When it comes to Souls games, FromSofthas always represented the unattainable benchmark for all those who would dare come for their crown. In recent years, however, several games have taken a swipe at the champ and drawn blood. Games likeNioh,Mortal ShellandLies of Pall showcase that, if given the time and care they deserve, Souls-likes can be just as gripping and atmospheric as the FromSoft selection.
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This is something thatDeathbound,a Souls-like game where old-world and new-world ideals clash, aims to prove. It’s a game that promises a lot with a unique party-based combat system and a narrative-driven Souls format, but does it manage to carve out a place within the sub-genre for itself? We’ve been given a three-hour hands-on preview, so let’s not waste a moment and answer that question as best we can right now.
Sexy Dance Fighting
If that opening title completely came out of left field for you, it’s a reference to Capoeira. A Brazilian martial art that combines fighting and dancing, which is said to be the inspiration for the combat inDeathbound. In theory, it’s a martial art that feels fluid and free-flowing, but from what we saw in the initial hours ofDeathbound, the combat is anything but. The combat feels like drawing a landscape from memory. All the main parts are there, but a certain refinement and polish is missing here.
The combat feels less like the real-world art of Capoeira, and more like that episode ofBob’s Burgers where Bob tries to fight the Capoeira teacher Jairo.Those around you seem to have a flow, but it feels like you are a little out of sync, as the game feels a step behind you. Making it feel like more rough and ready souls-likes such asThymesiaorStray Blade.
This was to be expected from a smaller studio, however, and the game would always live and die on the unique mechanics crafted around the Souls staples. The standout mechanic that aims to bridge this gap is the party-based system, where you’re able to effectively swap to one of four different classes on the fly, each with its own skills, health and stamina bars and synergies.
At times,, it works excellently, allowing you to land huge attacks and change tactics on the fly. This is nice because in games likeElden Ring, for example, if you’re an Arcane user, you’re locked in unless you respec. But even though the concept is solid and has its moments, it still fails to truly shine due to poor execution.
Much like the standard combat, inputs always feel a few beats behind, and by the time you morph, the state of the battlefield may have changed and you’ll be punished. Souls games are meant to be punishing, but when the anguish comes through no mistake of your own, this creates a disconnect and a distrust between the game and the player.
I would compare this morphing combat to the recent ethereal adventureBanishers: Ghosts of New Eden.But in this game, the switch between the living and dead felt seamless, whereas here, it feels clunky and unresponsive. Based on what we have seen to this point, the overall combat, synergy systems and upgrade systems have good bones, but lack the satisfying feel and refinement to deliver that quintessentially harsh but fair gameplay Souls fans want. But we have our fingers and toes crossed that this is just a teething issue present in the early hours of the game.
The Eternal Battle of Church and State
What we’ve seen so far from the gameplay is ultimately summarised as “good ideas, shaky execution.” It would be great to say that the narrative of the opening stages doesn’t follow suit, but sadly, it does just that.
Credit where it’s due; the concept and setting are immediately intriguing. The game places you in a unique world where the ideals of traditionalists of the Church of the Dead and the scientists known as the Essencemancers are at odds, which essentially boils down to a battle between tradition and innovation.
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It’s a concept with legs, and at times, it plucks a few harmonious notes that will keep you locked in and eager for more. But the thing that keeps you from really giving your whole self to the narrative is the B-movie vocal performances, which feel like labored caricatures of what the developers are gunning for. Honestly, Anna’s cockney accent is bloody laughable.
It’s a story that takes itself seriously, but because of this, it’s hard for the player to take it seriously. We can only hope that with more time for characters to endear themselves to the player over the thirty-hour runtime, this feeling will ease, but it’s a rough opening for sure.
On A Conveyor Belt
Souls games are often praised for their ability to create interconnected worlds that feel meticulously crafted, rather than just stitched together like a patchwork quilt. The original Dark Souls, even with the mechanical limitations over a decade ago, is still a testament to what can be done. So it’s only right to warn potential players that, from what we have seen,Deathbounddoesn’t seem to offer the same kind of seamless world design.
It feels more like you’re being funneled through a series of Souls levels, rather than a world that feels open and begging to be explored. In fact, we never got an overwhelming urge to go off the beaten track because there were no details worth uncovering, aside from some consumable items, no rewards to pursue. Everything is right there in front of you, for better or worse.
We need to stress, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This is largely howRemnant 2plays and it’s a great game by all accounts. But it’s important to stress that this is a more boiled-down Souls experience in terms of world design, and if that’s not what draws you to games such as this, you may want to look elsewhere.
All in all, based on what we have seen thus far,Deathboundfeels like a Souls game that fits the rough silhouette of a game within the genre, but when the spotlight is shone on this one, you begin to see the rough edges. But in its defense, it’s an ambitious game that takes big swings with a party-based system that allows you to basically play all traditional Souls classes on the fly and incentivizes mastering them all, which is something we can get behind.
As for the gameplay holistically, these great ideas play off as novel rather than polished or innovative, and the interesting narrative is let down by some individual vocal performances. But all in all,Deathboundis an interesting concept that we hope grows into itself throughout the thirty-hour runtime, and if it does, you’ll be the first to know!
