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Bound (PS4) |OT| Dance the night away
- Thread starter Triggerhappytel
- Start date
In GameSpot preview they said the first page is always sunny and bright (no matter which one you choose) and it becomes more dark and rainy til the end.
EatChildren
Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
The idea of a visually and narratively abstract game based around classically poetic dance and music is what drew me to Bound. Two stages (I guess) in and I'm finding it hard to give a shit beyond the presentation and story. I know it's early, but there's nothing to it. It's gorgeously animated and presented, but nevertheless built around rudimentary yet still clumsy platforming. Dancing is visually incredible, but seemingly has no coherence with the motion and music of the game. Instead of having dance and music intricately woven to the rhythms and motion of the game and how you interact with the world, it's so far just stylistic animation for a function that could have been lifted from any other game.
I'm going to keep playing because I want to see it through and really, really hope the basic idea develops more, but so far it's underwhelming. It's experimental in presentation but that's it.
I'm going to keep playing because I want to see it through and really, really hope the basic idea develops more, but so far it's underwhelming. It's experimental in presentation but that's it.
This is true.
Just finished it, and while I think it's an interesting experiment in minimalist visual storytelling, there is very little here that is more than just exciting opportunities for the eyes. Musically and perhaps even thematically moving, but it doesn't exactly go anywhere particularly interesting, and is only somewhat of a philosophical curiosity.
At the price point, I cannot recommend this, sadly. I got it for 20 dollars (didn't preorder), and it is somewhere in the vicinity of
2-3 hours
Mechanically it's one-note. Some basic jumping, movement. I'd actually call it a walking simulator as admirably as possible. A few strange occurrences of gravity edge-cases made some traversal annoying.
You can dance if you want to, but I'd leave this one behind :\
edit, and *SPOILER* for the ending:
There is a choice you can make at the end of the game which in theory could introduce some replay value. I made perhaps the less interesting choice, but it was inspired by my own experience which isn't entirely comparable to the scenario in the game, but made sense for me. I don't know if the game preferred the other choice, and where that goes, but I can say the ending left me relatively empty. Ultimately, I'm not sure if that's because the game had nothing interesting to say, or because I wasn't really involved enough by its premise to give it any sense of impact
nikos
Member
First 17 minutes of gameplay, for anybody interested. Beginning spoilers, obviously.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=397jqxhdrig
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=397jqxhdrig
Matt Frost
Member
I am waaay too addicted to No Man's Sky to play this one right now, but I pre-ordered and received the PS4 theme... a very beautiful theme with the girl dancing on the background with the awesome music. And the game, I took around 5 minutes with it... seems amazing as well. Now I need time to play it. Time that No Man's Sky is taking. Taking it all!! Help! xD
The Praiseworthy
Member
Just finished the game..... Wow, my indie GOTY.
I want more artistic games like this.. They should make more.
I want more artistic games like this.. They should make more.
MegaSackman
Member
You've got Abzu, right? If not, go for it.
Huh, I actually felt a little different, from what I played so far.
The game seems to have designed the levels around a kind of "flow" with the dancing, running, and running+rolling+jumping long jumps.
The red markers/"enemies" are put in certain areas exactly so you smoothly connect a dancing section with R2, then continue running afterwards, and it gives it a very rhythmic gameplay feel.
It's true, though, that it's not connected in any way to the music of the game. This would have definitely gone one step beyond if there were music cues and modifications connected to your dancing, or even if there was a bit of a timing aspect to it connected to the music (think of Crypt of the Necrodancer as a simple example, maybe).
I'm still thoroughly impressed.
Play 2016 has been frickin' incredible. Headlander was a fun, tight game, Abzu is fantastic, and Bound is looking that way, too. I just haven't tried Brut@l yet, but I'm tempted to grab it now.
Dangerous1992
Member
I liked it a lot more than Abzu. Bound felt a lot more fresh and not like ideas from other games put together at random.
And the message and ending of the game had a lot more emotional impact. The game is really short, but in the end the experience is worth it
And the message and ending of the game had a lot more emotional impact. The game is really short, but in the end the experience is worth it
sixteen-bit
Member
This game looks awesome
Huh, that's interesting. However, I still don't know if the pages are different levels. Are they? And if they are, is it possible to tell which ones you've already completed? It seems like you can just jump around in them...
The Praiseworthy
Member
Of course I've got Abzu... huge fan here of flOw, Flower and Journey ;-) !
Hey everyone,
We are going to start a Photo Mode contest soon, so in preparation, start capturing some beauties, the possibilities are limitless and stunning. The brilliant developers at Plastic have really outdone themselves from the narrative to the tech, its truly unlikely anything you've seen before. Our Santa Monica Studio External Development team is super proud to see how far this team has evolved from Datura to Linger in the Shadows and here to Bound. It's been a very special project to be part of, and all full credit and love to Plastic.
Fire up the #PS4Share and tag #BoundPS4 while you're at it, we'd love to see what you create.
http://imgur.com/SyGlwve
We are going to start a Photo Mode contest soon, so in preparation, start capturing some beauties, the possibilities are limitless and stunning. The brilliant developers at Plastic have really outdone themselves from the narrative to the tech, its truly unlikely anything you've seen before. Our Santa Monica Studio External Development team is super proud to see how far this team has evolved from Datura to Linger in the Shadows and here to Bound. It's been a very special project to be part of, and all full credit and love to Plastic.
Fire up the #PS4Share and tag #BoundPS4 while you're at it, we'd love to see what you create.
http://imgur.com/SyGlwve
PaulKersey
Member
Only played through the first bit (Wife night tonight), but wow. This looks amazing and the soundtrack is greatness so far.
Whoa, didn't know this is the team behind Linger in the Shadows. They've come pretty damn far and I'm glad you guys are showing them support/love! Good stuff.
Incitemaybe
Member
Just spent hours in photo mode taking pictures and video.....I really like the game so far but photo mode is amazingly fun.
Incitemaybe
Member
I thought when posting an image it automatically tagged the game you were playing...... Mine just says ps4share and not#bound
DirtyLarry
Member
I am all for experimental games. As an traditional visual artist I love when people deviate from the norm with visuals (the primary reason I picked up the game actually). However I am just not sure if I can get past the whole interpretative dance aspect of the game. Just not sure.
EDIT - I can already tell there is going to be a pretty damn deep message behind it. So I may have to continue on just for it, but damn, I am not sure it is going to be easy to do so.
EDIT - I can already tell there is going to be a pretty damn deep message behind it. So I may have to continue on just for it, but damn, I am not sure it is going to be easy to do so.
Humdinger
Gold Member
Played about 40 minutes today. I'm really liking the game. It's mesmerizing, sort of hypnotic. I love just gazing at the geometry, the way things move and behave. I really don't care about the platforming -- that isn't here or there for me, doesn't really matter. This game is a visual and auditory treat. At times, it feels as if I'm moving through abstract art. I will often just stop and stare at what is on the screen. The music goes well with it. When I'm playing, I'm completely immersed. I've never seen anything like it. I think it's remarkable.
Now who knows, maybe the game will take a massive turn downhill over the next couple of hours. But so far, I am loving it.
Now who knows, maybe the game will take a massive turn downhill over the next couple of hours. But so far, I am loving it.
I pre-ordered this game and was really looking forward to it. I went in totally blind, and expecting nothing.
I have to say, I feel like they really dropped the ball with the narrative in the end.
Spoilers:
That felt very lazy, like the main gameplay segments were finished and they just decided to wrap the story up as quickly as possible. It's a damn shame because they managed to get me invested right at the very end when I realized what was happening and what everything represented, and then... No meaningful resolve whatsoever.
To me, Bound seems like it had its origins as an amazing tech demo. Like they created this beautifully optimized engine showing these gorgeous colors and animated geometry and stunning mo-cap and then said, "Okay, now how do we shove a story and some gameplay into this?" The platforming is frustrating and imprecise - it disturbs the flow of the game - which is ironic because the ballerina's movements are so graceful and elegant.
The animations and environments are an artistic achievement, make no mistake. This is one of the most beautiful games, on any platform, of 2016. I have no idea how it ran so beautifully on PS4. What Nintendo is able to do with its hardware, Santa Monica Studio consistently does with Sony's hardware, and in this case Plastic is to be commended. I can't recommend this at full price, however. The actual platforming felt shoehorned in, and the ending will leave you asking, "Is that it?" Oh well.
I have to say, I feel like they really dropped the ball with the narrative in the end.
Spoilers:
I chose to ring the doorbell, expecting some kind of confrontation or healing... and all I get is an outstretched notebook and fade to black?
To me, Bound seems like it had its origins as an amazing tech demo. Like they created this beautifully optimized engine showing these gorgeous colors and animated geometry and stunning mo-cap and then said, "Okay, now how do we shove a story and some gameplay into this?" The platforming is frustrating and imprecise - it disturbs the flow of the game - which is ironic because the ballerina's movements are so graceful and elegant.
The animations and environments are an artistic achievement, make no mistake. This is one of the most beautiful games, on any platform, of 2016. I have no idea how it ran so beautifully on PS4. What Nintendo is able to do with its hardware, Santa Monica Studio consistently does with Sony's hardware, and in this case Plastic is to be commended. I can't recommend this at full price, however. The actual platforming felt shoehorned in, and the ending will leave you asking, "Is that it?" Oh well.
That's for my second playthrough.
FWIW I loved the fact that
there isn't 'closure' when she hands the book to her father
As a father anything that broaches the abject is of interest to me, and while I'm not the father in the game, I do have to manage my temper/frustration so viewing from the impacted side possibly added a layer of meaning for me that others might not have.
I think Abzu is the more fulfilling experience, personally, and a game I actually want to play through a second time. I think that *everyone* needs to see Bound for themselves at some point, but it's not something I'd choose over Abzu.
Incitemaybe
Member
I like ABZU but this has a really fun photo mode you can also do little videos with. If I had to choose one, this feature pushes it over ABZU for me.....
https://twitter.com/incitemaybe/status/765651419693092864
https://twitter.com/incitemaybe/status/765654039157551105
https://twitter.com/incitemaybe/status/765664852270395392
https://twitter.com/incitemaybe/status/765665830709317632
Chaserjoey
Member
Vincent4756
Member
Is there an official soundtrack? The music is beautiful.
unknownstranger
Member
Just beat the game. I wish the story wasn't quite as abstract. I didn't have any idea where it was going until the last couple levels. I think I preferred (putting in spoiler tags just to be safe)
Papo & Yo more than Bound which I feel are comparable because of the similar stories they tell. Bound is the better game gameplay and artistic wise, but Papo & Yo was upfront on the story it was telling and left a bigger impact for me. With no facial expressions of the character you play as and only still shots of your memories, it just didn't click with me much.
Hi,
bonzaj/plastic here. Thank you for all the great comments. They mean a lot to us. Especially from those, who found their life moments in Bound's story.
I just wanted to drop by and say that we are finishing the mix of soundtrack, and we will put more info about it here: http://twitter.com/plasticdemo
Also, we are looking at that the leaderboards and can see that some folks have already found the shortcut on 'Chess' level.
Please drop gifs of the shortcuts here or:
http://www.reddit.com/r/BoundGame
If you will analyze the hints that I left in those two movies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aquNetjIfXM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPerXkii7mw
Then you will be able to cut down 'Shout' level by half.
We think that the game can be beaten in less than 40 minutes with some effort, but you will have to work together on that.
Like I said before. thank you for all the extremely positive comments about Bound and take care!
bonzaj/plastic here. Thank you for all the great comments. They mean a lot to us. Especially from those, who found their life moments in Bound's story.
I just wanted to drop by and say that we are finishing the mix of soundtrack, and we will put more info about it here: http://twitter.com/plasticdemo
Also, we are looking at that the leaderboards and can see that some folks have already found the shortcut on 'Chess' level.
Please drop gifs of the shortcuts here or:
http://www.reddit.com/r/BoundGame
If you will analyze the hints that I left in those two movies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aquNetjIfXM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPerXkii7mw
Then you will be able to cut down 'Shout' level by half.
We think that the game can be beaten in less than 40 minutes with some effort, but you will have to work together on that.
Like I said before. thank you for all the extremely positive comments about Bound and take care!
Just wanted to say thank you for this game. It was an incredible journey which I'll probably never forget.
MDSVeritas
Member
Just beat it, the gameplay certainly had some dry segments, but overall the sense of movement was excellent and the segments at the end of each level are downright magic.
Really ended up liking the direction of the story by the end too. Short and subtle, but effective.
Really ended up liking the direction of the story by the end too. Short and subtle, but effective.
Humdinger
Gold Member
Thanks for dropping by. It's an absolutely beautiful game. Thank you for making it.
My GOTY so far. Beneath the simple but effective story and absolutely incredible visuals and sound design, there is a lot of arcade type gameplay there. The level design structure reminds me a little of Sonic game, where you have two or three routes - one is easy and the other/s more difficult, but rewarding.
Here's some of my screenshots from the game - http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=214027230&postcount=9360 and http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=214027383&postcount=9361
Here's some of my screenshots from the game - http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=214027230&postcount=9360 and http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=214027383&postcount=9361
Thank you for all the positive feedback. We hoped that people will react emotionally to the story. And they did .
Meanwhile 3 people had made through the game in 50 minutes and thus unlocking the speedrun trophy. In order to beat their times, you will have to analyze the leaderboards and figure out their sequence of levels. There are 120 combinations. We still don't know which one is the fastest ...
For those who enjoyed photo mode of Bound, you can check other players pictures here:
https://plasticdemo.imgur.com
.Meanwhile 3 people had made through the game in 50 minutes and thus unlocking the speedrun trophy. In order to beat their times, you will have to analyze the leaderboards and figure out their sequence of levels. There are 120 combinations. We still don't know which one is the fastest ...
For those who enjoyed photo mode of Bound, you can check other players pictures here:
https://plasticdemo.imgur.com
Matt Frost
Member
Found time to play BOUND and I fell in love with it very fast. The visuals are outstanding and gives it life... the backgound is always moving and reminds me a little bit of Bastion in that regard (with all the falling floor around him). The graphics is something to truly behold. The story is going well and the platforming is interesting. Amazing indie summer with this one plus Abzû, Enter the Gungeon, more or less Song of the Deep, Hyper Light Drifter...
Interesting contrast of opinions, not sure whether to pick this up.
@The Praiseworthy have you played INSIDE yet?
CopperPuppy
Member
Probably going to pick this up. What's the verdict on length? I enjoy getting through these shorter titles in one sitting. I just did this with Abzû last weekend. Is this game longer or shorter? If it's longer, I'll likely split it up into two sessions, but I thought I'd check first.
Dangerous1992
Member
shorter, Abzû was like 4 hours for me and Bound half of that, but it was a more enjoyable experience in the end for me.
irkutsk12, the game is one of the few games that remind me why I love playing video games. My mouth was pretty much agape when I started it up. I've already spent 2 hours just taking photos of the first 20 minutes of the game.
Are there any plans to have any form of merchandise? Artbook? Poster?
Are there any plans to have any form of merchandise? Artbook? Poster?
I had some problems with the controls and camera, but overall I came away feeling good about the game. Your demoscene roots are evident in every frame of the game (except maybe the woman on the beach parts). I've been following the demoscene since the early '90s on Amiga, so seeing demogroups creating game content is meaningful and nostalgic to me. The art, music, and technology are terrific. Congratulations on creating this... I was happy to play it!