Deathbound is an interesting 4-party souls-like that blends dated technology with futuristic ideas. This odd combination is a little jarring as everything felt somewhat out of sorts. Yet, the action looks fantastic and it has that cruel edge the genre is renowned for. Additionally, the combination of 4 players in one entity is an intriguing concept.

This souls-like adventure title was developed by Trialforge Studio and published by Tate Multimedia Sp. Furthermore, it is a lore-riddled experience that is truly fascinating. However, it has its problems as slow animations and wayward hitboxes cause you to die and crumble more often than not. This was infuriating and not in the usual genre way. We’ve all come to accept the brutality and nuances of Souls games, but when glitches are added to the mix, it’s just not fair.

Deathbound is a story of science against religion. 

The city of Akratya is a dangerous place. This once-thriving location is filled with deadly creatures that shouldn’t be tackled alone. Luckily, “The Fallen” can bind together to create a unique and destructive force that is hard to beat. This team of mixed skills, beliefs, and personalities must put their differences aside as they wander the grim world.

The story is fascinating and the drip-fed lore and interesting NPCs add so much depth that you will be hooked. Moreover, each of the “Essences” interacts with the surrounding world for skill buffs, additional lore, or the occasional secret. This was fascinating as you had to adapt to your surroundings to get the best out of the game.

Alongside this, the party of characters have strengths and weaknesses that must be complemented throughout. Some enjoy melee weapons and others ranged or magic. You must work out what combination works at any specific time. Furthermore, each boss battle requires a specific approach. Accordingly, working out the best formation of heroes is essential.

So many creatures. 

Though your party may be ultra-powerful and the use of incredible “Morph Strikes” can help, the combat and mob swarms are challenging. No matter where you go, you’ll encounter multiple enemies at once. This shouldn’t be a problem, but the combat is occasionally clumsy. The input reactions are slow and inconsistencies with strike accuracy will frustrate you. Consequently, when you have 3 or more monsters swarming you, you will struggle.

This issue is compounded by the sluggish animation. Once you execute an action, there is no going back. As such, if you use a potion or dodge to avoid a strike, you have to see this through. This was annoying as hell as you are left in limbo while the game thinks about catching up. The slow animation wouldn’t be a problem if you could cancel each action. However, this wasn’t to be and this causes untold misery. 

Bonfires in Deathbound. 

Bonfires are the normal checkpoints of the Souls genre. Deathbound uses Phylacteries as its checkpoint of choice. Here you may rest, save, and level up your character or team. This wasn’t anything new and veterans will be familiar with this mechanic. Yet, there is a nice twist in the form of memories. This layer is used to add buffs to each character. These elements are essential as they can increase your ability to Morph Strike or add other much-needed effects.

Alongside this, there are special items that can be used to improve each essence. The amulet and rings improve your core stats and skills and they can be upgraded by finding rare objects throughout the world. Though this is a simple concept, I loved it nonetheless. 

Bosses. 

This genre is all about its world design and the incredible bosses you encounter. Unfortunately, Deathbound doesn’t get either quite right. The bosses are unusual but not fascinating enough. Additionally, they look messy and their hitboxes are just as strange. Unfortunately, the lack of definitive hit locations makes the combat feel unjustly harsh. Moreover, when this is combined with the slow animation, you are in a losing battle. 

The world design is equally bizarre. Deathbound implies that the “First Men” was an advanced culture with reasonable technological advantages. Yet, the environment rarely reflects this status. Instead, there is a blend of dated tech that contradicts this idea. The lack of consistency was bizarre and I couldn’t work out what era the game was set in.

Deathbound looks great despite the mixed messages. 

Though the stage design was odd, Deathbound looks fantastic. The Brazilian studio has put a lot of effort into its stage and character design. The grim world is wonderful to explore even though I found it confusing. Furthermore, though the animation is slow, the combat looks great. Yes, I had issues with clipping scenery or ghosting through monsters, but this wasn’t that common. Consequently, despite the issues, this is a reasonably well-polished experience.

The acting and the music were great. There is a real sense of depth and drama as the game unfolds. Moreover, the daunting soundtrack creates an ominous atmosphere whenever you tackle the gigantic bosses. The sound effects were effective but familiar. There is a sense of deja vu as the fantasy sounds could be from any other game. Subsequently, the developer has done a nice job with their audio. 

Sluggish controls.

Exploring the world and working as a team was great fun. However, the aforementioned combat issues hold this back. Deathbound should have done better with its combat elements. When most of the game requires an element of finesse, sluggish controls are the last thing you want.

Thanks to the many character builds and the ability to level up, this has plenty of replay value and longevity. However, the issues caused unnecessary frustration and that was problematic. If you can overlook these shortcomings, you’ll enjoy a lore-filled experience that looks great. 

Deathbound is a wonderfully cruel game.

Loving souls-like games is a cruel and often challenging hobby. Sadly Deathbound doesn’t get everything right, but it is an interesting twist on tried and tested mechanics. I loved its dark ways and the visuals. Moreover, the audio is exceptional. Sadly its problems prevent it from excelling and this will disappoint hardcore fans. Yet, I enjoyed my time with it and recommend buying it here! Can you restore order? Choose your hero, select your path, and work together for the greater good.