E3 2016: Bound Preview

July 5, 2016

Bound is a strange title, being developed for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR by Plastic Studios, with Santa Monica. We went hands-on with the title at E3, and it was a very interesting experience where we still can’t say we entirely understand what was going on. But, it was very pretty!

You play as a princess in an odd, sparse world. She has been instructed by her mother, the queen, to venture forth and take on an evil beast that is apparently destroying the world. As you begin to move, you immediately notice that the main character moves in elegant, dancing ballet moves rather than a standard walk cycle – and indeed, all other moves are based around ballet maneuvers as well, such as jumps being pirouettes and tip-toeing over thin platforms.

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As you walk around the strange world, seemingly made out of shaded geometric shapes in an almost Rez-aesthetic, you’ll find platforms will form in front of you guiding you where to go. The world is primarily white and grey, with key points of interest highlighted by bright colours. For instance, the first obstacle we came across was a red wall. To bypass it, you had to find a nearby red square, which when stepped on drops the wall.

As you continue to explore, more platforming elements such as wall jumping, sliding across ledges and balancing across tightropes and thin beams were introduced. However, none of the puzzles or platforming were particularly difficult in this demo, although it did appear to be showcasing an area from the start of the game. Even though it wasn’t very challenging to play through, the rhythm involved in the movement made it feel very satisfying nonetheless.

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From what we experienced in the demo, there didn’t seem to be any combat as such. When enemies appeared, the princess can summon ribbons and perform a dance to help fend them off as you run to a safe area. While it provides a cool visual effect, it did seem to make enemies completely harmless, with at this stage no apparent downside to using the ribbons. You can just hold down the trigger to activate them and keep moving.

The plot, from what we saw, was sparse but it did convey a strong sense of mysticism and spirituality. The handful of characters shown seemed to be deities of sorts, living in a world surrounded by clouds. The aesthetic in some respects also reminded us of Journey.

If nothing else, it was enjoyable just to dance our way through this mysterious and uniquely presented world, and it’s definitely a title to keep an eye on upon its release on PlayStation 4 on 16 August, 2016.