The world of Vertiel has been frozen over by seven lords of ice, the last of a supposed thirty who have obtained immense power from a place called the "Worldheart". By pooling their power together they have amassed an undead army known as the Deadwalkers. To combat the threat, a group of novice magicians called the "Red Scribes" have decide to perform a ritual they believe will give them an edge against the Ice Lords. The ritual goes awry, leading to the hired mercenary Vulcan becoming possessed by a demon of flame. The Red Scribes and hired mercenaries continue their mission to destroy the dead-walkers and the ice lords, leaving Vulcan to struggle with the demon inside him/her.
There are five companions, four of which can be romanced; although it is very shallow and clearly tacked-on. Unavoidable, quest-related choices also make it impossible to end the game with all five companions alive - not that you'll care. For an RPG, Bound by Flame doesn't actually do much to foster a bond between the player and these characters, particularly with death and romance included as part of the story. They are all hollow shells with only the barest hint of personality or life to them. In fact I wish they had focused the story more around the relationship between Vulcan and his/her demon and just left the companions out of the game entirely. The demon is more helpful in combat than all five teammates put together anyway.
In combat you can switch between "stances", which swaps between weapon types and the class benefit associated with each: warrior allows blocking and rouge allows stealth attacks. A lock-on feature exists but it bounces between enemies and never stays in one place, turning the camera topsy-turvy. It is easy enough to maneuver around your foes though, and attacks connect satisfyingly. The massive enemy health bars take a considerable amount of time to whittle down no matter what difficulty setting you use. The artificial difficulty is meant to tempt the player into accepting the demon's power, but it is very unbalanced, particularly near the latter half of the game. While exploring Vulcan can bring a single companion along, but thanks to their poor AI and the arbitrary difficulty, their usefulness is rather limited. Oftentimes companions are slaughtered within minutes, if not seconds and there is no way to resurrect them.
Bound by Flame has a point based leveling system and skill tree. Most combat abilities are upgraded using this system, however, there is also a perk system that offers various benefits, such as gaining additional experience, fewer components needed to make potions, better damage output, improved carrying capacity, et cetera. Weapons and armor are enhanced using materials gathered from the environment, enemies and recycled equipment. These resources are also used to create potions, arrows and traps which can be hot-keyed for quick access during combat.
The demon's fire abilities make the game much easier, but they can only be accessed by giving Vulcan's demon more agency. How much or how little you barter away to the demon has a cosmetic effect on Vulcan; the demon's progressing hold leaves Vulcan with glowing slitted eyes, darkened skin, horns and a flaming body. The trade-off for this power is a strong offense and a greatly weakened defense due to the flames eating through Vulcan's armor. Horns also make wearing a helmet impossible, and then there is the social stigma. By accepting the demons powers, Vulcan surrenders more and more of his/her liberties. NPCs will react to Vulcan's appearance, and the demon may make important decisions or speak on Vulcan's behalf, depending upon how much of him/her self Vulcan has given away to the demon. Only by preserving him/her self can Vulcan maintain full control.
Bound by Flame is short. Exploration, side quests, and listening to all the dialogue will last approximately fifteen to twenty hours. The creatures are well designed, and the demon mechanic is a unique gameplay element not seen in many other games. Bound by Flame is a hard beast to recommend because it has a lot of rough edges that will likely only appeal to a certain audience. Worth a try if you are looking for a short RPG or just enjoy the charm and flaws of a low-budget title.
First posted to videogamegeek.com.
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