Deathbound | PS5 Review

Deathbound, at it's core, is a soulslike game that stays true to it's title. Starting off with a pious soldier of the holy order of Lady Death named Therone we find an intertwining story that crosses the paths of different key characters who each have different beliefs within their futuristic pseudo-religious world. 

As Therone faces certain death early on in the face of an essence cult monstrosity he is plunged into forgotten memories, and later into chance meetings with the corpses of fallen characters that each become bound to Therone's being. Allowing for the morphing of Therone into those characters for synergetic combos, and different playstyle mechanics. Furthering, through them, the understanding of his faith, and his relationship to the other religions. This being the crux of the gameplay experience, and the driving force behind the storytelling as well as the linear exploration set within a path driven landscape.

Unlike most soulslike experiences Deathbound is more of a linear, and tightly directed action adventure than the traditional open world exploration friendly type. The game wants you on a certain path, and facing certain events or encounters as to initiate plot dialogue crucial to the expanding lore. Starting off as Therone you become, through death, the vessel in which other souls attach themselves and take you over for their own agendas. 

Each character from Therone forward is introduced through dreamlike sequences filled with memories that play out, fleshing out the character/s in question. It is from these introductory points that you learn each characters' unique combat mechanics, and of the morph system which allows for synergized character combos with the press of a button. 

Actions, according to characters, are basically universal in that each character has two optional weapon based actions, and an evasive dodge move. That and their unique ways in approaching enemies or dealing with them. The uniting universal gimmick being that of the morph mechanic which comes in a couple of varieties including a basic morph, and a dodge morph. Both of these transformative moves allowing the player to combo the character's actions creating a sync synergy that when maxed through repeated usage makes for an ultimate morph attack. 

Using the morph gimmick, and individual character move sets is the way with which you'll be dealing the deathblow to enemies. Sometimes this includes facing off against gargantuan bosses, and bigger enemy types that require staggering to takedown. As you kill your foes you will find dropped items to help in your mission, and earn XP that can be spent on leveling up your character/s. XP being akin to other soulslikes souls. Just like those souls you'll also have to return to your death scene to reclaim what you lost. 

In addition to XP earnings, and restorative items that are needed for survival you'll also find trinkets and baubles that can be equipped on Therone to enhance various attributes as well as add stat and ability enhancing boosts. There's rings, and other equipment pieces that you'll find simply by searching the surrounding areas or defeating resident enemies. Each highlighted by a rising blue light that cannot be missed or mistaken.

The Presentation ...

Visually Deatbound seems a bit dated in design compared to newer soulslike games. It's not bad, but it does have it's cruder details dotting the landscapes, and set pieces. Even the character models move in a less than fluid animation that harkens back to a PS3/PS4 era of game design. It is this crude attention to infrastructure, and character actions that also hinders combat as often times weapons will hit the surrounding environmental set pieces instead of the intended target even when you've locked onto that target. These collision problems persist throughout the game interrupting the flow of combat frequently. 

In the way of soundtracks Deathbound has an atmospheric set of tracks that border between fantasy, medieval instrumentals, science fiction, and religious tunes. Suiting the blended themes that tie into the character origins and story. There's also voice-overs featuring a multi-cultural casting that enhances the clan like clash of interests between each religious sect, and cult. 

The Verdict ...

Deathbound is somewhat of a downgrade to the polish we've come to experience from modern soulslike games. It feels dated, claustrophobic, and a bit janky by design. That being said the concept, and the lore is still interesting enough. It's whether or not you're willing to stick it through to the end though as to how much you will get out of the game. 

For me I failed to complete it, in all honesty. After repeating a section multiple times only to die to unfair enemy placement, and crude combat I decided to throw in the towel. I couldn't keep doing it. The game has too many functional flaws. Not only is there collision issues, but inputs in regards to the morph mechanic are not always responsive. Making the mechanic more of a hindrance than a useful tool in the fight.

It is for this collective of issues that I cannot recommend Deathbound. It needs a lot of improvement to gameplay to earn my recommendation. I do hope the developer considers what I've shared, and works on improving the game. The foundation is well established, but the execution has yet to be perfected.

CONTENT WARNING: Cults and religious context meant to make players question religion