E3 2013 – Bound By Flame Preview

At the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, Gamer Living got a behind closed doors look at a brand new game set to release at the end of 2013. Developed by Spiders and published by Focus Home Interactive, Bound by Flame is an action RPG, set in a dark fantasy world, where you will be able to create and customize your own protagonist, choosing from different sexes, hair types, and even facial features to create your own unique looking character before you begin your journey. Let’s take a deeper look at what this game has to offer its incoming fans!

When the game begins, you will embark on an epic quest to save the world from an evil sorcerer’s army, comprised of different spirits, monsters, and even the undead. You have been hired to protect a faction called the Red Scribes who are trying to find a way to win the war against this enormous army. Hell-bent on destroying the human race. You are the last hope the world has to turn the tables on your foes and start winning the war.

Even with your skill as a swordsman, there is a dark part to you that could prove even more useful to the war effort than you were originally hired for. You are possessed by a demon and can either choose to align yourself with the demon inside of you and become an incredibly powerful being, or fight against it to become a good and legendary hero. The story will change depending on which way you choose to go, so be careful what you do!

If you’re a fan of games set in a medieval-themed world, Bound by Flame will really be an exciting adventure for you! The small preview we saw was set around dilapidated castles, so old that the grass had begun sprouting in between the cracks on the stone flooring. The characters themselves are in third-person view, sporting metal or leather armour and fighting against grey decaying corpses and wispy white spirits. The transitions between sections are impressive, with high quality graphics and rendering that is sure to help you feel like you are in a fantasy universe.

To add to the quality of the atmosphere, every fantasy game needs a little bit of magic! Your internal demon will grant you the ability to use basic fire attacks to begin with, which will grow and change as you level up and swing towards the evil side. You’ll notice that the more you align yourself with your possessive partner, your physical nature can also change, even to the point of transforming you completely! That may not be something you will want to have happen, but if you decide not to align yourself with the demon, the only magic you will be able to use is ice or healing magic, as the Mages of the land are not typically able to wield such a dangerous force as fire.

The game also features the ability to level up in any manner you feel most comfortable, with three trees (focusing on Magic, Defense, or Attack), and 12 skills that can be leveled up in each. You will not have to settle with just one tree, as the skill points you receive for leveling can be put into any tree you wish, making for a more diverse (albeit weaker) character. Your character will also be able to get his/her  hands on ten different armour sets included in the game, with four pieces in total per set, and three slots for craft elements, which you will find along your travels and can be instantly added to your armour to upgrade it in different ways, so if you are more into stealth and quick hits, a 5% poison like a Vampire Tear will be helpful. There are 80 different craft elements to be found in total, giving players a lot of different options for their armour slots!

Even with all this power and ability, you are bound to get lonely on your travels, especially with the weight of the world on your shoulders! Thankfully, you will encounter up to five companions, who will have different strengths and weaknesses to complement your own. Each companion uses different skills on the same three trees your character is using, making it easier to find someone that will suit your needs. For those who have already played previous Spider titles, you can rest easy knowing that this time around, Spider has focused heavily on further developing the AI to improve the depth of the characters in Bound by Flame, based on feedback from their fans about past releases. It’s an added touch to ensure that the community gets all of the action and adventure they love, with characters they can actually relate to!

Still unsure about the character development? You shouldn’t be! One of the most intriguing parts of the demo relies heavily on the fact that each piece of dialog is linked directly into the storyline. As you interact with NPCs, each dialog option you choose can build or destroy your reputation with them, or even unlock side quests for you to complete. There are multiple factions throughout the land (like the Red Scribes, or the Elvin Army), and if an NPC is linked to that faction, the dialog you choose can directly impact how that entire faction views you. More interestingly, how you interact with NPCs in front of your companions, or with your companions themselves, will change how that companion feels about you. If you are not careful and choose options that will cause a companion to hate you, they can betray you or even leave you altogether.

Bound by Flame has so much to offer, and looks like it may just provide hours of entertainment for the avid adventurer, adding replay value with multiple storyline changes based on players’ decisions. Spiders and Focus Home Interactive have created something that has a lot of potential to become a real fan favourite, and you will be able to get your own copy of the game on PC, PlayStation 3, or Xbox 360 at the end of 2013!