Deathbound

Deathbound, like many other Soulslike games before it, brings a few neat ideas to the table. While they are certainly nice to sample and play around with, a lot of the surrounding elements are sluggish and bland. It’s still great to see developers have a go at joining the pantheon of games in the genre, but Deathbound didn’t leave me wanting to come back for more.

Deathbound is a game that has a lot of great ideas that seem amazing on paper, but few of them actually end up hitting the mark. The clear high points of this game pretty much all relate to the setting, the story, and the characters presented, but even this is marred by the goofy vocal performances and the frequency of the swearing in a bid to seem edgy and cool. But in the end, the game is dragged down by a wonky multi-character combat system, a messy health system, an all-round unresponsiveness, which is a death warrant in a Souls-like such as this, and the fact that the game's performance is enough to make you throw in the towel before you even have a good reason to write the game off. It feels like a game that would have benefited from pivoting to an all-out hack-and-slash format because, despite labeling itself as one, Deathbound simply doesn't have the polish or the attention to detail needed to truly call itself a Souls game.

It's not going to be the next Soulslike hit, but Deathbound has unique ideas and solid execution that genre fans can appreciate.

Deathbound is an excellent game that deserves the attention of all fans of the soulslike genre. Its unique party-based concept, detailed visual style, impressive soundscape, and challenging yet rewarding gameplay make Deathbound an unforgettable gaming experience. Despite some minor technical flaws, it is one of the most interesting and original soulslike titles of recent years. If you’re looking for a challenging and rewarding game with a unique concept and a dark atmosphere, Deathbound is the right choice for you. I highly recommend it.

Deathbound could have certainly been a successful standalone Soulslike title, but poor implementation decisions in some of the core gameplay elements have squandered that potential. Ultimately, if you're a die-hard Soulslike fan and are bored with the genre after playing many titles and are looking for a new Soulslike experience, regardless of quality, then you can give Deathbound a try. Otherwise, you can go for other similar titles and not be fooled by the game's innovative party system.

Deathbound shines with ambition and innovative ideas, but stumbles in execution. Its unique party system and fascinating setting clash with technical issues and weak narrative, with the result of an imperfect but intriguing experience for Soulslike fans.

A unique soulslike that offers to play not as one character, but as several at once. Unfortunately, the quality of execution of many of its components leaves much to be desired.

Deathbound is an extremely valid title with intricate, customizable gameplay and many rules to learn and apply to overcome the game's challenge. Despite not having excellent level design, this action souls-like still manages to be interesting and entertaining, bringing fresh air to the genre. Recommended.

Deathbound is such a mixed bag! It offers a daring and imaginative concept, but it falls short of providing a smooth and consistent experience. If you’re a fan of Souls-likes and like to try out new systems and mechanics, you might want to give this one a shot. Personally, I can’t give it my full recommendation because of the frustrating combat that makes up the core of the gameplay here. If you can get past Deathbound’s flaws, there is a great story to unravel, but the game doesn’t live up to its potential and makes you wonder what could have been if developers had worked harder on making combat more enjoyable. Great concepts, poorly executed!

Deathbound manages to differentiate itself in an already inundated genre, offering engaging, fast-paced combat and intriguing lore in a world where the forces of life and death have gone awry.