Bound By Flame - Review

Posted: 05/13/14



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Despite obvious similarities to The Witcher, Dragon Age, and Kingdoms of Amalur, Bound by
Flame is worth judging on its own merits. Thoughtful side quests, challenging combat, and
choices that have a considerable impact on the story, combine to create a unique journey, even if
it takes players though extremely familiar territory.
The tale begins with the option to customize your character, a member of a group called the
Freeborn Blades. The Seven Ice Lords have nearly wiped out humanity with their endless army
of Dead Walkers, and the Red Scribes, a wise group of scholars, have enlisted your services for
protection while they seek an ancient temple to perform a sacred ritual. Things naturally dont go
as planned and a demonic entity ends up residing inside you.
While the main story arc seems somewhat wrapped in standard fantasy clich, the demonic
presence and a compelling cast of companions keeps things interesting and unpredictable. Its
your choice to reject your dark side or to embrace the demon to gain more power at the cost of
humanity. People treat you differently if they think youre evil, and youll grow a wicked pair of
horns that keeps you from wearing protective helmets. Throughout the course of the 15 hour
campaign, the Demon will do everything he can to manipulate you into making wrong decisions
for his own personal gain. The consequences are considerable, turning allies against you or
causing you to lose party members altogether.
Your companions have distinct personalities, but terrible voice acting might keep you from
wanting to know them better. If youre willing to give them a shot, however, youll get the chance
to really get to know them since you adventure with only one of them at a time. The nave
daughter of the Red Scribe leader, Sybil, has a thirst for knowledge, so certain quests require
taking her out to study foreign creatures and gather ancient texts. Randval is a fierce warrior who
longs for his own death on the battlefield, so expect to slay powerful monsters together.
Completing these companion-specific side missions never feels like a grind since theyre varied,
and are easy to find and follow through to the end. Each party member really does help out in
combat, employing different fighting styles that change the way battles play out.
The journey through Vertiel will take you to a few varied locales, but they feel limited and
artificial. Generic paths and corridors riddle the landscape, and the maps only open up in a few
scattered areas. Exploration is almost non-existent, but the emphasis lies in exploring the story,
choices, and consequences, not on random houses and caves. When you are given the option
early to embrace the demonic power and attack a creature, or to retreat and rethink a strategy,
the course of the game may alter considerably.
Bound by Flame is a tough game and even on the normal difficulty setting, button mashing is not
an option. Careful use of traps and knowing which foes to pick off first is almost completely
necessary for your survival. There are three available skill sets, and all of them can be used
simultaneously with the push of a button. The warrior excels with large two-handed weapons, the
ranger dual wields daggers and has the ability to sneak up on unsuspecting foes, while the
pyromancer has devastating magical attacks. Theres enough room to forge your own combat
identity here, but fully investing in a particular skill tree isnt as rewarding as it could have been,
with many abilities just augment the starting powers. Furthermore, you can switch between all
three roles mid-combat, but its pointless if you decide to invest heavily in only one or two
classes. Since the fighter cant dodge and some attacks are unblockable, the system can feel
unbalanced depending on how you spend your points. But despite all this, combat is still
challenging and engaging on a basic level, and after winning most battles it feels like an
accomplishment.
The crafting system is robust and easy to use. Bound by Flame opts to have about 20
ingredients instead of some RPGs hundreds. Everything about the system is streamlined, and
you can create health and mana potions, exploding traps, and upgrades for your armor and
weapons on the fly. Increasing your damage or chance for critical strikes can vastly improve your
odds of success in combat. The ability to recycle mods to regain spent resources alleviates the
pressure of committing to a certain weapon, allowing for easier experimentation. This is another
way the game makes certain things easy to deal with so you can enjoy the game on its strong
points.
Bound by Flame manages to maintain a hardcore, action RPG feel while remaining accessible
and easy to get through. Combat can be tough, but the difficulty can be turned down at any time
in the options menu, in case you get stuck at a particularly hard fight. Crafting and quests are
simple thanks to an easy to navigate map and menus. Theres a decent balance between
complexity and playability.
Bound by Flame is far from perfect, but underneath a few rough edges, a memorable journey
awaits, defined by an unpredictable storyline, and decisions that have a meaningful impact on
the story. Not having to just be pure good or pure evil is interesting, the demon is always there
even if you want to do the right thing and be a good guy. Hopefully this is just the first step into
the icy world of Vertiel.
SCORE: 7.4
Reviewed on PC.
Written by Michael Huber