BOUND

I’d pondered getting this game when I saw it on STEAM but never got around to picking it up. But when I reviewed the free games for November on Playstation Plus, I found it shining amongst a plethora of… less good games. The game begins with your avatar, the Princess, being told by the Queen that a monster is destroying her kingdom and that you must bring an end to it. As you move to the door that’s revealed to you on the far side of the throne room, you notice something. The Princess doesn’t walk but dances. Every movement, small and large, is precise and intentional. It’s definitely not everyday that your video game protagonist moves using ballet and interpretive dance. What she performs is also tied to how fast you are moving and if you press any buttons, it’s pretty evident a lot of care went into getting the look and feel of this right.

As you go from level to level, you start to pick up the pieces of the story and the meaning behind the world. For instance, shards are found in bountiful amounts as you gracefully flow through the land. Upon reaching the final area of the level, the shards all lock together to form a collage of an important moment in the life of the Princess. Obviously, the clarity of this will depend on how few or many are found. But the collage is only a clue as to the vision you’ll see immediately after. You enter a pitch black room, faint mumblings of times gone by can be heard as you move forwards. Time is sluggish as glinting shards fly through the air interlocking with other pieces in slow motion forming a 3D scene around you. These scenes are probably my favourite parts of the game. It’s like a shattered mirror, rewinding back into existence and being able to once more look upon the image painted on its surface.

The world of BOUND in all its surreal beauty is a character in itself. A sea of cubes fluctuates and writhe like ocean waves, while other shapes remain suspended in the air, frozen in time. The world beneath your feet crumples and softens, dividing and segmenting slightly with each step despite being as delicate and light as a feather. A living, breathing cubism-drenched world. The only thing that really clashes against it is the Princess herself, but I think that’s to the game’s advantage. Her form pops off the man-made background while her clothes share the same geometric visuals of the environment.

While the visuals are something to marvel, they can’t hold the weight of the game alone and unfortunately the gameplay can’t pull its own weight. I found it to become tired over the course of the game. I doubt anyone was expecting any particularly fiendish platforming, puzzles or action set pieces of any sort but the hybrid of the lot are too weak individually to sustain interest for long. For a game that’s supposed to be beaten in a single session (like I did) this is its greatest weakness. Nearing the final segments of the game I was starting to just power past everything instead of absorbing the world around me.

Edge guard is also on by default and intended for the best experience… and it shows. The game is by no stretch of the imagination a precision platformer. Initially, I turned it off thinking it would remove all challenge and that maybe I could restore some excitement by turning off the safety net. But between the perspective screwing with you and odd movement acceleration between walking and sprinting, making jumps becomes a messy challenge. The edge guard only stops you walking/running off edges anyway, so falling between gaps during jumps is still fair game on or off.

So, what’s my conclusion? While BOUND isn’t going to blow your mind with its mediocre gameplay, it’s outstanding in its presentation. Both the environment and narrative of the world is what gives it just enough of an edge for me to recommend it, though cautiously. This game definitely isn’t for everyone and I’m saying that as someone who got the game for free. I’d advise picking it up during a sale if it’s piqued your interest but by no means is it an essential.