“What happens after?” This is a question that has puzzled humanity since the dawn of civilization. What happens after we die? What happens after we reach the pinnacle of innovation? What happens after society as we know it falls? There are many views of what happens next depending on religion, belief in the afterlife and even the nature of humanity.
Deathbound seeks to answer these questions all at once through their immersive gameplay, unique setting and impressive story. Developed by Trialforge Studio as their impressive debut into the Gaming Industry and published by Tate Multimedia, the game takes place in a new imperial age that dawned long after the civilizations we live in were completely destroyed and buried in the past. Taking control of many spirits unwilling to rest, you’ll hack and slash your way through a beautiful yet melancholic world where high-tech meets high fantasy in a war in the bones of ancient civilization.
The game places you into the shoes of Therone, a Crusader of the Church of Death… at least, at first. After a beautiful introductory cinematic showing the cruelty of the world and Therone’s own hardened heart, you’ll enter into an enemy laboratory and quickly realize there’s more to this world than meets the eye: it’s not just any converted building, it’s the remains of a modern hospital. Fighting through the reanimated creatures that wander the halls, Therone eventually meets his match in a battle with an amalgamation named Impending Truth. In that moment, he should have died, a fact that he would have relished in as an emissary of the Church of Death… but death refuses him, turning him into something more whether he likes it or not.
Now neither living nor dead, Therone has become a mere vessel for his own soul. And fortunately for you, there’s plenty of room for any other restless spirits. This post-mortal state leads into the main mechanic of the game: Spirit Binding. Your vessel can freely swap between up to four different spirits on the fly, smoothly transitioning between each one’s unique fighting style. By defeating enemies, performing perfect dodges and reflecting attacks you fill up your Synergy Meter, which you can then spend to unleash more powerful attacks by starting a combo with one spirit and finishing it with another. These spirits are more than just playstyles, however, as each of them retains their personality even after death. In the story, this leads to bickering between Therone, a devout follower of Lady Death who yearns to die as he was supposed to, and the many others who go on to inhabit his body that disagree with his black and white view of both morality and mortality. As you explore, you’ll learn about each character’s past in more detail, enriching the story and physically empowering them with Memory to become even more powerful.
The worldbuilding and physical design of the game is spectacular, seamlessly blending between environments both beautiful and gritty and expertly selling the idea that the world is (much like the player) alive despite its own demise. This is combined with beautiful music, expert storytelling and precise character voice acting to truly immerse you into this complicated world. The game emanates the idea of life, death and rebirth throughout every part of its design: from core gameplay systems, to the setting, to the characters’ abilities and thoughts on the world itself, and even to the nature of the story.
The game is not perfect by any means, however, I feel that its shortcomings are not enough to detract from the experience at large and should not dissuade any interested players. I myself was constantly trudging from the first respawn point in the game through the opening labyrinth quite a few times after dying over and over, despite gaining new abilities. But this may have been a legitimate “skill issue,” as I soon found myself carving past the enemies that had vexed me with ease. The lack of a minimap or a general sense of direction is also a minor annoyance, but it lends itself to the sense of scale and powerlessness in the great cycle of life, only being able to take control of what you have with your own hands. I greatly enjoyed my time playing Deathbound and found myself vividly engrossed in its cycle of life, death and rebirth. I highly recommend it to anybody interested. Will you have what it takes to survive? And, if you don’t, are you willing to let death stop you?
Deathbound is available for PC via Steam.
Related: Reviews by Aaron Grossmann
Gaming is a passion that I, like many other people, hold near and dear to my heart. As an aspiring Game Writer and general Storyteller, I enjoy looking into the vast worlds and deep stories of every game I can. Then again, sometimes bad guys just need a good pummeling, and I am more than happy to provide!
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