Bound By Blades is an action-adventure RPG, by developer Zeth and publisher Assemble Entertainment, that is focused on the thrill of intense boss battles. You play as one of The Bound, which is a trio of trained fighters tasked with defeating the evil Ilcyon that plague the land. Venture out and fight evil in order to find your mentor and bring peace to this land. Will you be strong enough to take on the strongest of foes, or will you fail like so many before you?
When you start Bound By Blades, you choose one of the three playable characters; Kota the calm and peaceful bull like guardian who fights with a disc blade and shield, Teo the cat like fighter who uses a sword and dashes around to escape, and Guren the bunny like archer who uses a bow to attack and is able to evade easily. You can also change what character you play while in game if you would like to test out how each of them fights. You can also choose between three different difficulties, easy, medium, or hard if you would rather have a more relaxed experience. The difficulty you choose is only for the Story Mode, however, so it doesn’t affect the multiplayer game if you play with friends.
After selecting your character, you are told the story of how the land of Ashmyr was turned to ruin after an evil curse infected the lands and turned people into Ilcyons as well as corrupting those who fought against them. Only one warrior was ever able to fight the Ilcyon and not succumb to this curse, Eldros. Thus he took a child from each of the remaining clans and trained them; these three fighters were then named The Bound. After that you are brought through the tutorial of the game, in combat you can run around the perimeter of the area and shoot attacks at the opponent(s) who are located in the center.
You fire attacks using E or clicking your mouse holding the attack will throw a charged attack that does more damage. You can hide for a short time with a shield by pressing Space and Left Shift to Dodge incoming attacks even while you are running. When you kill an opponent, they drop items that you can use to craft better armor and weapons. Each item set gives you bonus perks to help you out. Killing bosses also gives you experience and when you level up you gain skill points that you can put into Vitality, Strength, Agility, and/or Fortitude. They increase your Health, Damage, Haste, and Defense respectively.
Honestly, there is a lot to this game and there is quite the learning curve in the beginning as you get used to the combat style. As you go forward you also learn about enchanting items, as well as pets that can help you in fights and so much more. This game is really fun once you get the hang of it and for a combat-based game the looks and feels cozy. The characters and even the bosses have a cute look to them that makes the game different from other boss rush type games. This game also features a variety of different bosses to fight that have unique abilities, so you don’t get bored. Overall, a fun experience centered around combat and becoming stronger.
Bound By Blades is fun especially considering I don’t usually play these types of games. There isn’t a lot I have issues with, in the long run, but there are a few things to note. The story is there and it is interesting, but it leaves something to be desired. While I understand that this game is focused on combat, the story feels almost forced as a result. The combat is pretty good, all things considered, but I did notice some input lag at parts though restarting the game usually fixed it. Succeeding in this game revolves around leveling up your armor and characters so you can continue to fight harder and harder bosses. Each enemy you kill gives different armor so don’t spend too much time leveling up your starting armor unless you really like the perk it gives you. It’s a lot to get used to and learn but the game is still really fun to play.
Bound By Blades is a cozy indie game that focuses on the intense excitement of boss battles. There is a lot to learn in the game and you can build your character’s skills and equipment to better suit your playstyle. The battles are fun and feature a variety of enemies along the way. The story itself can feel a bit forced at times but the game is more centered around its combat. I am giving Bound By Blades a 9 out of 10 because it is an overall fun experience with few complaints from me.
Bound by Blades is available for PC via Steam and GOG. The game will launch on Nintendo Switch and iOS/Android mobile devices in 2023.
Related: Reviews by Brianna Keller
I enjoy a wide variety of games from intricate survival/adventure games to simple platformers. I am also a sucker for a good story game.
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