Bound by Flame - ARPG where the PC is possessed by a demon

[ZagorTeNej]

Warrior is still crap, the amount of damage you can do with the daggers skill tree makes the speed and ninja moves easy to dispatch enemies. Pyro+Ninja(Ranger)=Broken Times. Warrior is actually good for a challenge, parrying is a lot harder than dodging from what I've seen.

After finishing the game with a Ranger+Pyro (and had a blast doing so) I started a new playthrough as a Warrior+Pyro and you're definitely wrong about Warrior being crap.

I still probably overall prefer playing as a Ranger due to stealth, dodge being more useful against bosses (especially their AOE attacks), the ability to sprint in combat mode, cool factor of fighting with two daggers etc. but the Warrior can more than hold his own, you do more damage, have a better chance to interrupt (and resist it better from enemies), have better resistances, better health regeneration, the mighty foot which when upgraded knocks enemies down etc.

At the moment I'm in the 2nd chapter wielding some Soul Reaver look alike sword and kicking major ass, don't feel like the game is more challenging at all with a Warrior build (just different, which is cool obviously).

 

[Gozma]

Funny thing is how everyone is complaining about "bad" writing although i find it miles ahead of bioware...

The lesson is learned: If you do not wish to pay up for awesum reviews, faggot critics will punish you for your greed

Nah, it's not like that. These reviewers genuinely believe Bioware games have good stories and games like Bound by Flame don't. They're not malicious, just your typical morons.

It's both true and not. Game journalists aren't cynical people with their hand out for payola, they're just too stupid to get that their opinion has been preconditioned by marketing. E.g. they don't get that all the money spent to make the preview jounos feel like soul brothers with the developers and le community manager guy comes through when they're reading news about the game. The slight amount of introspection on the point it would take to get how corrupt it is would only foul their mood about an already ridiculous shit job that anyone could do so they won't.

 

[Zewp]

Why do developers make their games so ugly? This game doesn't have to look as bad as it does, but the lighting really ruins it.

It's a shame because otherwise I'm having fun with it. Not the best game I've played this year, but not bad overall.

 

[eremita]

Warrior is still crap, the amount of damage you can do with the daggers skill tree makes the speed and ninja moves easy to dispatch enemies. Pyro+Ninja(Ranger)=Broken Times. Warrior is actually good for a challenge, parrying is a lot harder than dodging from what I've seen.

After finishing the game with a Ranger+Pyro (and had a blast doing so) I started a new playthrough as a Warrior+Pyro and you're definitely wrong about Warrior being crap.

I still probably overall prefer playing as a Ranger due to stealth, dodge being more useful against bosses (especially their AOE attacks), the ability to sprint in combat mode, cool factor of fighting with two daggers etc. but the Warrior can more than hold his own, you do more damage, have a better chance to interrupt (and resist it better from enemies), have better resistances, better health regeneration, the mighty foot which when upgraded knocks enemies down etc.

At the moment I'm in the 2nd chapter wielding some Soul Reaver look alike sword and kicking major ass, don't feel like the game is more challenging at all with a Warrior build (just different, which is cool obviously).

How about Ranged Weapons? I know there's a Crossbow. Something else? And are Ranged Weapons somehow related to the"classes"? Like ranger being faster/having ciritical while in stealth mode etc.

 

[belated]

The ranged attack is likely an upgradable ability used from the quick-menu (or mapped to a key), as is the case in Mars: War Logs.

 

[ZagorTeNej]

How about Ranged Weapons? I know there's a Crossbow. Something else? And are Ranged Weapons somehow related to the"classes"? Like ranger being faster/having ciritical while in stealth mode etc.

There are just Crossbows (in addition to fire magic ranged attacks like orb of fire) and aside from ranger having a bonus to critical chance when attacking with it in stealth mode (which you can only enter in Ranger stance) if you upgrade stealth skill, there are no differences in how you handle ranged weapons in either stance.

There aren't many of them in the game (atleast I didn't find many) but they have a very high damage and chance to interrupt (which is basically the chance to stagger or even knockdown enemies/bosses depending on their size and weapons you're using) so they're quite useful provided you're willing to spend materials to craft bolts.

 

[ZagorTeNej]

The ranged attack is likely an upgradable ability used from the quick-menu (or mapped to a key), as is the case in Mars: War Logs.

Yeah, forgot to add. It is indeed a quick menu ability not a weapon you carry around. I didn't play Mars: War Logs (will definitely try it out though given that I enjoyed Bound by Flame) but it's similar to using a pistol in Risen 2.

 

[Lhynn]

After finishing the game... had a blast doing so.... I started a new playthrough.

Thats a glowing recommendation, im getting this game.

 

[Zeriel]

It's worth playing, one of those "panned by critics, pretty enjoyable but forgettable" experiences like Remember Me, which in the last few years have been more pleasant than any major title.

 

[ZagorTeNej]

Thats a glowing recommendation, im getting this game.

Don't know man, I've been known to take liking to some pretty mediocre and/or very flawed games so do so at your own peril.

 

[SuicideBunny]

I didn't play Mars: War Logs (will definitely try it out though given that I enjoyed Bound by Flame)

mars war logs is one giant single corridor. bbf is more polished and enjoyable, even if it's about as enjoyable as a modern bioware game.

 

[Lhynn]

Thats a glowing recommendation, im getting this game.

Don't know man, I've been known to take liking to some pretty mediocre and/or very flawed games so do so at your own peril.

Have a little faith in your taste man, if you enjoyed it there must be something good about it. Ill try it when i get some free time.

I did play mars: war logs and it felt like a demo of what the actual game was suposed to be, right when the plot was kinda sorta getting interesting you get a rushed ending. A bad game, but not awful, and it had some enjoyable bits here and there.

 

[abnaxus]

I did play mars: war logs and it felt like a demo of what the actual game was suposed to be, right when the plot was kinda sorta getting interesting you get a rushed ending.

Bound by Flame is pretty much the same. With a bigger team and budget the game could've been much better.

 

[SuicideBunny]

or if they spent less money on graphic artists and more on writers...

 

[Commissar Draco]

Played it a bit seems to be good for what it is (popamole ARPG) with above average story and writing so far; one thing that makes me mad is poor itemization; you can't craft/find full suit of armor despite being in chapter 3 already. And game is hard on easy; you will die while fighting 3 enemies and getting surrounded no matter what.

edit Itemization is OK game has some nice C&C and anti SJW taste later on; once again of ARPG no surprise those faggot gamejurnos hate it.

Edit 2 for all this fuss final game was the ending and outro was little diss pointing; final verdict:

 

[Infinitron]

Richard Cobbett review at RPS: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/05/23/bound-by-flame-review/

Amazingly, he gives it a fair shot and doesn't completely hate it.

 

[Zeriel]

Not so amazing when you consider it isn't written by John Walker or Nathan Grayson.

 

[Bahamut]

What i like about games like this, that they hit the bargain bin in the speed of light,
Im kinda fan of games that are good for whatever they are: they are not dissapointing utter shit and can make you positively suprised

Unlike oerhyped AAA's that give you mostly "day one unistall" syndrome

 

[Lhynn]

Well, finished it. Here are my messy first thoughts on the game.
P. fun game all the way, even the final battle was fun. Challenging and rewarding combat, crafting system that even if barebones is really useful, a magic system that both compliments the combat system and is fitting for the setting. Exploring rewards you, enemy variety while not huge was a lot more than i expected, and they all had attacks that fit their form and supposed powers.

Spoiler

The first hour of the game isnt very good, but it slowly picks up from there. All 4 chapters had their decent moments.
Characters that are somewhat interesting and that i wish they had fleshed out more, even the most boring character, the red scribe girly was well done. Insults everywhere didnt really bother me, it did seem a bit try hardy, but meh, if thats the way they talk in that world, who am i to judge?.
The setting was really imaginative, wish you got to meet and fight the other ice lords, gotten to interact more with the demon and instead of just having 1 option to go all demon or all human it would have been cool to get prompts all the way to the end asking you if you wanted to keep progressing tru the possession.

The game is definitely at its best when you are beating the shit out of your enemies, dancing between ripostes and critical hits, moving away, attacking with your crossbow to interrupt, jumping back in, really satisfactory, and punishing if you screwed up, but with good timing all the combats were a breeze, and the game is structured in such a way that by the time you have mastered fighting an enemy you never see it again, and you have to learn to deal with new enemies.

All in all really good, maybe worth a replay to explore the other options, the lenght is decent too, the 7/10 given by Comrade Commissar is really fitting.

 

[SuicideBunny]

Spoiler

The setting was really imaginative, wish you got to meet and fight the other ice lords, gotten to interact more with the demon and instead of just having 1 option to go all demon or all human it would have been cool to get prompts all the way to the end asking you if you wanted to keep progressing tru the possession.

heh? you do get prompts. every time you can agree to go to the worldheart or not is a prompt to give up more. i only got the red eyes from the first time the demon offers you power at the cave and kept at that level for the rest of the game. the second prompt is right afterwards when you make the decision to join with the king or not.

 

[Lhynn]

Spoiler

The setting was really imaginative, wish you got to meet and fight the other ice lords, gotten to interact more with the demon and instead of just having 1 option to go all demon or all human it would have been cool to get prompts all the way to the end asking you if you wanted to keep progressing tru the possession.

heh? you do get prompts. every time you can agree to go to the worldheart or not is a prompt to give up more. i only got the red eyes from the first time the demon offers you power at the cave and kept at that level for the rest of the game. the second prompt is right afterwards when you make the decision to join with the king or not.

Spoiler

Yup, those are the only 2, i didnt get the eyes but got the whole body turned into demon, the second bonus is really good btw, 2 mp per second pretty much makes spamming magic free.
No idea how much relevance it has to the plot.
But every time you feed should have a prompt, i just agreed to go to the worldheart, not to feed of everything.

 

[SuicideBunny]

those aren't the only two. you get asked again whether you want to go to the worldheart one or two more times and then there's the choice with the concubine which i think gives power to the demon as well. the first choice you give in gives you red eyes, the second gives you some fiery effect, blackening around the eyes and smallish horns. if you got full demon transform from the first, it was a bug.

 

[Lhynn]

those aren't the only two. you get asked again whether you want to go to the worldheart one or two more times and then there's the choice with the concubine which i think gives power to the demon as well. the first choice you give in gives you red eyes, the second gives you some fiery effect, blackening around the eyes and smallish horns. if you got full demon transform from the first, it was a bug.

You do? i never got a prompt asking me about it, it just kinda kept transforming into a full blown demon. Damn, now i really gotta replay it.
edit:

Spoiler

wait no, third transformation was consuming the king, i never got an option, 4th was after beating blackfrost and didnt get one iether

 

[Dim]

 

[abnaxus]

The game pulled a profit being released during the initial PS4 game drought. It was #1 PS4 game for a couple of months.