Bound by Flame: Song of Ice and Fire

French studio Spiders for the third year in a row trying to make a role-playing game of your dreams, then experimenting with the setting, as in Mars: War Logs , then the characters, as in Of Orcs and Men . Comes with varying degrees of success. With a plot, characters and dialogue in RPG from Spiders all right, but with the gameplay is not very mildly. In Bound by Flame developers went broke, trying to borrow the best elements from other RPG, but remaining true to their own style and manner of storytelling. Let’s see what came of it.

This world is doomed. War, which lasted 15 years, comes to an end. Remains armies of humans and elves hiding in the last refuges that will soon fall under the onslaught of the undead hordes, led by the Ice Lords of the North. Lords did not lose a single battle, and how they can lose if after a battle every fallen soldier will be their army. Authors of the plot convey greetings to George Martin and assure that all accidental coincidences. The last hope of living, a group of magicians who are trying to conduct an ancient ritual to get at least some extra strength in the fight against the Ice Lords. Naturally, something goes wrong and your character will gain strength. And load it – stinging dark demon, rather disparagingly about to get him the envelope.

By and large Bound by Flame tailored according to the same patterns that the two previous project Spiders. Here are the same corridor levels, stronger enemies, you can easily send your hero to the forefathers, unassuming stealth, predictable silent companions and not the most modern graphics. But this time the studio seems to have found funding and turned the gloss on the components of the game.

Despite the shortcomings of the engine, but it’s all the same is not the most advanced Silk Engine, graphics Bound by Flame tightened. And let the environment does not possess the variety, but the models of characters and monsters, weapons, and animations to this time no complaints, everything looks good. As a bonus attached a very good soundtrack, some songs of which will envy even AAA-projects.

Bound by Flame is not the first game in which the developers decided to put in one body two personalities. Demon, perhaps the most interesting of your buddies, though after a while you will probably get no one to talk to. Either you become a demon, losing human nature, and along with the opportunity to wear a helmet or hold your second nature, trying to remain human. Demonic appearance gives good bonuses if you choose a career as a magician. Each of your choices will affect the game’s storyline and appearance of the hero, almost like in Mass Effect.

Also the demon inside, you have the traditional companions, and the battle can take only one of them. All of them are quite expectable – innocent girl magichka, stern knight, talking about himself in third person, unshaven Elf renegade, suspicious witch too open dress (hello, Morrigan). Pleases, perhaps, only one of the teammates – restless dead necromancer, who, according to him, more than 6,000 years. With each of my colleagues can discuss their personal and public affairs, everyone is willing to give you a job, almost everyone can be seduced. No association with Dragon Age and Mass Effect, you.

In Bound by Flame lot of dialogue. If you communicate with your buddy, you can learn interesting details about the world or their own fate, for more jobs. Here are all these conversations got a few fresh and it’s frustrating. In the battle of good little buddy, except that distract a couple of other opponents.

The very same boevka this time came from Spiders interesting. In battle, your character reminds Witcher. He deftly wielding a sword or dagger, but it can easily use fire spells. All three branches of skills development can and should be combined. In stealth-mode shooting daggers gaping time, go with a sword against bosses and strong enemies, supplementing basic attacks with fire. Basically something like we saw in Of Orcs and Men , but Bound by Flame mechanics twirled and configured, it became more interesting fight. Warrior presses to block and parry attacks, killer – the rebound and withdrawal from the line of attack. Opponents of the change from level to level and at first difficult to deal with them. But it is necessary to catch the rhythm, and even local “hippos” you can go with some daggers.

Unconventionally in Bound by Flame made crafting. By any armor and any weapon you can add accessories and additional elements giving bonuses. Armor – Shoulders, thigh pads and decoration on the belt, to gloves – elbow, to boots – knee pads. Arms can make a new pommel and pommel. The number of options depends on the particular subject, but it is big enough. In general, a realistic than pebbles embedded in special slots.

Bound by Flame perhaps the best currently RPG from Spiders. Possible in the game too much borrowing from other projects and the background of the recent Diablo III: Reaper of Souls , Dark Souls II and The Elder Scrolls Online is a little lost, but overall Bound by Flame fans noteworthy scene action / RPG.

Bound by Flame: Song of Ice and Fire