Date played: April 2nd
Platform: PS4
My daughter was bored yesterday afternoon, so I suggested a bunch of activities for her to do. Her eyes lit up when I suggested we try a "ballerina video game", so I booted up Bound for the first time. Bound is a very odd game. It's basically a 3D platformer with a VERY unique look.
The game opens with a pregnant woman taking a walk down the beach. She opens a notepad and starts reading. The game then switches to a completely alien looking world. It's insane really, and very hard to describe, but there's a sea of shapes below and some very unusual architecture. The heroine is shows, a woman who wears a strange helmet and wears a ballerina outfit. Her mother, the Queen, appears and asks that the Princess ward off the evil invading their kingdom.
The heart of Bound lies in it's platforming and traversal mechanics. The heroine can jump, run and dodge. She can also dance, which acts as a protective shield against some of the harmful elements of the world. The incredible art style and flawless animation brings everything to life in a way that makes this very unusual world feel believable, even if it's complete non-sense.
There's some cool stuff with perspective too, as the Princess will sometimes be walking on walls or on ceilings, just like an M.C. Escher painting. I soon faced off against the evil creature, but was quickly defeated and was taken back to the woman on the beach.
The next level asks that I get some help from a powerful guardian to defeat the evil entity. I navigated the strange world, climbing unusual ladders and dancing through obstacles as classical music punctuates the action. It all feels fucking great... When I found the giant guardian, he folded up a giant paper plane for me, put me on it then launched me in the air to reach another area.
In one spectacular moment, I surfed on a ribbon through the sun-soaked, alien world. There's moments here that feel like a more abstract version of Journey or something. My daughter was dazzled by the look of this thing, and the fact that the Princess moves like a ballerina made her even more lovable. I love everything about Bound.
Platform: PS4
My daughter was bored yesterday afternoon, so I suggested a bunch of activities for her to do. Her eyes lit up when I suggested we try a "ballerina video game", so I booted up Bound for the first time. Bound is a very odd game. It's basically a 3D platformer with a VERY unique look.
The game opens with a pregnant woman taking a walk down the beach. She opens a notepad and starts reading. The game then switches to a completely alien looking world. It's insane really, and very hard to describe, but there's a sea of shapes below and some very unusual architecture. The heroine is shows, a woman who wears a strange helmet and wears a ballerina outfit. Her mother, the Queen, appears and asks that the Princess ward off the evil invading their kingdom.
The heart of Bound lies in it's platforming and traversal mechanics. The heroine can jump, run and dodge. She can also dance, which acts as a protective shield against some of the harmful elements of the world. The incredible art style and flawless animation brings everything to life in a way that makes this very unusual world feel believable, even if it's complete non-sense.
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| Bound has a spectacular art style |
The next level asks that I get some help from a powerful guardian to defeat the evil entity. I navigated the strange world, climbing unusual ladders and dancing through obstacles as classical music punctuates the action. It all feels fucking great... When I found the giant guardian, he folded up a giant paper plane for me, put me on it then launched me in the air to reach another area.
In one spectacular moment, I surfed on a ribbon through the sun-soaked, alien world. There's moments here that feel like a more abstract version of Journey or something. My daughter was dazzled by the look of this thing, and the fact that the Princess moves like a ballerina made her even more lovable. I love everything about Bound.
