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. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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
  6. 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.
  7. 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
  8. 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.
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. 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
  12. 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
  13. 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
  14. 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
  15. 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
  16. 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
  17. 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.
  18. 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
  19. 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.
  20. 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.
  21. 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
  22. oldrsd_sa
    Oct 13, 2021
    5
    It would be a 6 if it weren't for the final boss. Difficulty spike up the @ss.

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.
    Read full review
  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]
See all critic reviews »