Bound by Blades Review

Indie developer Zeth has released its debut title, a heartfelt RPG in the form of Bound By Blades. Released on the 15th of November 2022, Bound by Blades went mostly unnoticed by the gaming community. It only took me an hour to realise this was a monstrous injustice. At first glance, Bound by Blades is a kiddy game set in a land of anthropomorphic animals of all sorts. However, upon starting up the game I found it to be a blast, filled with features and a narrative I was not expecting of such a title.

The story goes that the land of Ashmyr was being ravaged by warring clans. Then one day something happened, a strange power fell over the land, and some of its people were imbued with abilities and strength far superior to their fellows. Unfortunately, those possessing this new power and those exposed to it in combat did not fare well. Soon they began to change, becoming monstrous creatures known as “the Ilcyon”. In the wake of the monsters’ wrath, the once warring people came together to fight the new threat. This is where you and your friends (The Bound) come in. You have been trained since youth to fight these monsters, and have over time become immune to their transformative effects on the population.

It took me about two hours to finish the story, but given the retail price for the game I think that is fitting. However, even though the story was short, events sometimes happened I was not aware of, or could happen out of sequence. I would be back in town and the NPCs would comment on something having just occurred with The Bound that I had no indication of prior.

When you start up the game you are given a choice of three characters to play as. This group of friends consists of Teo (a two-handed sword welding cat), Guren (a bunny with a bow), and Kota (an ox with a glaive and shield). Selecting each will show you a briefing profile of that character, as well as allow you to choose from one of three skins available. Though the three friends travel together throughout the story, it is only the character you are playing that will be engaged when in combat. If you decide you made the wrong choice, you can switch to one of the other heroes when in a safe place.

Bound by Blades is filled with interesting characters, including a goldfish-like creature named Finny that you interact with quite often. Finny is a lonely friend that wishes they could be of help and was not limited to the streams, ponds, and rivers. There is also your mentor, Eldros, a heroic figure that helped unite the clans when the ilcyon threat began. Now an old warrior, Eldros has trained the trio of friends since their youth.

Combat in Bound by Blades is exclusively against boss-like opponents. When leaving a safe hub, players select the boss they want to fight (you can redo the fights even after winning to farm more loot and XP). Combat puts the player's chosen character on a four-plot square at which the boss sits in the centre. Abilities are fired at you forcing the player to roll and dash from each standable plot to avoid them, while still chipping away at the enemies health bar. Fast (basic) attacks, slower strong attacks, and the ability to change targets and dodge are the cornerstones of the game's combat system. It is also a good idea to remember you have health potions. Successful fights will reward experience and lead to the ability to level-up a character's stats. On the medium difficulty setting I had no trouble until I made it to the fourth story boss named Talys — a vicious snake-like creature. Changing the difficulty was not available once I started the game, so if you want a challenge to start with begin on the highest setting. I should mention that after the story is finished, you will gain the ability to face all the bosses again at a higher difficulty.

Features I was not expecting in Bound by Blades include: crafting and upgrading my characters gear, enchanting and transmogrification (making gear look like other armour pieces), multiplayer co-op, and a fun little pet system. I especially enjoyed the pets referred to as both “boundlings” and “myrthos”. You have the option to name them and they can fight alongside you in combat. Feed them and take care of them to allow your boundling to become more powerful — or even evolve!

In my opinion, Bound by Blades is a fantastic entry point for a younger generation of gamers to start on their journey. With no voiced narration, kids will be forced to read item descriptions and dialogue interactions with characters. The combat system requires adaptive thinking and quick reflexes to progress.

Bound By Blades is available for the PC, Mac, and Linux with support for the Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android being available sometime in 2023. The title also has full controller support on Steam.