpg with fun strategic hack and slash combat with a great crafting system as well
  7. natural_45
    Jan 7, 2016
    9
    I'm having a blast playing this game! The combat system on this game is awesome! To me, the combat system reminds me a little of Soul Calibur, which is an awesome thing. I gave it a 9 only because the graphics aren't PS4 quality, but that doesn't bother me. I have a bunch of RPG games that are new and I play this game way more than them. If you have a good sense of humor, you'll laugh yourI'm having a blast playing this game! The combat system on this game is awesome! To me, the combat system reminds me a little of Soul Calibur, which is an awesome thing. I gave it a 9 only because the graphics aren't PS4 quality, but that doesn't bother me. I have a bunch of RPG games that are new and I play this game way more than them. If you have a good sense of humor, you'll laugh your a$$ off at the dialouge and voice acting. Some of the stuff they say are funny. I highly recommend this game as long as you're not expecting the game to be like the bigger bugget companies. If Bound by Flame 2 ever comes out, I'll be the first in line to buy it. Great game.… Expand
  8. chaosm4rin3
    May 9, 2014
    8
    This game is better than the reviews it gets. I play on PC, the graphics seem fine, not the greatest, but theres certainly nothing that would hinder me. Its true, that the game isnt easy, but it has a unique combat style, you have to plan the attacks, not just run into them (the AI of the companions is a bit strange I agree with that). It also has a nice crafting system with variety,This game is better than the reviews it gets. I play on PC, the graphics seem fine, not the greatest, but theres certainly nothing that would hinder me. Its true, that the game isnt easy, but it has a unique combat style, you have to plan the attacks, not just run into them (the AI of the companions is a bit strange I agree with that). It also has a nice crafting system with variety, skills enough to make experiments and maybe multiple playthroughs for those who wish it(decisions also affect the game, that could make it interesting too).

    Negatives are the chaos how side missions are handled (very little instructions on how to do them), and the map is also hard to figure out sometimes. Characters (at least the protagonist) sometimes wants to be too lazy. I also missed in deep character customization, as I think its vital for a good RPG, to feel the char. as my own.

    All in all, I think its worth a shot, and if its too hard, just drop the difficulty or try to refine your combat mechanics and strategies.    … Expand
  9. op8
    May 9, 2014
    10
    I felt I had to write a user review to shed some truth about this game. (FYI, I've played for 13 hours, not finished yet tho).

    With influences from The Witcher (but with better combat and the ability to walk through doorways without any issues) and with a third of the budget, it manages to string together a very enjoyable dark fantasy. The combat is fast and tactical, not at all like    I felt I had to write a user review to shed some truth about this game. (FYI, I've played for 13 hours, not finished yet tho).

    With influences from The Witcher (but with better combat and the ability to walk through doorways without any issues) and with a third of the budget, it manages to string together a very enjoyable dark fantasy. The combat is fast and tactical, not at all like the Souls games but can be quite punishing on the hardest difficulty.
    The skills and leveling up gives you the satisfying feeling you are getting stronger and more powerful. The crafting (upgrading) and loot is decent and suits the game. It has a good musical score and the voice acting is actually pretty damn good, apart from a couple of unimportant characters (tho the script is a bit dodgy sometimes).
    The only thing that doesnt work well is the lip syncing, but I don't care too much about that. You could say the art style is similar to Dark Souls, and the graphics are fine and exactly what you'd expect from a mid budget game.

    Honestly, its an above average ARPG, and if you luv this type of game you should enjoy this.

    The ultra low scores given by some of the gaming press, are shameful and disgusting considering the stupidly high scores they give out to shoddy AAA games all the frigging time.

    *solid* 7/10 (taken budget into consideration)    … Expand
  10. Stevensan
    May 11, 2014
    9
    I am not a paid journalist, or a member of the programmers, but i can tell you, this is an awesome game.
    We have a very inspired and engaging storyline, and on the top of that, this is the first game after the Mass Effect trilogy, where you starting to care about your teammates. The game is quite challanging even on normal difficulty, so you need to fight with cool head, or you will die    I am not a paid journalist, or a member of the programmers, but i can tell you, this is an awesome game.
    We have a very inspired and engaging storyline, and on the top of that, this is the first game after the Mass Effect trilogy, where you starting to care about your teammates. The game is quite challanging even on normal difficulty, so you need to fight with cool head, or you will die within seconds. I am satisfied with the enemy variations, you need different tactics to win against each type. Sometimes you meet some really evil combinations of them, and... you will die. And die again...

    But i think, it is worth it. I like the graphics style, it is exacting, we have a good look overall, however you can see some glitches sometimes. I am very very impressed with the sound design. The voice acting is great. All of the sounds are good, and the game itself sounds very good. But the Music. Okay, it is very subjective, but we have some really great score here. Absolute professional, and very good, in my opinion. This music has so much tension within, and works very well in all combat, exploring, and cutscenes.

    So i am very impressed with this game. The fights are quite challanging, the story is interesting, and the companions are a real individuals with great personalities, imo. The game has a great "feeling".

    It has its fails compared to an AAA product, but hey, it is a 40 USD game, and it is worth it in every aspect. Its defenitley not for the boring COD fans. I like RPG's i played all the BG,IWD,NWN and DA games, and have to say it is a good and interesting RPG for the price, with nice replayability. It is at least one instant replay after you finished.    … Expand
  11. mberserk
    May 12, 2014
    10
    Bound of Flame is a mix of The Witcher, Dragon Age, Kingdom of Amalur.
    These low scores do not match Bound By Flame.
    The only problem with this game is coming at the wrong time. To go up against Dark Souls II is difficult. The graphics are very good as well as sound and music (dubbing a bit weak). The gameplay stands out for crafting system. The fights are cool too. We can not take    Bound of Flame is a mix of The Witcher, Dragon Age, Kingdom of Amalur.
    These low scores do not match Bound By Flame.
    The only problem with this game is coming at the wrong time. To go up against Dark Souls II is difficult.
    The graphics are very good as well as sound and music (dubbing a bit weak).
    The gameplay stands out for crafting system.
    The fights are cool too. We can not take the merits of the game by making comparison to the Kingdom of Amalur combat system, since the proposal of the game is much higher than that of Amalur.    … Expand
  12. Jason999
    May 12, 2014
    8
    Pros:

    Combat - whether it's with your 2-hd. weapon, or daggers, it's a riot to parry/riposte, or block your enemies. Crossbows, traps add some variety to the melee and of course the Pyromancy skills are good fun to use. Dialogue - love it, there's a lot of humour in this game and the voice acting is actually well done. Music/ambience - love it, sets the mood nicely. Thankfully    Pros:

    Combat - whether it's with your 2-hd. weapon, or daggers, it's a riot to parry/riposte, or block your enemies. Crossbows, traps add some variety to the melee and of course the Pyromancy skills are good fun to use.

    Dialogue - love it, there's a lot of humour in this game and the voice acting is actually well done.

    Music/ambience - love it, sets the mood nicely. Thankfully there's no rock/roll or hard metal crap, to get in the way of a good game.

    Cons:
    Camera - at times, the targeting and/or camera can be a little wonky, however it's brief and you'll manage and worth with it. I'm sure patching could help here. Minor actually.

    Maps - Ok, could use some more variety here just to change things up. Although pretty in areas, at the same time, it can be bland.

    Graphics - this game has it's own art style and while the aliasing could be better, you'll have so much fun with the combat you won't really notice. The character modelling is pretty good. Yet the rocks/ground etc. could be touched up.

    -Keep in mind, I got a decent sale on this game, to bring the price down a good notch and considering I've spent over 30 hrs. thus far, I also expect to do another play-through using a different fighting style.

    -Give it a try, I'm sure you can find a discount somewhere. Like I said the combat and dialogue,ambience is really good.

    Ignore those who score the game incredibly low, they're either just trolls, or they live and breathe every video game ever created, and hold this game accountable for every minor flaw. And believe me - the flaws are minor.
    I hope they make DLC or another Bound by Flame sequel, I enjoy it that much.    … Expand
  13. L00nie
    May 15, 2014
    8
    I hoped that this game was going to be good, but didn't dare... I was positively surprised by Spider this time. The game is not a AAA game, so if you were expecting that you need to look elsewhere. If you are a person that can look past a few tech faults like lip-sync then this is the game for you.

    The characters are fun, the voice acting is moderate but good for a game of this    I hoped that this game was going to be good, but didn't dare... I was positively surprised by Spider this time. The game is not a AAA game, so if you were expecting that you need to look elsewhere. If you are a person that can look past a few tech faults like lip-sync then this is the game for you.

    The characters are fun, the voice acting is moderate but good for a game of this caliber. The story is interesting, the impact of having a Demon inside you and how much of your humanity you want to sacrifice for power is well done, and you will die a lot more that you first thought you would. It's not evil to its players like Dark Souls, but it doesn't make it easy for you, tactical combat becomes important.

    I like RPG games and this has annoyed me in later years since there are som many being pumped into the marked and most of them are mediocre to appalling. This is NOT one of those games.
    I had great fun playing it and i think most of you will enjoy playing Bound by Flame.    … Expand
  14. hazzzen
    May 10, 2014
    9
    First off I'd like to say that the critics seem to be viewing this game all wrong. It's not meant to be a triple A title. It's made and sold by a studio that isn't a huge power house developer. Mars War logs got bad reviews, but was unwarranted also it was very good for what it was.

    Now BBF is made very well game. I would describe the game to be a low-budget Witcher 2. I'm not the    First off I'd like to say that the critics seem to be viewing this game all wrong. It's not meant to be a triple A title. It's made and sold by a studio that isn't a huge power house developer. Mars War logs got bad reviews, but was unwarranted also it was very good for what it was.

    Now BBF is made very well game. I would describe the game to be a low-budget Witcher 2. I'm not the first to make this comparison, so you can imagine it's relatively accurate. I'm playing on the PS4. While it does have some issues with its graphical fidelity; it still stands out as being a very beautiful and detailed game. The fighting system could have been better if a combat roll had been introduced, but even without that the game still excelled at what it is.

    If I had to put a numerical evaluation of the game I would say 7.5 - 8. I say that, qualifying it first by giving my score of the Witcher 2 as a basis. (8.5 - 9) so take that for what it's worth.

    Before you pass judgment for the game, go out and try it for yourself...    … Expand
  15. Anionix
    May 10, 2014
    10
    These so called professionals are starting to become a bad influence and are ruining the gaming industry with their dismissive and arrogant analysis. A lot of good small developers are getting hurt by these reviews, as you can see by the user score 7.1 is a good score, and to the critics who give it a 4 out of a ten really are a joke and haven't got a clue obviously what a fun game is andThese so called professionals are starting to become a bad influence and are ruining the gaming industry with their dismissive and arrogant analysis. A lot of good small developers are getting hurt by these reviews, as you can see by the user score 7.1 is a good score, and to the critics who give it a 4 out of a ten really are a joke and haven't got a clue obviously what a fun game is and always looking to try and be clever and balanced, but instead come across extremely pretentious and fussy, ridiculing something if it's not up to their so called expert standard.

    I wish people wouldn't trust their opinion so much, as like with this game, people are missing out on a lot of fun. That is why we play games is to have fun right? Trust me this game has its flaws, but it's also has a lot of good in it. We're not reviewing a new strategy to successful language learning or finding ways to combat road congestion. we're talking about a game, which you play in your spare time. Don't let these reviewers ruin your fun people, check out some YouTube videos and speak to people and judge for yourself because these gaming critics can no longer be trusted to do something so easy as writing a game review.    … Expand
  16. trollkiller
    May 9, 2014
    8
    Game is fun for RPG fans. Music is amazing....still, the game has a lot of faults--perhaps the most bewildering is Spiders decision to have major characters talk like drunkn frat boys with bewildering frequency. Combat is hard, but not in a good dark Souls way. Just poorly designed. And yet...its clear Spider loves the spirit of RPGs and really tried to infuse this game with as much RPGGame is fun for RPG fans. Music is amazing....still, the game has a lot of faults--perhaps the most bewildering is Spiders decision to have major characters talk like drunkn frat boys with bewildering frequency. Combat is hard, but not in a good dark Souls way. Just poorly designed. And yet...its clear Spider loves the spirit of RPGs and really tried to infuse this game with as much RPG love as they could. Personally, I'm enjoying it.… Expand
  17. lowlife
    May 10, 2014
    10
    I guess new trend is giving low scores to non AAA games. Yes, it's not a great game, there are some problems but NO WAY it deserves a score like 40-50. Graphics, musics, dialogs are fine, not great but fine. Characters and story are not bad too. Ofcourse after playing Dark Souls 2 you don't like combat system but how many games features a combat system like Dark Souls? None, Dark SoulsI guess new trend is giving low scores to non AAA games. Yes, it's not a great game, there are some problems but NO WAY it deserves a score like 40-50. Graphics, musics, dialogs are fine, not great but fine. Characters and story are not bad too. Ofcourse after playing Dark Souls 2 you don't like combat system but how many games features a combat system like Dark Souls? None, Dark Souls have the best combat system and most of the RPG games including games like Witcher and Skyrim is bad at combat too. I mean Skyrim, it sucks at combat, Bound by Flame's combat system is much better than Skyrim's and no one talks about Skyrim's combat. Don't get me wrong, Skyrim and Witcher are great games, GREAT GAMES but they have their flaws too.

    Usually i really care about reviews but this time i ignored those and bought this game and i'm glad i did. Don't worry about reviews, if you like RPG games, buy it. Ofcouse it would be better if you wait a little after playing Dark Souls.    … Expand
  18. Death0fLove
    May 10, 2014
    9
    In an industry that is anything but shy a few fantasy adventure/rpg games, its nice to see a developer still willing to do something different. While Bound by Flame is not anywhere near perfect, its a nice refreshing game offering new elements while still feeling like something familiar.
  19. ukrScorpion
    May 9, 2014
    9
    Игра не шедевр, но очень хороша.
    Из плюсов
    + Не плохой сюжет и диалоги + Просто отличный саундтрек и музыкальное сопровождение. + Хорошая графика и оптимизация. Из минусов - Управление, мягко скажем так себе - Интеллект напарников, несмотря на широкий спектр возможностей по управлению напарником, их AI оставляет желать лучшего и требует доработки. - AI врагов далек от идеала. В    Игра не шедевр, но очень хороша.
    Из плюсов
    + Не плохой сюжет и диалоги
    + Просто отличный саундтрек и музыкальное сопровождение.
    + Хорошая графика и оптимизация.
    Из минусов
    - Управление, мягко скажем так себе
    - Интеллект напарников, несмотря на широкий спектр возможностей по управлению напарником, их AI оставляет желать лучшего и требует доработки.
    - AI врагов далек от идеала.
    В общем всем любителям Ведьмака, DA и Fable рекомендую, игра определенно стоит вашего внимания, но особых чудес от нее ждать не стоит.    … Expand
  20. Langor
    May 9, 2014
    8
    Story: If you are into lore and a good story with twists in the plot this game is for you. I would say the story is on par with Dragon Age 1/Witcher 2. You will not be able to see any of these twists or make choices that effect your world until chapter 2 of the game. With that said, it takes a bit to really start the story. The characters scripts are adult themed with cursing. TheStory: If you are into lore and a good story with twists in the plot this game is for you. I would say the story is on par with Dragon Age 1/Witcher 2. You will not be able to see any of these twists or make choices that effect your world until chapter 2 of the game. With that said, it takes a bit to really start the story. The characters scripts are adult themed with cursing. The interactions between hirelings interrupt and talk to your character occasionally during dialog moments with NPC's. Choices you make effect your hirelings and can also change the story. 9/10 for the lore junkies.

    Hack and slash: Well, if your main focus is a Diablo like game you wont like it. There are plenty of monsters to fight but it is story driven. The monsters do respawn over time in zones and reset when you zone. But it will get very repetitive if you are a person who skips the dialogue and just want to run through quests and kill monsters. 3/10 I just want to kill ♥♥♥♥.

    Strategist: If you like playing the game on the hardest difficulty this game is for you. It is very bland if you play on normal or below. When you up the difficulty when you get hit, you get hit hard. Soon you will have to learn how to counter each attack and have to learn what each monsters attacks are. The bosses are unique and have unique attacks also and will take a few retries to figure out how to kill them. If you are a person who spam attacks you wont make it in this difficulty. How you spend your skill points will matter here. 8/10 I will analyze your every attack and figure out how to counter you or your group.

    Combat: There are plenty of attacks and class swaps to keep you busy on the hardest difficulty. But if you play on easy none of this is needed. The controls feel very fluent and smooth. Most of it makes sense. You can lock view on targets but it is not required to hit them in melee. Animations are decent and feels polished but nothing ground breaking. 7/10

    Explorer: The game is extremely linear at the first chapter minorly opening up in chapter two. You are following a story line. In chapter two starts to be many side quests which lets you go back into zones to finish them following the main story lines quest. In chapter two I think its about 3 or 4 zones big. If you want to explore far off distances and run around in an open world this is not for you. 2/10 for my explorer's.

    Character: There is only one of me is not the case in this game. Character creation is very vague and doesn't give you many options. But you can be a male or female. Along the tree line there is only three skill trees with not soo many skills inside them. Most of the points you get will be you upgrading these skills instead of unlocking them. It only really matters what you do towards the beginning of your journey. After that, it is more forgiving to putting points into something you are not specialized in. 6/10 I want to be a unique play style ranger or warrior.

    Loot ♥♥♥♥♥: If your main focus is running around and finding new armor sets and weapons you will find your self getting bored quickly. There are a variety of items but you come by them slow. Most of these are from merchants, quests and crate finds. The uniqueness of these items come from how you imbue them, which they call crafting. Most of the loot you find off mobs are ingredients to imbue your items to make them more powerful. These imbues are not unique like Elder Scrolls, they have preset stats and names for each imbue type. But each piece you imbue does in fact give the item a new unique appearance on that spot of the item. 5/10 for items.

    Crafting: Crafting is very linear. Every mob you kill has a chance to drop components. These components you use to make imbues for your items. You will have to combine these components to make different components for your imbues. If you do not have the components you can automatically buy the base ones from your inventory with gold. It is much easier and cheaper finding them. You can not craft weapons or armor, you can only imbue them to change there stats. You can also craft things like bolts for your crossbows or traps you may lay out and have your enemies run over. Or you can buy them from a merchant, along with potions you can craft. The only real unique thing about the crafting is that each piece you imbue on an item changes its looks. You will not be able to create a unique imbue. Each item as a preset of imbues you can choose from. You only need to find the ingredients or buy them from your inventory and make them for the imbue. If your looking for something like elder scrolls crafting system look away. 3/10 I just upgrade my items when I need to whether it be instantly purchasing the ingredients or finding them.

    Graphics: I will say this is not ground breaking. It is much better than Dragon Age 2 but quite a bit less than Witcher 2 (for pc). It doesn't feel like you are playing an old game but it definitely is not going to awe inspire you. 8/10    … Expand
  21. Thadmedved
    May 12, 2014
    10
    Как жаль ,что такой отличной задумке и потенциалу игры не хватило денег. Обладая бы "Spiders" большим бюджетом BBF смогла бы переплюнуть и Witcher 2.Темная фэнтези с гнетущей атмосферой и потрясающей музыкой.В некоторых местах сложнее чем DS.Всем любителям RPG обязательно к ознакомлению.Самое главное начать и дальше игра вас не отпустит.
    Большое спасибо Spiders!
    10/10.    Как жаль ,что такой отличной задумке и потенциалу игры не хватило денег. Обладая бы "Spiders" большим бюджетом BBF смогла бы переплюнуть и Witcher 2.Темная фэнтези с гнетущей атмосферой и потрясающей музыкой.В некоторых местах сложнее чем DS.Всем любителям RPG обязательно к ознакомлению.Самое главное начать и дальше игра вас не отпустит.
    Большое спасибо Spiders!
    10/10.
  22. Travie
    May 11, 2014
    8
    I read these reviews (the professional ones) friday but decided to get the game anyway. I'm SO glad I did. Most of these professional reviews do not even relate to the game I just played, to an embarrassing level.

    After playing I'm forced to conclude that the reviewers gave most of the game a token glance while staying on the rails of the main quest, or copied off each other, that is    I read these reviews (the professional ones) friday but decided to get the game anyway. I'm SO glad I did. Most of these professional reviews do not even relate to the game I just played, to an embarrassing level.

    After playing I'm forced to conclude that the reviewers gave most of the game a token glance while staying on the rails of the main quest, or copied off each other, that is the only explanation as to how he could get such a false impression. Everything from the crafting system to the combat to the story and dialogue is engaging and fun. Heck, I started friday and I hardly put it down since. It's one of those games that will keep you up till 2 am and you'll think it's still 10 o'clock. Honestly, if I hadn't set an alarm I probably would have missed picking up my mom on mother's day.

    At high difficulty levels the combat is challenging and rewarding. Whenever I died or had to load it felt like it was my fault, not bad game design, but at the same time getting through especially tough fights felt like an accomplishment. Exactly what a good RPG should do. Learning how to parry and riposte properly is the difference between success and frustration.

    The thing they got right on their negative reviews (and I mean the ONLY thing) is that this game didn't have a AAA budget and it shows. Dialogue that sometimes doesn't add up due to not having the budget to re-record, areas that are a bit too small, and all the other little things that come with not having a 20 person QA department. What these guys did with a small budget is extremely impressive. It's a solid 7/10 game, but I'm giving it 8/10 for doing so much with so little money. I'm going to go dive back in for another playthrough.    … Expand
  23. aidan0
    May 18, 2014
    8
    Once you get used to the combat system, this game is a solid 7, an 8 if you get into it. I would recommend to start out at the least difficult setting to get into it, because combat can be very frustrating if you don't know what you are doing. Last boss is a troll boss, be prepared to do a 180 in how you have handled fights up till then.

    - Gender choice, big thumbs up. - This games is    Once you get used to the combat system, this game is a solid 7, an 8 if you get into it. I would recommend to start out at the least difficult setting to get into it, because combat can be very frustrating if you don't know what you are doing. Last boss is a troll boss, be prepared to do a 180 in how you have handled fights up till then.

    - Gender choice, big thumbs up.
    - This games is not a very long game I did 2 full runs (good/evil) and I'm at 27 hours (short), I did find it very fun though. Second time I just blasted passed enemies.
    - Voice acting is on par with other games (not that great), but I didn't mind it much.
    - Crafting is as it should be, it's solid.
    - The companions aren't useless, they are your tanks and healers. They make those 4 against 1 fights manageable.
    - This could have easily been a very larger and longer game, but it was worth the $40,- At least for me. Nice game, good rpg's are few and far between these days and this is one of them. I'm thinking of doing a third run. Mostly for story reasons.    … Expand
  24. ududy
    Jun 4, 2014
    8
    A very decent CRPG. Writing and voice acting vary wildly in quality, but the main conceit with the hero's inner demon is quite well done, if not original, and combat and crafting are satisfying. Exploration could be better developed with more complex maps and movement abilities.
  25. Matseb2611
    Mar 23, 2015
    8
    This is the 3rd game I've played by Spiders Studios. Just as the other two, I greatly enjoyed this one. It might've only lasted for about 13 hours, and there were a few issues and grievances along the way, but all in all this was great fun.

    The story is nothing too original. It's your typical dark fantasy setting with humans facing off the armies of undead, but I was quite impressed    This is the 3rd game I've played by Spiders Studios. Just as the other two, I greatly enjoyed this one. It might've only lasted for about 13 hours, and there were a few issues and grievances along the way, but all in all this was great fun.

    The story is nothing too original. It's your typical dark fantasy setting with humans facing off the armies of undead, but I was quite impressed with the overall presentation and delivery of it. Most of the companions were quite interesting, though some of them could've been developed a bit better, and the main character and the demon inside of him were very solid in the lead.

    The combat aspect is a bit of a mixed bag. It was incredibly fun in some ways. The moves and abilities made each battle feel epic, especially with the use of superhuman dodge skill, which created some 'wow' moments as you see your character narrowly avoid an enemy swing. However, despite finding it fun, I have to agree with many of the criticisms by other players. The lack of roll command was something I could not understand at all. And the whole interruption mechanic was extremely annoying, because it was easy for enemies to interrupt you mid-swing, not to mention knocking you down on the floor and getting some cheap free hits whilst you're waiting for your character to get back up.

    The difficulty in general was way too high, even for the Easy difficulty setting. For a game that has such a strong focus on story, the Easy mode shouldn't have been this hard. This was made worse by some parts of the game having unpleasant difficulty spikes. In general I thought chapters 1 and 2 were brilliantly done and the flow was perfect. There were many sidequests, and the action bits were balanced out with storytelling.

    And then chapter 3 came along, and the game was ruined by constant non-stop battles with identical enemies and some horrible level design that forces you to walk through monotonous twisting corridors and too much backtracking. And the final boss was way way way too hard compared to the rest of the game. To make it worse, if you wish to go back and buy more stuff and grind, you can no longer do it, so you have to load an earlier bit of the game. I ended up doing that so that I could buy 40 health potions (and no, that isn't too much).

    Combat frustrations aside, the game was still fun and worth playing. The crafting system was done well, and the levelling of skills was reasonably good too. There are 3 mastery trees in total: Warrior, Ranger, and Pyromancer. You can mix and match and invest in any of those as much as you wish. I personally went heavy on the warrior tree. Too bad in the second half of the game I realised that going Ranger stance with daggers was proving to be much better (and seems many other players agree), making Warrior tree quite underpowered compared to the Ranger tree. As for Pyromancy, I found most fire abilities useless, aside from weapon enchantment with fire, which was a single most useful skill in the game.

    I'd definitely recommend this game, though BE WARNED that it is HARD and unfair, and you will be getting killed a lot even on Easy mode. If that's something you do not mind, then most likely you'll enjoy the game.    … Expand
  26. poexania
    Jun 7, 2014
    10
    Very enjoyable game with nice graphics, a must see for rpg fans. To bad that the professional reviewers rate it so low, that may stop some people from even trying it. We need to support such rare rough diamonds or else we are doomed to play more and more simplified versions of the rpg genre.

    Pros: Nice graphics Very smart and interesting dialogues Well worked and deep    Very enjoyable game with nice graphics, a must see for rpg fans. To bad that the professional reviewers rate it so low, that may stop some people from even trying it. We need to support such rare rough diamonds or else we are doomed to play more and more simplified versions of the rpg genre.

    Pros:

    Nice graphics
    Very smart and interesting dialogues
    Well worked and deep characters(including your companions)
    Decent leveling system
    Good crafting system
    Fast, and at the same time deep and complex battle system that its not all about mashing keys
    A great variety of weapons armor etc
    Interesting quests that bounds well with the time and place of each area and with the main scenario
    Your char has to do with a number of moral decisions throwout the game
    Big booty ****

    Cons:

    Small variety of enemies
    Small variety of different environments
    Not possible to customize the gear of your companions
    The maps are a bit simple( and strictly quest oriented so the game looks a bit too linear some times(more or less like witcher 2 but better than dragon age 2).

    Influenced by:

    Witcher 2
    Mars war logs

    End of line: Give it a change    … Expand
  27. Namor1111
    Jul 12, 2014
    10
    I really don't understand people who rate this game under 5, it's a solid 8 for me.
    I'm having more fun than I thought I would.
    The highlights being the dynamic combat feel and atmospheric music.
    Well done Spiders for a solid effort with a small development team.
    I look forward to bigger and better games to come.
  28. player321321312
    May 11, 2014
    8
    I buy Dark Souls 2 and hate that **** game on many ways. Really bad sound effetcs etc... I buy this and get over 20 hour gameplay now when im on act 3.

    For me this game is good! The story is interesting even for me some dont care so much about story in games.
  29. breathfan
    May 13, 2014
    10
    This game just works for me. I really like it. The good things are much much much more, than the bad things. I think 8 is a fair valuation for this game.
  30. avil172
    May 9, 2014
    10
    this game is awesome...and i really dont care about what gamespot,ign ...etc have to say about this game..all i know is they dont know to write reviews because they give dark souls 2 10/10 and skyrim 10/10....with those crappy combat and no cinematic but when it comes to bound by flame which is better than those two in all aspects they give it so poor score....
    if you are a dragon    this game is awesome...and i really dont care about what gamespot,ign ...etc have to say about this game..all i know is they dont know to write reviews because they give dark souls 2 10/10 and skyrim 10/10....with those crappy combat and no cinematic but when it comes to bound by flame which is better than those two in all aspects they give it so poor score....
    if you are a dragon age/witcher game fan then you will surely love this game...i bought this game and i can say it was worth it    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

48
#48 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
66
#66 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
56

Mixed or average reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 42
  3. Negative: 13 out of 42
  1. CD-Action
    Jul 25, 2014
    65
    There is potential in Bound by Flame but I can’t review this game without using some harsh words. It’s linear and clichéd, combat should be better and many elements could be more complex. Still I believe that with more money, people and time Spiders would be able to play in the major league. [07/2014, p.54]
  2. Pelit (Finland)
    Jun 12, 2014
    70
    French indie developer tries to engage adult audience with this RPG. Too bad the world is generic and script is dull as a wooden blade. If you show a few tits and curse like a sailor, that don't translate to a game for adults. On top of that the game mechanics are dull and repetitive. You don't challenge Witcher with this kind of setup. [June 2014]
  3. Hyper Magazine
    Jun 7, 2014
    30
    Ugly, stupid and riddled with cliche, Bound by Flame has car crash fascination but little else to recommend it. [Issue#249, p.62]
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