Bound By Flame
You are a mercenary possessed by a flame demon in a desperate world ravaged by seven Ice Lords. In this RPG where every choice counts, you will have to choose between unleashing the powers of the beast within and rejecting its demonic influence.
Bound By Flame is a rpg, action and fantasy game
developed by Spiders
and published by Focus Entertainment.
Released on May 08th 2014 is available on Windows and Linux
in 10 languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Czech, Polish, Russian, Traditional Chinese and Korean.
It has received 3,741 reviews of which 2,550 were positive and 1,191 were negative resulting in a rating of 6.7 out of 10. š
The game is currently priced at 1.04ā¬ on Steam and has a 85% discount.
The Steam community has classified Bound By Flame into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at Bound By Flame through various videos and screenshots.
Requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS *: WINDOWS XP SP3/WINDOWS VISTA SP2/WINDOWS 7/WINDOWS 8
- Processor: AMD/INTEL DUAL-CORE 2.2 GHZ
- Memory: 2048 MB RAM
- Graphics: 512 MB 100% DIRECTX 9 AND SHADERS 4.0 COMPATIBLE ATI RADEON HD 4850/NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800 GT OR HIGHER
- Storage: 6 GB available space
- Sound Card: DIRECTX 9 COMPATIBLE
- Additional Notes: INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED FOR THE GAME ACTIVATION
Linux
- OS: UBUNTU 12.04 LTS/SteamOS
- Processor: AMD/INTEL DUAL-CORE 2.2 GHZ
- Memory: 2048 MB RAM
- Graphics: 512 MB SHADERS 4.0 COMPATIBLE ATI RADEON HD 4850/NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800 GT OR HIGHER
- Storage: 6 GB available space
Reviews
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
š¹ What is this? A 2014 action RPG from the French mid-budget developer Spiders, operating in the AA or B-segment of game development. š¹ How I played? I played around 12 hours to finish the main campaign, completing about 60-70% of the side quests. Expect a total of 10 to 15 hours of content, depending on your playstyle. š¹ļø Gameplay This game sticks closely to the classic RPG formula, borrowing heavily from the Bioware model: companions, a combat system with a tactical pause, looting, crafting, upgrades, and dialogue-heavy interactions. While the core mechanics are solid, there are noticeable limitations. Combat is enjoyable but lacks variety with only three fighting styles and three basic weapon types, plus magic. Boss encounters offer a good challenge initially, but the novelty wears off fast. Facing five similar "Concubine" bosses within two hours or recycled early-game bosses as common enemies later on becomes repetitive and frustrating. I used a keyboard and mouse, which worked well. However, the game's balance, especially at higher difficulty levels, is flawed. The final boss, particularly on Buffalo (Hard), feels unbalanced, capable of one-shotting you even with an expanded health bar. On harder difficulties, playing as a Ranger offers a significant advantage due to superior dodging mechanics, whereas Warriors feel underpowered due to ineffective blocking. Enemy health bars are disproportionately large, dragging out fights unnecessarily, even as your character grows stronger. Pyromancer abilities are underwhelming early on, becoming viable only by the third act. I enjoyed the gameplay for the most part, but the repetition and balance issues occasionally detracted from the experience. š Story and Characters The story follows a fairly standard fantasy formula, without much in terms of innovation. While serviceable, itās not particularly engaging or memorable. It starts with promiseāintroducing a world ravaged by a 10-year war, with humanity on the brink of extinction and the looming threat of seven Ice Lords. The first act gives a sense of scale and epic adventure, reminiscent of the first village in The Witcher 3 , setting the stage for a potentially grand RPG. However, as the game progresses, it shrinks in scope, becoming overly localized and small-scale. Spiders attempts to create a feeling of vastness but falters in the details. For instance, an Elven King without guards or armies appears more like a stranded wanderer pretending to be royalty, breaking the immersion. The world could have benefitted from focusing on a smaller, more vibrant storyāsimilar to Gothic 1 āinstead of attempting an epic they couldn't fully realize. As for the characters, they fall into typical fantasy archetypes and, while functional, don't leave a lasting impression. You'll encounter the good witch, the bad witch, an old wise skeleton, an elf-archer, and a mercenary. The protagonist, Vulcan, can romance some of these companions, but the romance feels so underdeveloped that you might not even realize the opportunity is there. Itās far from the meaningful relationship-building seen in games like Dragon Age: Origins . You can only take one companion with you at a time, and the game occasionally forces predefined companions on you for certain sections. Dialogues and quests are middling, with occasional moments of above-average writing. Finally, the game offers three endings, but only one feels like a true epilogue with a satisfying conclusion. šØ Visual For a game released in 2014 with a mid-budget, the graphics are acceptable but nothing outstanding. However, the art design is where the game falters. Most of the game is spent in uninspired locations like swamps, a small village, icy landscapes, and a castle. These areas are narrow, linear, and small, offering little exploration. There are no true open-world elements, and the overall visual design lacks any distinctive identity, leaving a very generic fantasy feel. Minor frustrations with level design cropped up, including moments where I got stuck due to unclear navigation. It doesnāt break the game but interrupts the flow. š¶ Soundtrack The sound effects are basic, sometimes repetitive, and often lacking in variety. Occasionally, thereās an absence of audio feedback where itās expected. However, the music stands out as a positive. While the tracks arenāt revolutionary, they are well-composed and set the mood effectively. The main menu theme, in particular, is memorable and creates a good first impression. āļø Performance The game runs smoothly with very few performance issues. Itās not demanding on hardware and should run well on max settings if you have at least a 2GB GPU and 8GB RAM, maintaining over 60 FPS. I did encounter some minor bugs, including issues with companions and the map, but nothing game-breaking. Cutscenes feel under-polished. Optimization: Excellent for a mid-budget title. š Replayability This is very much a one-time experience . The plot, character development, and limited gameplay options donāt encourage multiple playthroughs. Thereās little to no variation in terms of story choices, and unless youāre a hardcore fan of action RPGs, thereās not much reason to revisit the game after completion. š” Conclusion If you're a fan of action RPGs and enjoy the tactical pause combat system, you might find some enjoyment here, especially if you can overlook the repetitive elements and balance issues. However, if you're looking for a more in-depth narrative or varied gameplay, this might not satisfy you. Itās a game that gets the basics right but doesnāt excel in any particular area, making it more of a solid, yet forgettable experience. Gameplay: 26/40 Story: 13/20 Visuals: 14/20 Soundtrack: 8/10 Personal Enjoyment: 7/10 FINAL SCORE: 68/100 - Recommended for fans of RPGs, but not a must-play. Look for it during a sale.
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A very difficult game but I had my fun learning the combat system. This game will make you rage and it will teach you to be patient. Final boss fight 60 traps planted at entrance right before the final fight so i only need to lower his HP to half and damage dragon and then lure him into the traps and game over lol.( if you bring 120 traps then 60 for 100% hp to 50% and the other 60 is to kill him after damaging the dragon and you lure him to the traps and congrats you just beat the game.)
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Bound By Flame Review Review is after completing the main quest and about 80% of the side quests. I played a warrior build supported with pyromancy skills. Pros: [*]Unique setting of a world at the very brink of its destruction. Most other games are about preventing the destruction within a very generous time period. [*]Cell shaded art style that captures the desolate theme of this world. [*]Familiar Spiders game weapon wheel and combat mechanics. [*]I was able to level up my preferred skill tree satisfactorily. [*]I was able to obtain most of the perks/feats. [*]Crafting and upgrading system was easy to understand and use at any time. [*]Armour sets that combine to give various perks. [*]Ability to sprint past enemies. [*]Traps and crossbow bolts are more powerful than you think. But they are clunky to use in combat. [*]Decent companions. I suppose the best is the busty lady as she has ties to the main story. [*]There are a few key decision points in the main quest with unexpected outcomes. [*]Ability to switch combat stances when needed. Cons: [*]While the main story mentions 7 bosses, we only get to fight one or two of them at most. [*]Spiders set out to make a sprawling RPG then hit a budget ceiling. It's very apparent when playing this game. [*]The final boss is terribly designed and incredibly frustrating to defeat using normal attack, dodge, heal tactics. [*]The boss just before the final boss mind controlled all of my companions. So I had a horde of violent morons running charging after my Vulcan. [*]Companions are nerfed. Proven by the fact that they can 2 shot Vulcan under enemy mind control. Other times they flail ineffectively at the enemy. [*]The fire demons have terrible olde English. [*]Damage sponge enemies made combat tedious. [*]Respawning enemies when loading previously visited areas, which make backtracking very tedious. [*]Unreliable target lock feature. [*]Very small aggro range for enemies. If you lead them away too far they walk back to their original location and fully heal. [*]Plot loses its way at the end of the game. It made no sense and was confusing. Advice: [*]Some cheesing strategies can be used. When entering a combat arena you can set traps at leisure around the edges and then draw enemies towards them. [*]The final fight is extremely brutal. Look for the cheesing strategy online. Its a cakewalk afterwards. Donāt waste your time trying to beat the boss fairly. āI hoped for a bit more affection from someone who spies on me when I batheā - Edwen Overall Score: 5/10
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Beat the game 100% and yeah it's underwhelming but remember it was spiders studio second attempt at making a action RPG and for a second attempt they made some huge improvements at the time and even with the lackluster story you can still feel the passion that spiders have for making RPGS so fun game and it's dosen't cost alot so buy it if you feel like playing a okayish game
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Disclaimer for Steam Deck users: do not play the native Linux version; it has serious performance issues. Set compatibility to Proton Experimental (or any other, for that matter) and Steam will download the Windows version and run through the compatibility layer. You can play the Windows version with everything maxed out except shadows, which you should set to Medium, for a locked 60 FPS at native 800p. Bound By Flame is a very big improvement over Mars: War Logs. I would say Spiders is 50% of the way to reach their goal of making BioWare-style games. The first chapter is quite good, with intriguing characters and plenty of mundane quests that offer exposition about the world of Vertiel. The second chapter is fine, and the third one is rushed. How good is the story? I felt invested enough in the world and in saving it that I accidentally did an evil run, since the plot made me feel like I wouldn't be able to save it if I did a cookie cutter, paragon playthrough. The companions are quite fun, especially Edwen and Mathras. I, however, dislike the fact that Mathras wasnt available for dialogue at the end game. Overall, a very solid AA RPG. It compares favourably with Piranha Bytes games, except it has MUCH better gameplay.
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Last Updates
| Steam data | 18 November 2024 22:18 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 18 December 2024 11:33 |
| Steam price | 23 December 2024 12:44 |
| Steam reviews | 22 December 2024 21:53 |
Online players
8
Developer
Spiders
Publisher
Focus Entertainment
Release
08 May 2014
Platforms
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