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Mixed or average reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews What's this?

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  • Summary: Deathbound is a one-of-a-kind party-based soulslike set in a callous world where Faith and Science clash.

    The forbidden city of Akratya is an unforgiving land that cannot be conquered alone. Bind with fallen warriors found throughout your crusade and dynamically transform between the
    Deathbound is a one-of-a-kind party-based soulslike set in a callous world where Faith and Science clash.

    The forbidden city of Akratya is an unforgiving land that cannot be conquered alone. Bind with fallen warriors found throughout your crusade and dynamically transform between the characters seamlessly mid-combat with the unique 4-hero party system.

    Face challenging enemies crafted to push you to your limits. Their very nature is based on the five stages of grief, with each new encounter commanding the attention of any soul who dare face them.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 13
  2. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Aug 14, 2024
    80
    Deathbound manages to bring innovations to a consolidated genre, mixing elements that make it ideal for those who want to venture into a soulslike without going through any hardships.
  2. Aug 9, 2024
    80
    Deathbound is a fresh new Souls-styled action RPG with rewarding combat that might have too steep of a learning curve for some players out there.
  3. Aug 7, 2024
    75
    Deathbound is a fresh take on the soulslike genre that will keep fans happy despite having a few technical issues that may get in the way of enjoyment.
  4. Aug 7, 2024
    60
    While not bound for the embrace of death owing to its unique party system and visual flair, Deathbound struggles to stave off the reaper’s scythe thanks to technical issues, poorly told stories and unbalanced though otherwise competent gameplay. It may scratch the Soulslike itch for some, but whether you’d reanimate the souls of the damned for a longer crusade, only the Lady of Death knows.
  5. Aug 12, 2024
    60
    Some of the difficulty is good, and some of it is bad. If you’re into games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring, you will probably have a good time with this. But if you’re new to the “Soulslike” genre and looking for a challenge, you might want to start with one of those games first, lest you be frustrated too easily by the unfortunately fairly numerous stumbles Deathbound takes. It leans more good than bad, with a creative party system and mostly satisfying combat, but ultimately, I think only existing fans of the genre are going to last long enough to complete it.
  6. Aug 9, 2024
    60
    Releasing an appropriate amount of time after Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC was the right move, as Deathbound can't really go toe-to-toe with the greats. Still, anyone with a tolerance for jank and an interest in the game’s new ideas should come away satisfied, even while recognizing that this pluckiness only takes it so far. Deathbound is an indie soulslike through and through, a scrappy moonshot with some interesting tweaks on the genre, and a satisfying depth of lore to boot. Its flaws hold it back, but that shouldn’t distract from its enjoyable character-switching combat and overall gumption.
  7. Aug 7, 2024
    50
    Deathbound is a game that has a lot of great ideas that seem amazing on paper, but few of them actually end up hitting the mark. The clear high points of this game pretty much all relate to the setting, the story, and the characters presented, but even this is marred by the goofy vocal performances and the frequency of the swearing in a bid to seem edgy and cool. But in the end, the game is dragged down by a wonky multi-character combat system, a messy health system, an all-round unresponsiveness, which is a death warrant in a Souls-like such as this, and the fact that the game's performance is enough to make you throw in the towel before you even have a good reason to write the game off. It feels like a game that would have benefited from pivoting to an all-out hack-and-slash format because, despite labeling itself as one, Deathbound simply doesn't have the polish or the attention to detail needed to truly call itself a Souls game.

See all 13 Critic Reviews