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. 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
  2. cizzlebot
    May 9, 2014
    7
    It's disappointing to see so many negative reviews, which clearly stem from a lack of patience and unrealistic comparisons to other, higher budget games. Bound By Flame is it's own game, with plenty of fun and charm. When you go in with an open mind and enjoy the game for what it is, you'll be happy you did.

    The story is interesting and not entirely unoriginal, like many would have you    It's disappointing to see so many negative reviews, which clearly stem from a lack of patience and unrealistic comparisons to other, higher budget games. Bound By Flame is it's own game, with plenty of fun and charm. When you go in with an open mind and enjoy the game for what it is, you'll be happy you did.

    The story is interesting and not entirely unoriginal, like many would have you believe. There is nothing dull or stale about it. You feel like you want to stop the bad guys, because it's important. What's even more interesting is HOW you stop them, based on decisions that will impact your character, and the story itself.

    The variety of NPCs and companions is also really nice. There's a huge range of personalities and the unfiltered conversations/banter is refreshing. Some of the voice acting leaves something to be desired, but overall it's done well enough, and seems more realistic in it's raw, unrefined state. There are plenty of laugh out loud moments, which I highly appreciate in these types of games. A little humor goes a long way.

    The combat is fluid and feels "right" when you get the hang of the controls. Don't expect to blindly button mash your way through the game -- you'll die, a lot. The three skill trees are all useful, but definitely consider going heavier in one over the others for your main play style and damage output. The more you play and develop your skills, the more you'll feel like you're actually getting stronger.

    The music in this game is actually one of my favorite things about it. It's absolutely beautiful, and gives the game a very good vibe.

    The graphics are good. They're nothing crazy or jaw dropping that will push your PC over the edge, but it would be somewhat trivial to ask for anything better. There is plenty of variety in environments, characters, equipment, and weapons -- plenty to look at and enjoy.

    Overall, I simply do not understand how anyone can think this is even remotely a bad game. If they gave it a real chance and took their time playing, I believe they'd have a very different opinion after a few hours. Anyway, if you're still on the fence and ABSOLUTELY need some kind of comparison, I'd say it's like a mix of Risen, The Witcher, and Dragon Age 2. Although seriously.. It really is it's own game, and it's a lot of fun! Don't let the bad reviews scare you away. I truly think it's worth the purchase, especially if you can get it at a discount, which we all know there are plenty of these days. :)    … Expand
  3. partyintheback
    May 9, 2014
    10
    Bound by Flame is a nice and challenging RPG. Detailed graphics in 1080p, fun and strategic combat, and a good amount of loot and exploration to be had.
  4. farshal
    May 9, 2014
    6
    Dull dialogs, bad vocalizations, bad map designs, not an open world , bad combat , unnatural animations etc. etc. etc.

    The year 2014 , and we have a 6-7gb files of this game ... Don't expect too much...
  5. HELLruler
    May 9, 2014
    4
    Wish I could give this game a good rating, but I can't.

    So, starting the game, you face some cutscenes that talk about the story. I admit it's not too inspiring, and I felt forced to skip them all. The graphics are outdated, but that generally isn't enough to let me down. Several minutes later you start fighting. Well, that should've been awesome, should have. The combat doesn't flow    Wish I could give this game a good rating, but I can't.

    So, starting the game, you face some cutscenes that talk about the story. I admit it's not too inspiring, and I felt forced to skip them all. The graphics are outdated, but that generally isn't enough to let me down.
    Several minutes later you start fighting. Well, that should've been awesome, should have. The combat doesn't flow well. Sometimes the enemy will block your attack and punish you, but seems unfair that they can recover so fast after getting their attacks parried.
    Let's not forget you can't dodge. Yeah, if two enemies are attacking you at the same time, you will have a hard time repositioning yourself by just wakling.

    Sadly, I just quit the game before finishing the tutorial. The story may get better, but it started so badly that I didn't even bother myself to find out what happens next. And the most important thing for me, gameplay, is flawed.

    In the end, it's just a subpar game in every aspect. I don't like this comparison, but Dark Souls is less expensive and much much better    … Expand
  6. scoobers
    May 9, 2014
    10
    I feel many of the reviewers didn't even want to give it a chance or just flail around wondering why things feel clunky. When you are doing things right everything feels very nice so much so I would say that I feel like I am playing another game than the one they did.
    People need to stop mashing buttons and click as animations are ending for a nice barrage of attacks and time dodge/parry    I feel many of the reviewers didn't even want to give it a chance or just flail around wondering why things feel clunky. When you are doing things right everything feels very nice so much so I would say that I feel like I am playing another game than the one they did.
    People need to stop mashing buttons and click as animations are ending for a nice barrage of attacks and time dodge/parry not just hold it or mash. Timing it gives counterattacks.
    So far the game has been a blast. Combat is very fluid and animations are really nice if you slow down and don't spam. This game asks you to really use all your tricks to stay alive. You need to make the weak companions attack from a distance, go defensive and heal.
    -The graphics are great and too many people are spoiled. This indie studio pulled off some pretty nice work.
    -Voice acting was really good but indeed awkward in many spots.
    -The sound track is very nice and really set the mood for the game.
    -Character customization is fairly limited but you do get different looking armor and you may begin to look more demonic depending on what you did.
    -It also has a nice tutorial as you go that you can disable if you like and you can hide the mini map from the ui too.

    Impressed from the leap they mad in game play since previous titles. A great rpg to have in my collection and for the 19 dollars on gmg I am more than happy. Even then for 33-39 dollars I would have been happy still.    … Expand
  7. Usser
    May 9, 2014
    7
    Its Good Game
    +Its have very good dark story
    +You feel the weight of your hero when you fight
    +Good Graphic on pc

    -Voice acting
    -Sometimes bugs
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. Bustardo
    May 9, 2014
    7
    No idea why this is getting such low reviews from people. This is a fun RPG aimed at adults. I'm not very far into it, but so far I've found nothing to complain about. Most of the bad reviews seem to stem from strange complaints such as "Well the combat system could have been more like this other game I like... etc." If you're on the fence and you like RPG's definitely give it a try. I'mNo idea why this is getting such low reviews from people. This is a fun RPG aimed at adults. I'm not very far into it, but so far I've found nothing to complain about. Most of the bad reviews seem to stem from strange complaints such as "Well the combat system could have been more like this other game I like... etc." If you're on the fence and you like RPG's definitely give it a try. I'm going to write a better review once I complete it, but so far I've been having fun.… Expand
  11. 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
  12. 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
  13. 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
  14. 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
  15. johnangel
    May 9, 2014
    7
    A nice and fun game, it isn't skyrim or dark souls but it's a nice enjoyable game and good at what it does.
    Could use a patch or two.
    I don't get all the negativity really.
  16. mongolrising
    May 9, 2014
    3
    This game is so bad. Awkward unplayable combat, terrible dialogue, cheesy characters (objectified females of course), subpar graphics. It is a huge wast of money and not worth getting at all. The worst part is all the obnoxious fanboys swearing up and down how amazing this game is. This game is bad, don't waste your money.
  17. 223kazin
    May 9, 2014
    4
    I went directly from Dark Souls 2 to this so do keep that in mind for this review. I rated it higher than I felt I should based solely on that reason. Bound by Flame is an indie game that isn't trash, it's rough around the edges but it delivers a promising experience that could have easily been a nice treat inbetween big game releases. Sadly it made the mistake of releasing within DarkI went directly from Dark Souls 2 to this so do keep that in mind for this review. I rated it higher than I felt I should based solely on that reason. Bound by Flame is an indie game that isn't trash, it's rough around the edges but it delivers a promising experience that could have easily been a nice treat inbetween big game releases. Sadly it made the mistake of releasing within Dark Souls 2's time frame. The combat it simplistic but "tactical", which is an odd mix. I don't care for it much but others might find it more welcoming, it just feels shallow some how and enemies seem to take longer to kill than they rightfully should(on the second difficulty). A critical flaw with the game is that cutscenes cut(pardon me) into the pacing a lot, I read that the story was pretty poor but I wouldn't know because I was hammering that skip button so hard it might have been gentler to use an actual hammer. I'm surprised the B on my 360 controller didn't get ground into atoms. To cut it all short for those ADHD readers: The music was a solid A+, I enjoyed it very much, but the gameplay and combat were lacking, the graphics were acceptable for an indie game, but pretty visuals and nice music alone a game does not make(In this gamers opinion).… Expand
  18. e1evN
    May 9, 2014
    2
    In Short: bad voiceacting / dialogs, unprecise combat, absurd and unclear doging/blocking mechanisms or not even there (dodgeroll), unimersive world (when you put in your name everybody goes ahead and calls you vulcan). And some things more, which made me stop playing this game for the moment and once again showed that you should not prepurchase anything.

    Some things extended: I guess    In Short: bad voiceacting / dialogs, unprecise combat, absurd and unclear doging/blocking mechanisms or not even there (dodgeroll), unimersive world (when you put in your name everybody goes ahead and calls you vulcan). And some things more, which made me stop playing this game for the moment and once again showed that you should not prepurchase anything.

    Some things extended: I guess coming from Dark Souls franchise, esp. the latest DSII which i played a lot, from the trailers and dev. interviews i expectet a "casual" Dark Souls and i was proven wrong. So the voiceacting, the dialogs, the graphics are not very good and the story is quite predictable some hours in to the game, but what threw me off the most is the "clunkie" combat, its not precice and feels unresponsive, meaning you take damage but you can not see or hear form where or maybe it was the smash to the ground 10 meters behind you which you didnt hear as well. So as said im used to hard combat but it has to be fair. Also the dodging/blocking mechanic is unpleasant, you can only jump back and block, but you have not a shield, whish there were more options and clarity on how to block / doge things.    … Expand
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. Masatshi
    May 9, 2014
    7
    I thought this game was crap. Thankfully, I did not listen to the bad reviews and played it myself... okay I admit, the graphics suck, technically its a bit of a mess and the voice acting is really bad sometimes, but I like the gameplay, the story and the characters. This is not a hack-n-slay game, you have to think in battle, otherwise you die very quickly. If you think this plays likeI thought this game was crap. Thankfully, I did not listen to the bad reviews and played it myself... okay I admit, the graphics suck, technically its a bit of a mess and the voice acting is really bad sometimes, but I like the gameplay, the story and the characters. This is not a hack-n-slay game, you have to think in battle, otherwise you die very quickly. If you think this plays like DmC or something, go look elsewhere. This game is like a snack if you are hungry. It will not completely satisfy you, but you will be happy until the next big meal comes along...… Expand
  22. Proelio
    May 9, 2014
    5
    A mediocre game in all aspects. Visually it is awful. The music is fine, although the voice acting is painful. The story is absurd, childish and poorly led, on the other hand, it seems that the script is written by a 14 year old boy, full of expletives and cheap swagger like something out of DmC. All characters have a cocky, shameless and sassy attitude, like stupid clones.

    Luckily, the    A mediocre game in all aspects. Visually it is awful. The music is fine, although the voice acting is painful. The story is absurd, childish and poorly led, on the other hand, it seems that the script is written by a 14 year old boy, full of expletives and cheap swagger like something out of DmC. All characters have a cocky, shameless and sassy attitude, like stupid clones.

    Luckily, the gameplay gets saved, thanks to a relatively interesting battleplay but burdened by a rough and robotic movements and animations, plus a bad control. The customization system by crafting is simple but interesting. Partners give a little sparkle to the fighting.    … Expand
  23. 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
  24. Drogmir
    May 9, 2014
    7
    This game strikes me as something like a B movie version of Kingdoms of Amalur mixed with The Witcher 1.

    Storywise it's a kind of dark fantasy dark that's reminiscent of Dragon Age's you're the chosen one go save the world. Except that your character is a foul mouthed mercenary idiot, so it's kind of funny watching him spout really strange lines completely inconsistent with the    This game strikes me as something like a B movie version of Kingdoms of Amalur mixed with The Witcher 1.

    Storywise it's a kind of dark fantasy dark that's reminiscent of Dragon Age's you're the chosen one go save the world. Except that your character is a foul mouthed mercenary idiot, so it's kind of funny watching him spout really strange lines completely inconsistent with the atmosphere of the game.

    Your companions have enough character to make them interesting but not really that compelling. At the very least though they're more interesting to listen to than your main character.

    The demon aspect is a little underplayed but what is there works well enough.

    Gameplay wise- it's like an inferior version of Kingdom of Amalur's sort of scrappy skirmishing with deadliness more in vein with Darksouls. It's clear that Spiders didn't really take the time to balance it out as the skill trees are only worth investing into the Ranger mode and Pyromancy since their combat's interrupt mechanic makes anything slow a death trap.

    Graphics: They tend to vary from pretty nice to something cheaply off.

    Music: Actually pretty good, the vocals do a really good job without sounding too generic.

    Overall I liked it for what it is, a cheap B-movie worthy Fantasy fare RPG. It's functional but never brilliant. With a larger budget and a better writing team it could have been phenomenal instead of a good time waster.

    In a lot of ways it really does reminds me of the Witcher 1 before it received an overhaul patch which replaced the dialog to make it less silly and tonally weird. I think that's the kind of thing this game needs along with combat re balancing. If they could deliver it in the form of a patch it would go up 1-2 points easily.

    I only paid about $27 for it and I feel that's a fair price. Any higher though and I might have felt ripped off for the quality delivered.    … 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

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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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