Bound by Flame

 PlayStation 4
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 260 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 108 out of 260
  2. Mixed: 70 out of 260
  3. Negative: 82 out of 260
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  1. JPoppaWUSC
    May 9, 2014
    10
    Bound By Flame doesn't deserve a perfect score, but I'm going to give it one anyway to offset the spamming of terrible scores that it's having to endure. In truth, BBF is about an 8.5, but even placing a number on the review is difficult for a few reasons. The game is awkward, in much the same way as Mars War Logs felt awkward. From inconsistent characterization and uncomfortablyBound By Flame doesn't deserve a perfect score, but I'm going to give it one anyway to offset the spamming of terrible scores that it's having to endure. In truth, BBF is about an 8.5, but even placing a number on the review is difficult for a few reasons. The game is awkward, in much the same way as Mars War Logs felt awkward. From inconsistent characterization and uncomfortably cynical dialogue to bad lip-syncing and amateurish voice acting, the presentation is going to rub a lot of players the wrong way. The question is, how much importance do you place on cinematic presentation? Because if you're the type of gamer who enjoys gritty real-time combat and a serious level of challenge, BBF may still have enough to offer that aesthetics don't matter anymore. If you like, say, Dark Souls or The Witcher for their strategic and deliberately-paced combat systems, you will want to give BBF a spin. If you thought Dragon's Dogma was a good first entry into a new IP in spite of some glaring flaws, you'll easily overlook the worst of BBF's issues. Just don't expect Skyrim. While you could compare chunks of BBF to a lot of its action RPG peers, it holds the least resemblance to Elder Scrolls. There's some DNA from Dragon Age, Witcher, Amalur, Dark Souls, Fable, even War in the North, and of course Mars War Logs -- but practically nothing about the game suggests that Spiders was trying to compete with Skyrim. As long as you set your expectations accordingly, you'll be just fine, especially considering it's only a $50 new release on a brand new console, on which there is very little selection right now and NO other RPGs to speak of. BBF actually manages to deliver on much of its gameplay mechanics, and I genuinely enjoy the music and art style. Crafting is deeper than expected for both equipment and expendables, as you can change out modular parts of weapons and armor easily or craft items like traps on the fly, even in the heat of combat. Mission objectives and combat conditions are varied and often very fun to figure out, even if you die a lot in the process. Things like target lock-on and parrying work just fine (contrary to popular belief), but heaven forbid, you actually need to learn the game's system to be effective with them. I appreciate that this isn't a paint-by-numbers RPG, and even though it borrows some inspiration from plenty of big-name IPs, the resulting whole feels almost entirely original. It just won't be the kind of original that everybody likes. Personally, I'm getting everything out of it that I expected and maybe then some, so I respect what Spiders did with their first retail game. I look forward to seeing what they do next, and I wouldn't mind getting some DLC for Bound By Flame. We've got quite a while to wait on games like Dragon Age: Inquisition and The Witcher 3, so I hope players don't write this one off too quickly.… Expand
  2. TheLeogryph
    Sep 19, 2015
    7
    I don't necessarily think Bound By Flame is a bad game. I think these sort of games are important for the experimental/daring ideas they add to the over all conversation of video games nowadays. The world of dark fantasy they present is well researched with regards to the genre it plays in in most of the party members you get in your group are pretty well fleshed out. The ones that aren'tI don't necessarily think Bound By Flame is a bad game. I think these sort of games are important for the experimental/daring ideas they add to the over all conversation of video games nowadays. The world of dark fantasy they present is well researched with regards to the genre it plays in in most of the party members you get in your group are pretty well fleshed out. The ones that aren't are pretty cookie-cutter when it comes to generic party building.

    Moving away from subjectivity, the game play rewards you if you put enough grit into learning all of the kinks and bugs. Crafting your armor is really exciting and it's refreshing to play a hero who literally questions out loud to people why no one is mention his/her demonic transformation.

    The first portion of the game is decent, but the last act is really depressing. The dungeon is OK but the story development and character building don't even take a back seat. They're still packing their bags for the trip. What's even more depressing is when you realize the bag full of promises you were given comes up about half short.

    It's not a terrible game. It's just not epic. I sometimes think we're all so used to these kind of epic experiences that we've forgotten that sometimes, a short linear adventure can be a pretty fun way to experience the weekend.    … Expand
  3. jacksonk12
    Oct 8, 2014
    10
    J'espère que les gens ne s'attarde pas au critiques. Bound by flame ne mérite aucunement des mauvaises notes.

    Franchement ce jeu est très bon. Graphisme, ambiance/univers unique et stylé que j'oublierai jamais. J'ai pris tous pleins de photos, vidéos de mon aventure sur ma PS4 :) Une fin épique. Gameplay mélange de Dark Souls et Dragon Age. Excellente trame sonore. Ne vous fiez    J'espère que les gens ne s'attarde pas au critiques. Bound by flame ne mérite aucunement des mauvaises notes.

    Franchement ce jeu est très bon. Graphisme, ambiance/univers unique et stylé que j'oublierai jamais. J'ai pris tous pleins de photos, vidéos de mon aventure sur ma PS4 :)
    Une fin épique.
    Gameplay mélange de Dark Souls et Dragon Age.
    Excellente trame sonore.

    Ne vous fiez surtout pas au mauvaises critiques sur ce jeu et essayez-le !!!

    Bravo à l'équipe qui a réalisé le jeu.    … Expand
  4. 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
  5. ProtoCaster
    May 27, 2014
    8
    First things first, the graphics and presentation are mediocre at best. Terrible even by PS4 standards. The voice acting can be quite laughable as well. Once you get past the looks and dig into the meat of the game, you'll find a rewarding Action RPG with a good amount of depth and a very rewarding combat system. This is difficulty done right, to progress through a battle, even with minorFirst things first, the graphics and presentation are mediocre at best. Terrible even by PS4 standards. The voice acting can be quite laughable as well. Once you get past the looks and dig into the meat of the game, you'll find a rewarding Action RPG with a good amount of depth and a very rewarding combat system. This is difficulty done right, to progress through a battle, even with minor enemies you need to be on your toes. The three classes you can switch to on the fly are varied and make combat signigicantly different depending on how you perfer to play. The crafting system is simple but effective, allowing you to create your own potions and traps on the fly even in the heat of combat. If you're like me and just want a satisfying fun Western style RPG to play on your PS4 to fill the void until later in the year, this will keep you entertained for at least 15 hours if you like to explore every nook and cranny.… Expand
  6. insloanwetrust
    May 9, 2014
    7
    Bound By Flame Is a good game. It's not a AAA game, It's more a B tier game. That's just the size of their team and the budget they have. It's a mixture of other RPG's you will have played before. I actually like the writing it's funny and different from the rest of the RPG's. The combat tries to be somewhat Witcher meets Dark Souls and the game tries to have some Dragon Age influence butBound By Flame Is a good game. It's not a AAA game, It's more a B tier game. That's just the size of their team and the budget they have. It's a mixture of other RPG's you will have played before. I actually like the writing it's funny and different from the rest of the RPG's. The combat tries to be somewhat Witcher meets Dark Souls and the game tries to have some Dragon Age influence but it's not any of those games. It's a good solid RPG in it's own right that's not trying to compete with those games as they have said themselves. The upgrading your weapons, armor and abilities is good, crafting is good and combat once you get the hang of it is good. Voice acting is meh, lip syncing not great and graphics are OK. Characters are hit and miss some good some forgettable. World is OK and boss battles can be really good. If you're looking to pick up an RPG before Dragonage or The Witcher there is no reason why it shouldn't be Bound By Flame.… Expand
  7. 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 varity 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, 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
  8. fuwaneko
    May 9, 2014
    7
    It's nothing special, but it's not THAT bad as many journalists say. And it's quite challenging in a good way. Because, you know, Dark Souls showed us that a game should actually kill you, and do it often.
  9. phishhippy
    May 9, 2014
    8
    It's not perfect by any means, but in a drought of rpgs on ps4 I am really enjoying this game. I started on the 2nd hardest difficulty and I think it's made it much more enjoyable and long lasting. It is incredibly difficult on this setting, almost dark souls difficulty. I've died more than I can count but most of the time it's my fault and not the AI or design of the game. I'm on hourIt's not perfect by any means, but in a drought of rpgs on ps4 I am really enjoying this game. I started on the 2nd hardest difficulty and I think it's made it much more enjoyable and long lasting. It is incredibly difficult on this setting, almost dark souls difficulty. I've died more than I can count but most of the time it's my fault and not the AI or design of the game. I'm on hour 23 right now having done all side quests and am about to face the final boss. The story is cliche but it's enjoyable none the less. I've managed to stay human even though I've made a lot of immoral decisions at other points in the game. It's deeper than people are making it out to be with a mass effect like dialogue/morality system. The character customization is in the middle of the road. Upon creating your character there are only 4 or 5 choices for male/female along with some hairstyles. The gear is fun, allowing you to switch helmuts, gloves, breast-plate, etc. although in the end there are only maybe 7 of each with about 30 total weapon choices. You can collect materials to add both visual and statistical bonuses to them which is fun. The visuals have a cool slightly cell-shaded look that resembles some of borderlands town textures with an eos4 vibe. I will play through this game again on the hardest difficulty and so that I can see the demon side of things, so I will have probably spent 50 hours with the game when it's all said and done. Well worth it in my opinion, especially right now in the current drought of games on ps4.… Expand
  10. cryocore
    May 11, 2014
    5
    This is not a review. I have scored this a 5 as that is what it deserves imho. Can the idiots on here stop spamming 10's and 0's to "offset" other users. Utterly moronic all you're doing is proving just how pointless this site has become.
  11. Axlehead
    May 12, 2014
    10
    I can't believe this game is getting trashed on. While it is not a 10, I certainly won't sit here with it hovering around a 6. This game is easily an 8. Yes it has it's flaws, but it is a very well done game. Keep in mind the developers only have about 50 employees. This small development team has managed to make a game that is less bug ridden then that of any Bethesda game. Give it a shotI can't believe this game is getting trashed on. While it is not a 10, I certainly won't sit here with it hovering around a 6. This game is easily an 8. Yes it has it's flaws, but it is a very well done game. Keep in mind the developers only have about 50 employees. This small development team has managed to make a game that is less bug ridden then that of any Bethesda game. Give it a shot it's not perfect, but it's certainly worth a play!… Expand
  12. nitefighter
    May 9, 2014
    9
    it may not be the best rpg ever but its by no means as bad as the reviews are depicting. I've been playing for about 4 hours and i am enjoying it very much
  13. Untouchable763
    May 9, 2014
    8
    Its not a great game but still it has to be considered at least a good game for the resources that were used to make it. There is no way I would rate this game below a 7/10 so I have no idea what these reviewers were playing. I could see reasons of rating this game anywhere between a 7-8. The combat is hard and a challenge but its really well done. I love how talents work as well asIts not a great game but still it has to be considered at least a good game for the resources that were used to make it. There is no way I would rate this game below a 7/10 so I have no idea what these reviewers were playing. I could see reasons of rating this game anywhere between a 7-8. The combat is hard and a challenge but its really well done. I love how talents work as well as crafting too so I see no real big flaw with this game.… Expand
  14. Makaveli
    May 11, 2014
    5
    I don't see how anyone can give this higher than a 7 and the people giving this game a 10... really? You think this is a perfect game and you can say that with a straight face? I would ignore reviews that give the game a 8,9, 10 and ignore reviews 0,1,2,3..... Getting so you cant trust user reviews anymore......

    First let me start by saying that there are a lot of bugs in this game,    I don't see how anyone can give this higher than a 7 and the people giving this game a 10... really? You think this is a perfect game and you can say that with a straight face? I would ignore reviews that give the game a 8,9, 10 and ignore reviews 0,1,2,3..... Getting so you cant trust user reviews anymore......

    First let me start by saying that there are a lot of bugs in this game, that can be said for a lot of games and then they patch it, so I will not be talking about the bugs it has as i'm sure they will be patched eventually.

    The music is very well done and I think it's great that they gave us a challenging game....however, the combat is just boring.. If you are expecting this to be on the same level as Dark Souls then you will be disappointed... The combat consists of hitting an enemy that does not even react to being hit, then you jump back, go forward, hit the enemy again, jump back, go forward, hit the enemy... It's boring.......
    The graphics are not going to blow you away but they are not terrible...
    The voice acting in this game is terrible and the voice synching is bad too...
    Sounds like the script was written by a 12 year old... There are times in the game where characters swear for absolutely no reason and it feels forced and lazy... Don't get me wrong I could care less about swearing in games but this game does it wrong..

    It's a mediocre game in the end, and if you read these 10s and 9s they are basically saying that this game is on the same level as Dark Souls and Skyrim..... Give me a break...    … Expand
  15. djwille88
    May 14, 2014
    8
    I'll tell ya what, screw the professional reviewers these days! While the game is far from great it doesn't deserve 2-3's. It's really a solid 7 if judged fairly. There really hasn't been any huge issues for me in the gameplay dept and most of it's minor in my book.

    I don't know it is about the game but I will say this, it's FUN! The combat is the strength of the game. You can't go    I'll tell ya what, screw the professional reviewers these days! While the game is far from great it doesn't deserve 2-3's. It's really a solid 7 if judged fairly. There really hasn't been any huge issues for me in the gameplay dept and most of it's minor in my book.

    I don't know it is about the game but I will say this, it's FUN! The combat is the strength of the game. You can't go in button mashing your way to victory. I like the 3 separate fighting system's or tree's that you have at your disposal and find it quite engaging.

    Other pro's..

    Great crafting system.
    Decent Story.
    Companion AI isn't that bad if you set them up right(on Rookie difficulty)
    Tough enemy's
    Interesting bosses.
    Dialog that actually can be pretty funny.
    Secondary quest's are pretty good.

    Con's

    Level design is very linear.
    Voice acting can be very cheesy.
    Not enough enemy variety.
    Transition's can be a bit jarring.
    Facial animation's is poor at times.

    I've really had a great time with the game and if you're keen on a fun little RPG with solid combat and interesting story well, this game might be up your alley.    … Expand
  16. DeusFatua
    May 9, 2014
    8
    Ce massacre de la presse à l'égard de Bound By Flame est incompréhensible.
    Spiders est une petite équipe travaillant dans des conditions difficiles, et chaque jeu qu'ils font et meilleur que le précédent, Bound By Flame est loin d'être l'exemption qui confirme la règle, il va bien au delà de ce que Mars: War Logs accomplissait il y a un an.
    Proposait à un prix très correct, BBF est un    Ce massacre de la presse à l'égard de Bound By Flame est incompréhensible.
    Spiders est une petite équipe travaillant dans des conditions difficiles, et chaque jeu qu'ils font et meilleur que le précédent, Bound By Flame est loin d'être l'exemption qui confirme la règle, il va bien au delà de ce que Mars: War Logs accomplissait il y a un an.

    Proposait à un prix très correct, BBF est un très bon jeu, qui montre que même sans moyen, et juste avec l'envie et la passion du jeu vidéo, on en arrive à de très bons résultats, et il suffit de jouer plus de dix heures pour se rendre compte de la qualité du titre.

    Bien sur ce n'est pas Dragon Age ou The Witcher 3, il n'en a ni les moyens, ni la prétention, et il est peut-être temps d'accepter qu'il existe autre chose que les AAA aux budgets faramineux et les jeux indé, il existe aussi des dév' sous l'aile d'éditeur qui ont moins de moyen et qui essayent d'avancer tout en offrant de bonne chose.

    BBF est un jeu qui mérite le détour pour tout fan de jeu de rôle.    … Expand
  17. snooginzz
    May 9, 2014
    10
    SOLID RPG. KEEP AN OPEN MIND AND ENJOY THE GOOD IT HAS TO OFFER.

    I again feel the need to write a good review to support a game that I VERY much enjoy, because the critic reviews are not doing it any justice. This review is being specifically directed at those of you who are here for some additional feedback because the critic reviews have left you unsure if you want to pick this game    SOLID RPG. KEEP AN OPEN MIND AND ENJOY THE GOOD IT HAS TO OFFER.

    I again feel the need to write a good review to support a game that I VERY much enjoy, because the critic reviews are not doing it any justice. This review is being specifically directed at those of you who are here for some additional feedback because the critic reviews have left you unsure if you want to pick this game up. go ahead and grab it, if you are a true RPG fan you will be pleased.

    It's not perfect; to the masses, I'd say it should be about a 7 or 7.5 in terms of average rating. To me, this game is easily a 10, because this is the kind of RPG that I love, and become so absorbed in. I tend to favor those off-beat, off the radar titles (think two worlds or kingdoms of amalur: reckoning- if you enjoyed either of these, you will love bound by flame), because they do their own thing. Just about every review or comment I've read on this game says it's a poor version of the witcher, or dark souls. I've put many hours into those ones, and they're great. I assure you though, this game is not a copy.

    combat is awesome, nuff said. there are a good bit of different weapons and armor to pick up, and each piece can be further customized with upgrades that are crafted with mats you'll pick up around the world and dropped my mobs. the skill tree is TIGHT. if you enjoy min/maxing and tweaking your guy to the fullest, again, you'll fall in love. each tree (warrior/ranger/fire) is very thorough, and offers quite a few choices for active talents and passives. If you get off on this stuff, believe me, it's all there.

    the story is what you'd expect in a budget rpg; cheesy humor and a dark story, but that's what I love about it! I've been gaming since I was about 4-5 yrs old, and I'm 26 now. the best way I can express what I mean would be an analogy regarding moves; some flicks are not well received by critics, but have those cult followings... tropic thunder anyone? you just have to keep an open mind and accept it for what it is. if you can do that, you can get sucked into the story, laugh at the character dialogue, and really have a good time here.

    all in all, solid combat, great skill upgrade/feat upgrade system, deep crafting for a single player game, fun story, and it's very pretty. this is the first full retail release RPG for ps4; it's not the second coming of world of warcraft, but I enjoy it very much. I want games like this to keep coming out. I like them because they are *different*, and I hope that the game devs continue to bring us new and original content like this.

    don't make your purchases based on critic reviews; they are fat guys that get paid money to hear themselves talk about their opinion of a game. they are OPINIONS; not the end all be all. in some instances, critic reviews are a good guideline of what to expect, but this game is an exception to that. if you are on the fence about this one, go for it and make your mind up yourself, don't let others make the choice for you. this one *will not* disappoint.

    10/10    … Expand
  18. forcefullpower
    May 14, 2014
    8
    Just goes to show don't believe big review sites any more. This game is solid enjoyable experience. There are some quirks but for low budget team this is hopefully a return to good RPG this gen.
  19. Pho3nixBlad3
    May 10, 2014
    9
    Great game and well worth your time. It is clearly a budget title but not as much as you would expect. But the combat is vary much reaction based and that is what makes this game fun and with some many different ways to combat enemies it's enough to keep you invested. Whether you are laying down traps, using your crossbow to interrupt attacks or just hacking, dodging and blocking your wayGreat game and well worth your time. It is clearly a budget title but not as much as you would expect. But the combat is vary much reaction based and that is what makes this game fun and with some many different ways to combat enemies it's enough to keep you invested. Whether you are laying down traps, using your crossbow to interrupt attacks or just hacking, dodging and blocking your way through the game. Bound By Flame has just about everything in the combat department. The story did leave me with a what-am-I-doing-again vibe, though. Not a bad story by far though but a little hard to follow at times. There is a twist here and there to keep you guessing, too. Moving on, this game is HARD if you are playing on any of the higher level difficulties. But it's the good kind of difficulty where one wrong move will ruin your day! You will want to make sure you invest in health and mana potions as much as possible. I made the mistake of not doing that and had a painful time fighting the final boss, running around and not attacking waiting for my heath to regenerate. The characters, mainly your squad mates, specifically Mathras (He's British!!!!) are fun! Nuff said....Anyway Great game!!!… Expand
  20. Evarin
    May 22, 2014
    10
    This game is most definitely not a .... you know the rest.

    Spiders is a game company you'll either hate or love. They're the indie version of Bioware. If you don't mind a game that is rough around the edges, I think you'll find a place in your heart for Bound by Flame.
  21. DJPMTL
    May 26, 2014
    6
    Im going to cut out the BS i'm seeing in other reviews and just give it to you straight.
    The game retails brand new at $49.99.
    It's 10 bucks cheaper than games normally are which is a good indication that it isn't as good as it might look. it's good for a bit of fun if you like RPGs. If you don't like RPGs don't play it.
  22. PyongyangMayor
    Aug 17, 2014
    10
    Who the **** is giving this game 0s out of 10s? I'm going to give it a 10 just to even it out. It really deserves only a 7 or 8 but man, these **** are giving 0s out of 10s. Fun game though.
  23. xikipeke
    May 9, 2014
    10
    Best Game Ever!
    Dario gay.
    El juego es un rpg de corte clásico. Tiene detalles muy buenos como el combate , sus posibilidades de creación, la amistad con los compañeros, romances...etc.. Tecnicamente viene de una compañia muy humilde, no le podimos pedir más. Hay que perdonarle (como en todos los rpgs) algunas cosas, pero si lo haces, consigues una diversión clásica oldschool. Darle    Best Game Ever!
    Dario gay.
    El juego es un rpg de corte clásico. Tiene detalles muy buenos como el combate , sus posibilidades de creación, la amistad con los compañeros, romances...etc..
    Tecnicamente viene de una compañia muy humilde, no le podimos pedir más. Hay que perdonarle (como en todos los rpgs) algunas cosas, pero si lo haces, consigues una diversión clásica oldschool.
    Darle una oportunidad, aparte el catalogo de ps4 está por los suelos, no hay nada mejor...
    Dario es gay    … Expand
  24. erndaWORM
    May 9, 2014
    8
    Bound by flame is by no means the best game you will play in your lifetime but is is very worthy of a play through. Developer spiders is an aspiring game developer who never claimed to be releasing a AAA title, that being said I think they delivered a good solid game for no bigger of a company than they are. There are some issues with dialog and a the environment is a little to linear butBound by flame is by no means the best game you will play in your lifetime but is is very worthy of a play through. Developer spiders is an aspiring game developer who never claimed to be releasing a AAA title, that being said I think they delivered a good solid game for no bigger of a company than they are. There are some issues with dialog and a the environment is a little to linear but what it lacks in those areas it more than makes up for where it counts gameplay.… Expand
  25. 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.
  26. 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
  27. Vandral007
    May 23, 2014
    4
    It's hard to recommend Bound by Flame to anyone but the most starved RPG fan. The graphics are pretty poor, the soundtrack in spots is downright annoying. The scripting and dialogue is average at best to hilariously bad. The world is under-realised and generic. The combat, the big sell for this game could be decent with some polish, but most fights draw out far longer than they shouldIt's hard to recommend Bound by Flame to anyone but the most starved RPG fan. The graphics are pretty poor, the soundtrack in spots is downright annoying. The scripting and dialogue is average at best to hilariously bad. The world is under-realised and generic. The combat, the big sell for this game could be decent with some polish, but most fights draw out far longer than they should with a terrible ebb and flow of attack, block for a few seconds, then attack a few more times. Stay away for now, and if you're really interested, wait until this game gets dirt cheap.… Expand
  28. Plasmaneedle
    May 14, 2014
    8
    Bound by Flame is not groundbreaking in any way but there is a lot of fun to be had with its combat system. There is some interesting enemy designs and the crafting is great and the game world is interesting. If you're looking for RPGs on the PS4 then Bound By Flame is worth checking out.
  29. ArionLightning
    May 11, 2014
    10
    Me parece INJUSTA la puntuación tan baja que tiene este juego. Para ser un estudio pequeño el que lo ha desarrollado, el juego es sobresaliente.

    El sistema de combate, árbol de habilidades y profesiones es simplemente genial. Es un punto intermedio entre diablo 2 y neverwinter nights. Es cierto que no innova, pero esta muy bien y entretenido. Tienes un sistema de crafting con    Me parece INJUSTA la puntuación tan baja que tiene este juego. Para ser un estudio pequeño el que lo ha desarrollado, el juego es sobresaliente.

    El sistema de combate, árbol de habilidades y profesiones es simplemente genial. Es un punto intermedio entre diablo 2 y neverwinter nights. Es cierto que no innova, pero esta muy bien y entretenido.

    Tienes un sistema de crafting con muchas posibilidades. Pocos tipos de materiales (12 tipos) pero lo dicho, es un estudio pequeño.

    Es un juego que tiene un gran potencial, a partir del cual puede salir una saga muy buena.

    La historia es normal, no innova, pero tampoco aburre. Ademas tienes que ir tomando decisiones en las conversaciones, las cuales afectan en la relación con tu entorno y, por supuesto, en la historia.

    Por ultimo, tiene ciertos bugs pero son pequeños y desde un punto de vista objetivo no molestan al jugador (salvo el de colgarse al guardar, pero solo me lo ha hecho dos veces) y seguro que en poco tiempo un parche los irá arreglando.

    Mi conclusión es que no lo compares con un "Dragon Age" o un "Skyrim", pero el juego cumple con las espectativas muy bien y te entretendrá muchas horas.

    Si te gusta el rol, cómpralo. No te decepcionará.    … Expand
  30. ch4meleon
    Jun 6, 2014
    8
    I've been hoping for a nice action RPG on the PS4 for a while and I think this really is a great offering. Good job Spider. I look forward to whatever it is you create next. I don't agree with most of the negative ratings this game receives.

    I'll start by telling you what I didn't like about this game. First, the graphics aren't going to blow anyone away. Don't get me wrong, the    I've been hoping for a nice action RPG on the PS4 for a while and I think this really is a great offering. Good job Spider. I look forward to whatever it is you create next. I don't agree with most of the negative ratings this game receives.

    I'll start by telling you what I didn't like about this game. First, the graphics aren't going to blow anyone away. Don't get me wrong, the cell-shading is a little strange, but it doesn't look awful. It's just not really "next-gen." I didn't mind it much.

    Second, the voice acting isn't very good, but it isn't as bad as most people make it seem. I mean, have you ever played Two Worlds? This voice acting is much better in this game than it is in Two Worlds (though the lip sync problems from Two Worlds is present).

    There is a lot more, however, that I love about the game. First, the music is quite well done! Not only did it set the mood depending on what sort of environment I'm in, but it really added to the world itself. Even the menu music was pretty good.

    Second, I think the story was well done. There weren't much in terms of story innovation, but I had no problems immersing myself in the world. I feel like the premise is a refreshing amalgamation of several popular styles of stories. It combines a post-apocalyptic zombie story with a medieval fantasy world. It's not the first time I've seen something similar to this, but the environments and story do a good job of helping you feel the desolation. That being said, the characters aren't exactly what I'd call deep and they mostly all just fit into your typical archetypes. This isn't necessarily bad as it makes it easier to understand each character, but I pretty much just picked my favorites and everyone else is just sort of... There.

    Third, I love the crafting menu. I think it is the most unanimously praised thing about this game. Crafting menu's always scare me because they can be so overly confusing and intimidating that I sometimes want to ignore them. That's not the case for Bound By Flame, however. Even though it's easy to use and not-complicated, it manages a good level of customization and sophistication. The crafting menu brings as much "RPG," to the table as does the Skill Tree (which is a decent enough Skill Tree, but nothing to write home about).

    Finally, my favorite part of Bound By Flame is the combat system. I've plugged around 13 hours into this game so far. I'm playing on the highest difficulty and I die a lot. I love that the tutorial doesn't tell you everything you need to know about combat and I love that when you make a mistake you get seriously punished (and very often killed). Especially early on in the game, I grew increasingly frustrated (in a good way) at my inability to kill enemies. Once I figured out a style that worked however, I came to really love the combat. I have to adjust my style of fighting based on different enemies too (some enemies secrete poison or frost and getting too close can prove fatal), and that's a plus. All in all, even though some enemies take an eternity to kill, I love the challenge. Most reviewers (it would seem) didn't enjoy the combat like I did, but part of me suspects that they just don't fully understand/appreciate it and thus give it a poor rating. It's a shame.

    At any rate, those are my thoughts. I think any typical RPG fan will enjoy this game and I hope you give it a try. Here are a list of my favorite RPG's. If you happen to like the same ones as I do, then I really think you should give this game a try. ES: Morrowind, PSO, Two Worlds 1/2, SW KOTOR 1/2, Dark Souls, LotR: 3rd Age, Diablo 2, Baldur's Gate, Nox, etc..    … Expand
  31. GreenGoblin215
    May 13, 2014
    10
    I will start by saying that I love this game a lot. I bought "Bound by Flame" Day 1 for my PS4 and started playing it. I loved the story it was a B-movie plot and had some great characters like B-movie's have. The music selection was Superb in all regards and the gameplay and RPG elements were very well done I thought.The Boss battles were executed perfectly. The only gripe I have is theI will start by saying that I love this game a lot. I bought "Bound by Flame" Day 1 for my PS4 and started playing it. I loved the story it was a B-movie plot and had some great characters like B-movie's have. The music selection was Superb in all regards and the gameplay and RPG elements were very well done I thought.The Boss battles were executed perfectly. The only gripe I have is the AI companions can be crap a lot of the time but sometimes they do alright they are best put into tank mode to take a beating while you kill enemies. I don't know why all the negative reviews I believe it's because it is definitely a hard game when put on normal or above. I beat the game on normal and it took me just shy of 17 hours to beat and I try to beat games quickly. I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys RPG's that don't hold your hand in any way.… Expand
  32. CrusaderForever
    May 15, 2014
    10
    Bound By Flame = Underrated RPG ALERT! The reviews are all over the place and I fall on the "I really like the game" side of the fence.

    I am really enjoying the game right now! I am 12 hours in and just starting Chapter 3! This is a deeper game than you think. The crafting is great! The combat is really addicting and fun. The dialog can be funny and strange but I like it. Seems a little    Bound By Flame = Underrated RPG ALERT! The reviews are all over the place and I fall on the "I really like the game" side of the fence.

    I am really enjoying the game right now! I am 12 hours in and just starting Chapter 3! This is a deeper game than you think. The crafting is great! The combat is really addicting and fun. The dialog can be funny and strange but I like it. Seems a little to modern some times. Kind of like Christian Slater saying "*uck me he cleared it!" in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves! HAHA! There is A LOT of swearing so don't play this with younger kids in the room. The AI is very welcome and helps very much. The boss battles have been very challenging and intense but not impossible! Actually, I feel like the boss battles have been amazing so far. The lore is interesting you can get a lot of information talking to your AI companions. Edwen is really interesting! She reminds me of Morrigan from DA:O!

    Combat....it's just fun, Attack, Circular Attack, charge for Whirlwind Attack, parry, counter attack, crossbow, fireball and strategy! Yes, I have found that there is strategy in this gem. When you are being attacked you can lock on and also move around to situate your enemies to fight each other. Also you work to get their attacks in sync with each other so it's easier to attack all of the enemies with triangle circular attack which hits all enemies at once. If you don't you can get 4 enemies attacking one after the other so there is no window for Vulcan to counter attack. Thankfully you can block forever, however, 40% of the time they will do some sort of special attack that can break your defense pushing you over causing damage. You can do the same to them if your interfere is high enough.

    So far I have stayed away from the Pyromancer/Demon powers. I will do that on my second play through. But the conversations between Vulcan and The Demon are great. He really wants control. I guess using the Pyromancer will change your appearance as well. I feel the skill trees could be bigger but they aren't small either. They are just fine but feel like they don't go that extra mile on them either. I am using the Warrior skill tree and I have had a lot of fun. There is a Ranged skill tree as well, but I haven't tried it. You can also spend points on using a sword, axe or hammer to make them do more damage. The stealth mechanic has been very fun and does good damage!

    I wasn't sure what to expect but I took the plunge because I really wanted a Dark Souls/Dragon Age clone. Albeit it's not up to par technically. Which is fine, it doesn't have to be and I am happy with the day/night cycle and graphics. The sound is good along with the control as I haven't had one issue. Spider has done a fantastic job with their limited resources. With BBF and LotF, DA:I and the Witcher 3 this new gen is starting off very nicely for RPG fans!    … Expand
  33. dpc
    May 16, 2014
    8
    BBF simply doesn't deserve the beating it's getting. I love action RPGs and this is fun and involving. It looks great, and, yes, you probably need to lower your expectations a little bit as it doesn't have the financing of a huge corporation. I originally reviewed this as a 9, but lowered it a little. It realistically should be scored 7.5 because it's good - not great. The music is great,BBF simply doesn't deserve the beating it's getting. I love action RPGs and this is fun and involving. It looks great, and, yes, you probably need to lower your expectations a little bit as it doesn't have the financing of a huge corporation. I originally reviewed this as a 9, but lowered it a little. It realistically should be scored 7.5 because it's good - not great. The music is great, the crafting and loot are awesome and you genuinely feel like you're getting more and more powerful as you play. There are occasional technical problems, like characters "shifting" while talking, etc., but NOTHING on the scale of Oblivion or Skyrim where the game becomes unplayable. I can see how the game can be divisive, but don't take yourself or the game so seriously and you'll see it has a lot to offer.… Expand
  34. danbwhite
    May 21, 2014
    2
    Bound by Flame captured by interest from the moment I saw the first trailer. I knew it wasn't going to be on the same level as Skyrim or even Witcher 2, but I was at least expecting to be entertained. The game starts off with a pretty neat sub-boss battle as you figure out controls, but then descends into awfulness. The side-quests are extremely petty and every time you talk it seems anBound by Flame captured by interest from the moment I saw the first trailer. I knew it wasn't going to be on the same level as Skyrim or even Witcher 2, but I was at least expecting to be entertained. The game starts off with a pretty neat sub-boss battle as you figure out controls, but then descends into awfulness. The side-quests are extremely petty and every time you talk it seems an 8th grader wrote the dialogue. Imagine a standard conversation going smoothly, then throwing in a "suck my balls." That's BbF dialogue in a nutshell. The combat system is terrible. Locking onto an enemy doesn't help, but in fact hinders the combat due to sporadically changing camera angles. If you fight more than 2-3 enemies, it takes 2-3 minutes because you become interrupted so easily you have to sit there and block, waiting patiently for the two seconds where you can get in one hit and repeat. A smoother combat system would have done wonders for this game. In the end, it just wasn't my cup of tea. If I'm going to have to be strategic my combat, I at least want some reward (ala Dark Souls/Dark Souls 2), not just another muddled conversation/quest waiting for me at the end. I also find it extremely funny that people are posting reviews after only playing for 2-3 hours. You can hardly learn a game in that amount of time. I personally only trust reviews from people who put in 8-10 hours because they get past the first town. I completed Bound by Flame in approximately 18 hours. I would not recommend it to anybody, unless you want to become frustrated and wish you had $50 back.… Expand
  35. Skydog
    May 12, 2014
    7
    Good offering for PS4 as there's NOTHING else on this abandoned console (Feels like one anyway...)
    definitely not perfect (not an 9 or 10 for sure) but around a 6 or 7.
  36. Zunn
    Oct 14, 2014
    10
    So far I'd give this game an 8.5-9 but Ten because of the unfair 0 ratings. I think I know why people are rating it so unfairly, and reviewers aren't giving it a decent score, to begin with the game is really really hard. You die over and over again in fights with one or two enemies and you're slow and weak. There are no potions dropped, your magic does nothing and it seems like the gameSo far I'd give this game an 8.5-9 but Ten because of the unfair 0 ratings. I think I know why people are rating it so unfairly, and reviewers aren't giving it a decent score, to begin with the game is really really hard. You die over and over again in fights with one or two enemies and you're slow and weak. There are no potions dropped, your magic does nothing and it seems like the game is impossible. People have been spoiled by RPGs which make sure you never hardly die and always feel powerful. This isn't skyrim where there enemies are levelled and you only fight rats for the first few hours, this game drops you straight into tough fights, and you have to block constantly! No button mashing. But once you get the hang of it it's great, really satisfying to fight enemies and make a strategy, craft potions and upgrades to your armour and choose a strategy from your possible skills. I have made a sort of fire mage warrior, I regenerate health and mana while guarding and blow up my enemies from a distance. At the beginning tho with no health or mana regen it was hard, every single fight I would die, now it's still tough but I survive. You get a good sense of progression, strategy and development. Also the characters are really good and believable, the dialogue is great, what I've had of the story so far has been funny and exciting, I'm really looking forward to the rest of the game. This game is a lot like the Witcher 1, good atmosphere, believable story, and strategy to combat. This game is supposed to be hard to begin with! It's not fable! Stick at it, and, if you accept the offers of greater power, you might become a demon of FIRE!… Expand
  37. ELBUZZARDS
    May 20, 2014
    10
    gg .
  38. Porko
    May 25, 2014
    2
    I had high hopes this would be Kingdoms Of Amalur on steroids, but it is not. The combat system is awful. Enemy's are like sword sponges. The animation is poor. The dialogue and story is embarrassingly poor. I bought this game for $110 NZ yesterday and returned it the following day very disappointed. I played for 6 hours persevering with the dream that I might start to enjoy it. ItI had high hopes this would be Kingdoms Of Amalur on steroids, but it is not. The combat system is awful. Enemy's are like sword sponges. The animation is poor. The dialogue and story is embarrassingly poor. I bought this game for $110 NZ yesterday and returned it the following day very disappointed. I played for 6 hours persevering with the dream that I might start to enjoy it. It seems like an unfinished game and I will be carefully approaching future Spider releases.… Expand
  39. amirreza1
    Jan 30, 2015
    0
    I can understand they are small studio. I want to support small studios who make difference.But the game was not good for next gen. This game could be great if it was released for iOS
  40. AsboXFlemzo
    May 11, 2014
    10
    The game doesnt deserve 10...but in my point of view, only games like The last of us does.
    Basically the score is to to fight the trolls. The game is good in ever aspect and deserves a flat 8.0
    It has a perfect rpg setting and lore any fan would fall in love with. Characters you actually want to get to know, and a main character forced live with a equally amusing demon. Graphics are good    The game doesnt deserve 10...but in my point of view, only games like The last of us does.
    Basically the score is to to fight the trolls. The game is good in ever aspect and deserves a flat 8.0
    It has a perfect rpg setting and lore any fan would fall in love with. Characters you actually want to get to know, and a main character forced live with a equally amusing demon. Graphics are good enough and game-play is challenging, far to hard for reviewers. mass effect meets witcher, i hope sales can spur a sequel.    … Expand
  41. tdebug
    Aug 13, 2014
    0
    -76 out of 10. Success!
    No story, no gameplay, no fight technique. Idea-free game of the year. Oh wait, it competes with Killzone for PS4. Both games were definitely released in order to release at least something, of no quality.
  42. Schuback
    Sep 29, 2014
    2
    Being a huge fan of RPGs like Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age, and Dragon's Dogma, Bound by Flame was one I was so looking forward to trying with my new PS4. Of course, being developed by a small team on a small budget, I wasn't expecting it to be of AAA level. But, sigh,... let me put it this way.

    Without going into details, Bound by Flame can be summed up as a generic action RPG game. The    Being a huge fan of RPGs like Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age, and Dragon's Dogma, Bound by Flame was one I was so looking forward to trying with my new PS4. Of course, being developed by a small team on a small budget, I wasn't expecting it to be of AAA level. But, sigh,... let me put it this way.

    Without going into details, Bound by Flame can be summed up as a generic action RPG game. The story is short and lame. Character customisation is very lame. Main character is unlikable and lame. NPCSs and dialogues are lame. Choices are inconsequentially lame. Romance is lame. Gameplay and combat is lame. Every aspect of this game is lame.

    MORE LIKE BOUND BY LAME!!!!!!!!!

    And by the way, User reviews giving it a 10/10 because they feel sorry for the low scores?? Are you serious??    … Expand
  43. HungryCrow
    Aug 17, 2014
    4
    This game stinks. I give the game a 4 out of 10, and that is probably generous. I went in thinking "how bad can it be?". It wasn't long before I found out. The voice acting is unbearable and the combat is a chore. I can't even recommend Bound by Flame as a bargain bin title. It's a waste of time. You will have more fun mowing your lawn than you would playing this game.
  44. Vanpire73
    Mar 17, 2015
    3
    Even reading extensive unflattering critic and user reviews didn't stop me from putting down some cold, hard cash for this. It was a bargain-bin amount, but it still ended up being more than I wish I had thrown down. I could only muster enough courage to make it about halfway through the game. At it's finest it was a action rpg just swell enough to keep the boredom at bay. It has aEven reading extensive unflattering critic and user reviews didn't stop me from putting down some cold, hard cash for this. It was a bargain-bin amount, but it still ended up being more than I wish I had thrown down. I could only muster enough courage to make it about halfway through the game. At it's finest it was a action rpg just swell enough to keep the boredom at bay. It has a decent leveling and crafting system, but the rarely barely enjoyable combat drug it down and the horrendous writing and voice acting was pure sh*t. I got to the point where I hastily button-pumped my way through any conversation. The graphics were 2012 PS3 most of the way, occasionally hitting 2014 PS3 quality. What ultimately made me put it down for good, though, was that it seemed to have graduated with honors from the Dragon Age 2 School of Using the Same Goddamn Tiny, Cramped Location for Every F*cking Mission. Sorry, but a small team of developers with heart behind the project and my craving for anythng resembling Demon's/Dark Souls just ain't enough for a recommendation.… Expand
  45. Yalingo
    Oct 18, 2014
    7
    Most of the criticisms levelled at this game are justified. It doesn't look the best. The combat can be frustrating, the story is a derivative and the voice acting is wooden. At full price there's no way the reviewers could recommend this game.

    It's about 6 months since it was released and I picked this game up for $20 on PSN. For that price, I would say it's worthwhile for a 25 hour B    Most of the criticisms levelled at this game are justified. It doesn't look the best. The combat can be frustrating, the story is a derivative and the voice acting is wooden. At full price there's no way the reviewers could recommend this game.

    It's about 6 months since it was released and I picked this game up for $20 on PSN. For that price, I would say it's worthwhile for a 25 hour B grade WRPG if you're looking to kill some time while waiting for DA3, LoTF or Bloodborne.    … Expand
  46. Matinski
    May 22, 2015
    7
    I have come to the conclusion that this site is thoroughly abused by companies.

    This game is not that bad... but I held off buying it for ages due to bad reviews. I did however buy the Witcher 3 based on review to find it horribly broken in the camera department, Give this game a go. It is buy a smaller studio and you can tell to some degree... but so far I am really enjoying it and    I have come to the conclusion that this site is thoroughly abused by companies.

    This game is not that bad... but I held off buying it for ages due to bad reviews. I did however buy the Witcher 3 based on review to find it horribly broken in the camera department,

    Give this game a go. It is buy a smaller studio and you can tell to some degree... but so far I am really enjoying it and it harks back to how RPG's used to be.    … Expand
  47. masterjohnson1
    May 15, 2014
    8
    This is a good game for an independent developer and I recon they did a good job. the other games that Spiders have developed where great but they where smaller, and with not that many RPGs on the PS4 it was a good pick to get for me. I would recommend this to anyone who likes RPGs
  48. Homerlvsbeer
    Jul 20, 2014
    10
    Bound of flame is a great game, that has been given a bad deal with the reviews ive really been able to get into this game and ENJOY it.. Ive noticed it get bad reviews and ratings not so clever, and i really dont understand why, And all the bad reviews seem to be searching for anything they can find wrong with it. but i promise you this. there is alot you will find right with it. and forBound of flame is a great game, that has been given a bad deal with the reviews ive really been able to get into this game and ENJOY it.. Ive noticed it get bad reviews and ratings not so clever, and i really dont understand why, And all the bad reviews seem to be searching for anything they can find wrong with it. but i promise you this. there is alot you will find right with it. and for some reason, not many people talking about that. is it because spiders the guys who made this game are just a small group. ? who knows. but the game is really really good in my opinion. id say its worth buying for sure. really give this game a chance and you will be impressed by its game mechanics i love this game, Made by spiders.… Expand
  49. djjohnsson
    Jul 15, 2014
    10
    As some have mentioned already the game might not really deserve the highest rating - but with a lot of critics giving it more trouble than it deserves one do have to answer back with.. well, flames? Bound by Flame might not have the blockbuster production wheel of the Mass Effect trilogy or the interaction of a Obsidian Entertainment title but what it brings to the table is a 20-30 hourAs some have mentioned already the game might not really deserve the highest rating - but with a lot of critics giving it more trouble than it deserves one do have to answer back with.. well, flames? Bound by Flame might not have the blockbuster production wheel of the Mass Effect trilogy or the interaction of a Obsidian Entertainment title but what it brings to the table is a 20-30 hour Action-RPG saga that most fans of the genre will find themself enjoy.… Expand
  50. doodmonkey
    Jul 24, 2014
    1
    The easiest thing to say about this game is that this game is terrible. One of those titles that gets slapped together for a new console release. Don't use real money to buy this game.
  51. masterchief247
    Oct 22, 2015
    10
    For a budget title, this game is great. I thoroughly enjoyed the action, story, and rpg elements. Don't miss this one. I'd give it an 8 out of 10. The decisions you make affect the story just like Mass effect and Dragon Age.
  52. SCLancho
    Feb 27, 2016
    0
    So far the worst game over $40 price i ever played. Graphics are great 10 years ago. Music is just inapropiate, some sounds will really destroy your brain (owl sound very 2 seconds)
    You can't load chapters. Dificulty is very low till you face the final boss, then you are **** up.
    Game is too short, you just follow corridors... DO NOT WASTE YOUR $$$!!!!!
  53. aspentitan
    Sep 2, 2020
    6
    Be careful and do your homework on this game because what you think of it will ultimately be decided on your expectations. If you go in seeing reviews of 4/10 and play this you will certainly agree it deserves more, maybe up to 7/10. However, if you go in thinking this game is decent at 7/10 you may start playing and think what? - this should be a 4/10. After checking reviews I knew whatBe careful and do your homework on this game because what you think of it will ultimately be decided on your expectations. If you go in seeing reviews of 4/10 and play this you will certainly agree it deserves more, maybe up to 7/10. However, if you go in thinking this game is decent at 7/10 you may start playing and think what? - this should be a 4/10. After checking reviews I knew what to expect and had little expectations. I arrive at a 6/10 score which I feel is fair. On the low side the game can be bland, repetitive and fairly unexciting. On the high the game has a weird allure with functionality and a interesting bestiary. Going back to the low side the story and voice acting leave much to be desired. Then again back to the high side this game has elements of very successful games such as Dark Soul's, Dragons Dogma, Kingdoms of Amalur, and well a lot of other popular inspirations. Unfortunately the blend of these traits is not top notch in capturing an exciting feel that will please all. I personally don't feel the game deserves it's low scores, but to be honest it certainly doesn't scream for your addiction, and you have to have it in you to enjoy this game fully. You have to be the one to explore what is possible in this game, not the game egging you on to play it. Therein lies why I feel we see polarized reviews for this game some scoring it high, others trashing it. It's gonna depend on your personality and expectations. This is a fully playable game with lots of choice and challenge and it's neither good nor bad but a unique experience that to me was certainly worth checking out. I enjoyed the choices in upgrading my character, I enjoyed finding better and unique weapons and enjoyed the combat. I really feel a sequel could produce an amazing game as much of this game was technically fine but could have used more range in enemy AI and for sure a dodge/roll option would have made the game drastically more fun. These lack of features kinda were a mood killer because so much of this game is awesome but then kinda bums you out with lack of being able to enjoy it at that next level. All in all a decent playable rpg with a decent amount of choice. I would not recommend playing this for most gamers but fans of the souls series might want to take a look I think this game is quite punishing and requires careful upgrading and patience and for those gamers! this game may be a game they can enjoy despite it's shortcomings.… Expand
  54. diehard-gamer
    Nov 16, 2014
    5
    Bought this in the recent sale for £17. It's okish and a passable filler until Dragon Age, but it's nothing special. Story is ok, graphics are functional (but very borderlands style cell shaded), crafting is ok, skills are themed and jok, combat mechanics are ok. Bosses are quite impressive. On the downside, companion AI is poor and expect to lose them unless you protect them veryBought this in the recent sale for £17. It's okish and a passable filler until Dragon Age, but it's nothing special. Story is ok, graphics are functional (but very borderlands style cell shaded), crafting is ok, skills are themed and jok, combat mechanics are ok. Bosses are quite impressive. On the downside, companion AI is poor and expect to lose them unless you protect them very carefully, very limited npc interaction, very very limited character appearance customisation - if you are male you will have to look like a bulked up 'Gears Of War' stereotype, even if you skill select to play as a stealthy rogue or crafty Mage. Worst of all is the constant gratuitous swearing. It's like witcher 2 and just ends up making you feel like most characters (including yours) are retarded.… Expand
  55. nono5551212
    Jun 7, 2015
    4
    I wanted to like this game.. I really did.. Call me crazy but I like games where I have to grind and level up.. The problem with this game is I have to look around to find bad guys to fight to level up... And half the time I find someone to fight I get killed and die no matter how I level my armor or weapons up.. Also the map designs are pretty beat... It's full of nothing but narrowI wanted to like this game.. I really did.. Call me crazy but I like games where I have to grind and level up.. The problem with this game is I have to look around to find bad guys to fight to level up... And half the time I find someone to fight I get killed and die no matter how I level my armor or weapons up.. Also the map designs are pretty beat... It's full of nothing but narrow hallways... Half the time When I am in battle I realize my computer partner is no where to be found... The story seems pretty good but the game play controls like locking or using magic is pretty beat....

    I am playing this on PlayStation Now which I think is awesome... $15 to play over a hundred games is awesome.    … Expand
  56. xOmegAx
    Jul 3, 2014
    8
    Bound by Flame, a fantasy RPG brought to us by Spiders Studio, is something of a mixed bag of good and bad points but overall, I have found it to an be enjoyable and a solid RPG experience. It's not as deep as Skyrim (huge fan), but it is very similar to Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning in my opinion.

    Story: You play as a mercenary who becomes possessed by a demon that grants him the    Bound by Flame, a fantasy RPG brought to us by Spiders Studio, is something of a mixed bag of good and bad points but overall, I have found it to an be enjoyable and a solid RPG experience. It's not as deep as Skyrim (huge fan), but it is very similar to Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning in my opinion.

    Story: You play as a mercenary who becomes possessed by a demon that grants him the ability to wield the power of fire in the midst of a war against the Deadwalker Army, but you must decide what's more important to you...your humanity, or the ever expanding powers of the demon. Every choice you make could make you a hero, or become more of a reflection of the demon possessing you, therefore, affecting those around you.

    Gameplay: Combat is definitely one of the strongest points of Bound by Flame. During combat, you have the ability to change your "stance" between a Warrior or a Ranger on the fly and allowing you to approach or adapt to the situation in front of you. Using the Warrior stance allows you to use swords, battleaxes, or hammers and are capable of dishing out lots of damage, but the attacks are relatively slow and if facing an agile enemy, you could find yourself getting hit and possibly interrupting your attacks. The Ranger stance allows you to use daggers as your primary weapon and to become very nimble, focusing more on quick, consecutive strikes while being able to evade enemy attacks but if facing a group of enemies, the weaker strikes means more damage needing to be dealt and more time for you to be overrun.

    Exploration is similar to KOA: Reckoning as it's an open world but you're not entirely allowed to go "everywhere" like Skyrim. The areas that you visit each have their own distinctive feel but nothing too stunning that really makes them memorable.

    Another part of combat is the decision if you want to bring a companion along with you. Personally, I've found your companions to be lacking in combat and they make better meatshields than fighters. I find myself doing most of the dirty work while my companion is getting stomped more than the I in the Pixar logo before movies.

    Customization: One of the other strong points of Bound by Flame is it's customization options for your armor and weapons. Throughout the game, you collect raw materials like metal and leather and you can take those and enhance armor or weapons you receive from chests or enemies. Each customization option has a different appearance compared to other options and grants different bonuses as well so, you can find one that suits your style the best and make your own unique piece of equipment.

    Music: I find the soundtrack of the game to be a little overbearing during the game and especially during cutscenes so, I would recommend going into the Options and turning down music volume so you can listen more to the dialogue and sounds of battle than the music. Even with this small complaint, I still found the soundtrack to be decent, especially during boss battles.

    Voice Acting/Dialogue: One of the weaker points of Bound by Flame. I found some characters to be lacking in emotion during some situations but it's not as bad as what some people have said in my opinion. Merchants and others NPCs say the same thing, every time you speak to them, even if it's literally 2 seconds apart unless you progress past a certain point in any side quest or main story mission that involves them. I also found dialogue options to be kind of lacking as you can ask someone questions to get some answers to a quest you are on, but after you finish that quest, you can select an option that was open previously available and the only option after that is, "Let's talk about something else." It's almost like a waste of breath and time.

    Summary: Overall, I am giving Bound by Flame an 8/10. I think it's a solid entry for Spiders Studio and a satisfying entry for RPG enthusiasts who were looking for a small fix on the PS4 that didn't want to invest in FFIV: A Realm Reborn, like me. It has it's flaws, but the strong combat, nice customization, and a decent story make up for them. If you enjoyed KOA: Reckoning or Fable, then I would recommend you giving Bound by Flame a shot. I'm glad I did.    … Expand
  57. acid90
    Feb 21, 2015
    3
    at first playing i thought WOW this game is GREAT its telling a nice story and we out to kill the first boss.. and i was praising it giving a high score.

    WELL WHAT A CON.... what turned out to be the first boss the first of 7 lords or something .. turned out be be the end of the game ...??? I felt like the game only just started and it finished just like that Its like they just    at first playing i thought WOW this game is GREAT its telling a nice story and we out to kill the first boss.. and i was praising it giving a high score.

    WELL WHAT A CON.... what turned out to be the first boss the first of 7 lords or something .. turned out be be the end of the game ...???
    I felt like the game only just started and it finished just like that

    Its like they just decided they didnt like the game or just got bored of coding it. so they just went oh you just have to kill the first boss. time up thats finished it lets all go home then stopped making it

    total waste of time :( and it could of been so good if they put more effort into making the game bigger    … Expand
  58. BaronMonaco
    Nov 4, 2016
    5
    Bound By Flame is one of those AA games in which Focus Home Interactive is specialized. This means it would be ridiculous to have the same expectations that you could have for The Witcher, Dragon Age or Elder Scrolls as their budget is way lower. But does it mean Bound By Flame is a good AA game ?

    Technically the game is okay, of course it will not make your console work very hard (like    Bound By Flame is one of those AA games in which Focus Home Interactive is specialized. This means it would be ridiculous to have the same expectations that you could have for The Witcher, Dragon Age or Elder Scrolls as their budget is way lower. But does it mean Bound By Flame is a good AA game ?

    Technically the game is okay, of course it will not make your console work very hard (like I said those expectations are not welcomed if you don't buy a AAA game) and the aliasing is very strong, but there's a nice hand drawn feeling on some textures. The art direction is not original for one second and if you know your heroic fantasy standards you'll have the feeling of "déjà-vu" for the majority of the game. At least the framerate is rather steady and I didn't encountered any major issues (some minor collision bug) and you'll not stop playing the game for those reasons.

    Concerning the gameplay this is where the game fails, there's some good role playing elements although none are new (three skill trees, modification of the equipments) that are okay, but the fighting system is atrociously boring with very long and unchallenging fights (even for the bosses) where you'll smash hit and block in an awful monotony. I think even a turn-based approach (like classic Dungeons & Dragons) would have given more vibrant fights (with a nice strategic addition).

    The story like most of the game lacks originality with a lot of cliche characters and twists that you'll see coming from a long way that's a shame as it's the easiest way to give value to a title that doesn't benefit from the same financial backing as your competitors. In addition the voice overs are average at best and failed to truly give life to the characters. The side quest are, once again, pretty common but at least they didn't just made a notice board that asks you X item Y times. You can finish the entire game in more or less 20 hours, a bit short for a RPG but not a shame either.

    In conclusion even if it isn't broken or ridiculous Bound By Flame is uninspired and plagued by a boring gameplay and even at its current price I don't advise it to anyone as you can find way better (including among AA games like Pillars of Eternity or Divinity).    … Expand
  59. Nel
    Feb 6, 2017
    3
    Complete mess, takes forever to kill the mobs, and the game is filled with graphical bugs, and the mechanics feels very clunky. It is really a poorly made game.
  60. CoNn3r_B
    Jul 2, 2015
    7
    Bound by Flame is a bit of a weird pleasure of mine, on one hand it has a fun combat system and interesting story and a new look on the main hero's motivations but on the other hand the voice acting (Especially for the female protagonist) is rather bad and can make serious situations funny and funny situations stale.
    The most robust feature and my favorite thing about the game is the    Bound by Flame is a bit of a weird pleasure of mine, on one hand it has a fun combat system and interesting story and a new look on the main hero's motivations but on the other hand the voice acting (Especially for the female protagonist) is rather bad and can make serious situations funny and funny situations stale.
    The most robust feature and my favorite thing about the game is the ability to customise your armour and weapons which is a feature more games need.
    The combat is very similar Witcher 2 which is engaging and fluent but due to the small amount of enemies on screen their health bars are racked up to provide combat length which makes it seem so hack and slash rather than tactical combat.
    The environments are pretty and varied for the most part, an icy castle, a hot and boggy swamp allows a change of visuals and colour pallets.
    The story is interesting with a nice twist on how man is killing the world and stuff but it is ultimately short, for an RPG you can play it and finish it in a space of 5 hours, that said I wasn't expecting a game of Dragon Age Origins proportions but I was expecting more than what I got.
    While we're on the subject of Dragon Age a lot of your companions are basically rip off versions of Dragon Age characters:
    Edwin is basically Morrigan (even down to her choice of clothing)
    Sybil is effectively a young version of Wyne
    Rhelmar is Zeveran (the cynical elf)
    Randval is Sten (An warrior who lost his honour and is trying to reclaim it and blah blah blah)
    The only unique character is Mathras who is basically the wiki of Vertiel but none the less a good conversationalist.
    And as a final note the game is way too easy, I finished it on the hardest difficulty without much trouble and I got the platinum trophy on my fourth play through which was about 3 days, I did play it multiple times which is impressive though as something must've caught my eye.

    Overall there is a certain charm about bound by flame which makes you love it despite all its pitfalls (the female protagonists voice actor for example, oh my god!) I would actually like to see more from this franchise in the future but with better production value.    … Expand
  61. GrumpyDan
    Jul 10, 2015
    4
    As anyone who struggled through Orphen on the PS2 will tell you, the first RPG of a hardware generation is rarely an impressive experience. The vast amount of content that needs to be created for your average dungeon-crawler also makes them quite rare in the first year of any console. Bound By Flame neatly solves this problem by having so little content you could write the plot on the backAs anyone who struggled through Orphen on the PS2 will tell you, the first RPG of a hardware generation is rarely an impressive experience. The vast amount of content that needs to be created for your average dungeon-crawler also makes them quite rare in the first year of any console. Bound By Flame neatly solves this problem by having so little content you could write the plot on the back of cereal packet and still have room for a large picture of Snap, Crackle and Pop laughing and counting your money.

    Bound By Flame desperately wants to be Mass Effect, with its interpersonal relationships, moral dilemmas and gritty dialogue, but it manages to mess it up every time. Take the character creation screen: you can pick your character's name, but everyone calls you Vulcan anyway. I went for a female character, only to discover that everyone called her 'lad' regardless. And while it may seem like a minor point, it's sad that the only hairstyles available for girls are soccer mom, skinhead and Miley Cyrus.

    Enemies seem to level with you, so you never really feel like a badass, and there's barely a single bad guy that can't be defeated by running around its back and hammering the square button for a few minutes. The loot drops are particularly disappointing. Pretty much every monster in the game drops nothing but crafting materials and there can't be more than 50 weapons and armour pieces to find in the whole game. What's worse is that none of them feel significantly more powerful than any other. Bound By Flame is also notable for having the most expensive shops ever seen in an RPG; after playing for three hours and without spending a single penny, I'd amassed a grand total of 127 gold pieces, which was enough to purchase three small health potions from one of the greedy vendors.

    imply by staggering across the finish line first, Bound By Flame may seem to be an attractive proposition for PS4 RPG fans, but don't be fooled. With its shonky cut-scenes, its outdoor sound effects that play indoors and its linear maps, this is in no way a current-gen experience. It's a budget offering at a premium price - and a poor one at that.    … Expand
  62. lemonademaz
    Dec 7, 2016
    7
    Bound by Flame is an okay game. The story is okay, the voice acting is okay, the combat is okay.

    Somehow I still really liked it. The world has some character to it and especially in chapter one you can see what the developers would have been capable of if given a bigger budget. The only real problem I had with the game is that absolutely every enemy has a health bar longer than my    Bound by Flame is an okay game. The story is okay, the voice acting is okay, the combat is okay.

    Somehow I still really liked it. The world has some character to it and especially in chapter one you can see what the developers would have been capable of if given a bigger budget.

    The only real problem I had with the game is that absolutely every enemy has a health bar longer than my cock (which is pretty long, let me assure you that) - while you die in 3-4 hits. Playing on easy makes that less of a problem though.

    Sadly, the game ends the exact moment the plot gets interesting. Took me about 8 hours to finish (with all side quests), was really surprised when the credits rolled. I got it for 20 bucks, and was not disappointed. If you can get it for that price or even less, buy it. It's cool.    … Expand
  63. noorder
    Dec 26, 2019
    7
    I bought it with a huge discount, so I wasn't expecting much of the game, but luckily I found it very entertaining. in spite of all its obvious low budget's flaws.

    The combat is pretty good, the decisions you take really matters, so, if you`re an Action RPG fan and you find it at low price, is a game that I recommend PS: Always keep some manual Saves, because if you don`t, you may    I bought it with a huge discount, so I wasn't expecting much of the game, but luckily I found it very entertaining. in spite of all its obvious low budget's flaws.

    The combat is pretty good, the decisions you take really matters, so, if you`re an Action RPG fan and you find it at low price, is a game that I recommend

    PS: Always keep some manual Saves, because if you don`t, you may have problems with the final boss    … Expand
  64. Uzumaki212
    Nov 5, 2016
    0
    I played mars war logs recently so I thought about giving this game a shot because I really like MWL but low textures, crappy combat, and bad voice acting can't save this game
  65. TKDarkheart
    Jun 27, 2016
    8
    I think I would have enjoyed this game more if I wasn't as much of a pick-it-apart-as-I-play kind of person. The combat system took to the second boss fight to get an inkling for, the control scheme is very awkward to me, with the a/x button serving as the sprint, interact and sheathe weapon function, or the triggers being to switch main categories and the shoulders to switchI think I would have enjoyed this game more if I wasn't as much of a pick-it-apart-as-I-play kind of person. The combat system took to the second boss fight to get an inkling for, the control scheme is very awkward to me, with the a/x button serving as the sprint, interact and sheathe weapon function, or the triggers being to switch main categories and the shoulders to switch sub-categories in the menu, I constantly forget that and end up switching by accident. The crafting is kind of awkward too, taking sometimes exorbitant amounts of a certain ingredient that is hard to get. The dialogue, I would say is a tad shaky and there tries to be jokes from some character where it should be the last thing on their minds. The negative aside, I do give it props for, in the beginning, being able to throw me off with plot twists. However, those props don't counter the negatives I experience. There really wasn't much in the way of making a character, only 5 or 6 options for the hair and facial hair each. Just as well, the tutorial struck me because the parrying and blocking was very much a touch-and-go ability because it's hard to time when to hit the button, mainly due to a control delay I noticed. So with the positives, like some good environment design, musical score and the skill trees, which I did like despite how negative my review seems, and then the negatives... I'd give the game about an 8, 7.5 at the least and 8.5 at the most. It was a bit of a hit and miss for me but still relatively playable. I'm not that likely to play it again in the near future but maybe after I wanna go back and play something I haven't played in a while.… Expand
  66. Greghead
    Jun 30, 2016
    6
    Some people will love this game, and some people will hate it.
    Ultimately it's production values are a little below par, but you can still have some fun with it.
    A reasonable effort for a budget game. Just make sure you don't pay too much, or expect too much.
  67. Tselel
    Oct 12, 2016
    5
    Story and Campaign - As an RPG game, It is very short as to what an average rpg games length should have. You can easily finish it in 12 hours if you speedrun the game. So in terms of longevity, It miserable fails. As to the story however, the game really did put an interesting plotline in which the hero gets possessed by a demon which is the last hope of humanity to beat the antagonist/sStory and Campaign - As an RPG game, It is very short as to what an average rpg games length should have. You can easily finish it in 12 hours if you speedrun the game. So in terms of longevity, It miserable fails. As to the story however, the game really did put an interesting plotline in which the hero gets possessed by a demon which is the last hope of humanity to beat the antagonist/s but was also a letdown because of the short campaign and in effect, the story was obviously rushed nonsense at times. The positive note on the game though is the moral system that even though its not on par with bioware games or the witcher series, the game still did an ok job in its decision based options and you can actually see its effect when the story advances esp in the physical aspect of the protagonist. All in all, ill give it a score of 6.

    Gameplay - It is POOR so POOR! The attack animations are awkward and ugly including the magics, the enemies are unbalanced and sometimes ridiculously overpowered with that stupid bug of them healing in FULL HEALTH when you got out their aggro range whether intentionaly or not. However, despite the ranting i gave its gameplay, you as a gamer may consider it as a challenge also and not ot boast, the fighting mechanics is kinda ok despite its ugliness when you actually get used to its style. Still though, as an overall, They should really improve on this aspect. A poor score of 3 for this.

    Soundtrack - Now this is the only game's strength. Olivier Derivieve, a composer who has garnered multiple awards from its soundtrack from multiple games and obviously this games music and songs are one of the bests also. From the epic gong to the soothing voice of a lady. The sound really put life in this game's dead and lifeless world. A score of 9 would be deserving for this.

    Graphics - considering that it was released in PS3 also, i was expecting much improvement in the PS4. However, nothing was really noticeable between the two other than the lighting, but thats it, the graphics looks the same and even the characters and the environments. A bad port and lazy effort from the devs for me. A score of 2.

    Total average = 5

    I understand the spiders had only a low budget from this game. However, they were hyping this game up prior to its release and what we got from the final product was a poor comparison to those teasers/trailers. They should learn from this and know that if they would want to be known as a great RPG makers then maybe they should take notes on how campaigns whould be longer and how gameplay aspects be better. That is all Thank you.    … Expand
  68. Xyodanl
    Aug 30, 2016
    6
    Bound By Flame is a bad game, but it is a bad game with a good story. my advice: play this game on easy and enjoy the great story this game has. The stupid combat system makes the game unplayable.
  69. LowKeyGamer1
    Aug 7, 2017
    8
    WOw....I don't get it. a 5.9?? really? It's a good game. I liked it!. Was very entertained by it and Im an avid Dark Souls player. Fighting was enjoyable and the story line was cool. If anything i thought the 3rd act fell short because they were on some sort of time crunch. I recommend it to anyone who isn't looking for a long 80 hours quest. you can knock this game out in 20+ hours.
  70. RUNaPUFF
    Jul 5, 2018
    5
    Everything about this game is mediocre. The voice acting, the graphics, the story, the combat, the characters, et cetera. The only reason I bought it is because I was bored and it was on sale for $5. It might be worth $20 but the $50 original price is not worth it. For a game that was made in 2014 it still pales in comparison to a game like Dragon Age: Origins.
  71. adrewtoremember
    May 17, 2018
    2
    As an avid RPG player, Bound By Flame was one of the first RPG's released on the PS4, and I picked it up with high expectations. However it tries too hard to be Dark Souls meets The Witcher, with a generic story, unimpressive enemy design and AI, and clunky combat.

    Pass on this one, guys.
  72. TBGA
    Jun 19, 2018
    6
    Picked up the game recently from a sale and gave it a try. My initial thoughts were, "Holy crap this game is broken and terribly made.". The enemies steam rolled me easily no matter the level and my teammate useless. With that I discarded the game from memory but after a bit I decided to give it a go again and see that underneath, while still being terribly made, the game does have itsPicked up the game recently from a sale and gave it a try. My initial thoughts were, "Holy crap this game is broken and terribly made.". The enemies steam rolled me easily no matter the level and my teammate useless. With that I discarded the game from memory but after a bit I decided to give it a go again and see that underneath, while still being terribly made, the game does have its charm and is fun. After a bit it became rather easy as enemies that were once cheap and ganging up on me in a way that would get them arrested in real life, could now be beaten with good strategy and knowledge of the games combat system. That knowledge being use DAGGERS along with lighting weapons on fire and DODGE!!! The skill trees in the game are actually pretty fun for some mixing and matching but it becomes clear that some skills and trees are useless,
    The romance system feels tacked on and the story for the most is pretty decent with one or two moments being nice twists but on the other hand there are things that do not pay off at all. Music is hit or miss but dear goodness I believe the final boss battle music is noteworthy!
    Speaking of last boss, she/he is bloody cheap so advice, stock up on explosive traps (50 at captain difficulty) lure him/her in and watch the cinematic play as you beat them with that.
    My thing is this, the game at first glance is terrible. You would not be wrong to think that buuuuuuuut, after getting an hour into it and seeing just what I was working with, I grew to appreciate the game and bosses/enemies that made it nigh impossible to progress became jokes. This is from someone who beat the game on its hardest difficulty with multiple play throughs.    … Expand
  73. oldrsd_sa
    Oct 13, 2021
    5
    It would be a 6 if it weren't for the final boss. Difficulty spike up the @ss.
  74. Pritsonius
    Jun 27, 2023
    9
    Criminally underrated. This budget ARPG has a lot of heart. The only reason I’m not giving it a 10 is because there are clearly some moments where that budget kicked the game in the shins. Some dialogue reveals plot points that were meant to happen that doesn’t. People complaining about the voice acting… please. Every line is voiced. Most are perfectly fine, but yes there are some duds.Criminally underrated. This budget ARPG has a lot of heart. The only reason I’m not giving it a 10 is because there are clearly some moments where that budget kicked the game in the shins. Some dialogue reveals plot points that were meant to happen that doesn’t. People complaining about the voice acting… please. Every line is voiced. Most are perfectly fine, but yes there are some duds. The complaints about not fighting all 7 ice lords? Follow the story and speak to your companions. Literally everything is covered as the story develops. The growth Spiders showed from Mars: War Logs to Bound by Flame is astronomical.… Expand
  75. EwokSmuggler
    Nov 10, 2020
    8
    Great game, challenging boss fights especially the end boss, very rewarding combat system, it's The Witcher meets Dark Souls. If your into that kind of think you'll definitely enjoy this one.
  76. JoseManuel10_
    Dec 4, 2021
    8
    Bound by Flame is a fantasy-themed action role-playing game that was released on 2014. Bound by Flame puts the player in the role of a victim of demonic possession, where it is necessary to choose between the evil powers that are offered or rejecting them in favor of developing heroic talents.
  77. airpsyhit
    Aug 6, 2021
    4
    There is practically nothing to say. This is a very terrible game. Everything is sad in it - a meager plot and gameplay, weak physics and graphics.
  78. IRON_SOUL
    Nov 14, 2021
    10
    The game is a fun, well-produced AA Action Rpg. I don't understand how it can be so underrated, I think they were expecting an open world or maybe a new SKyrim. The story follows the classic molds of medieval fantasy, nothing new, but still very well done, functional gameplay and fulfills the proposed role, and the fun that this game provides is extremely high. if you haven't played yetThe game is a fun, well-produced AA Action Rpg. I don't understand how it can be so underrated, I think they were expecting an open world or maybe a new SKyrim. The story follows the classic molds of medieval fantasy, nothing new, but still very well done, functional gameplay and fulfills the proposed role, and the fun that this game provides is extremely high. if you haven't played yet and are looking for an action rpg in a fantasy world...give bound by flame a chance!… Expand
  79. JuicyBooty
    Aug 9, 2022
    9
    Game is pretty tight. Fun combat, parrying is hella fun, monster designs are cool, soundtrack is nice, atmosphere is cosy, love the swamp area, weapon customization is cool,... Dialogue can be kinda goofy, certain characters are somewhat interesting. Feels a bit rushed though. With more time, this could have been a really great game I feel, cause the lore is interesting. My favouriteGame is pretty tight. Fun combat, parrying is hella fun, monster designs are cool, soundtrack is nice, atmosphere is cosy, love the swamp area, weapon customization is cool,... Dialogue can be kinda goofy, certain characters are somewhat interesting. Feels a bit rushed though. With more time, this could have been a really great game I feel, cause the lore is interesting. My favourite spiders game, one of my most fun platinums to get, good for speedrunning as well … Expand

Awards & Rankings

42
#42 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2014
38
#38 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
53

Mixed or average reviews - based on 40 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 40
  3. Negative: 12 out of 40
  1. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Jun 29, 2014
    40
    Juddering. [July 2014, p.93]
  2. games(TM)
    Jun 28, 2014
    60
    The story, writing and the role-playing part of the game is distinctly previous-gen play, if not older.
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  3. Play UK
    Jun 21, 2014
    62
    While never truly bad, Bound by Flame is rarely much better than serviceable either. [Issue#245, p.60]
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