Deathbound Review

Soulslikes are coming out all the time, and it's not hard to see why. Genre leader Elden Ring just got its Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, Lies of P dropped within the last year, and Black Myth: Wukong is around the corner, all of them refreshing interest in the format every few months. Deathbound may not share their impact, but that doesn't mean it’s fated to sink back into the sea of indie Soulslikes. As formulaic as it can be, Deathbound surrounds its standard Souls core with enough experiments to create something that enthusiasts will appreciate.

First among those is Deathbound’s deliberately patchwork setting. While fantasy and sci-fi have been meshed together in Soulslikes before, Deathbound blends their aesthetics to create a unique vibe that can look indecisive at times. Set in the post-apocalyptic world of Ziêminal, Deathbound sees medieval crusaders and tech-infused wizards facing off in the ruined precursor city of Akratya, which itself oscillates between ramshackle encampments, places resembling modern-day Earth, and enigmatic zones with futuristic touches. The ways Deathbound integrates its intolerant-but-possibly-wise Church of Death and inclusive-yet-scientifically-amoral Cult of Life into this setup helps sell its setting as approachable, but ripe for exploration.

Party Combat Is Where Deathbound Shines

Deathbound’s other defining twist on the Souls formula involves channeling fallen warriors to use their talents in tandem. This manifests as a party of four Essences that players can switch between at any time, with more allies introduced throughout the opening hours. Managing their different abilities adds layers of complexity to Deathbound as expected, but it's the act of switching that's key. Morph Strikes and Morph Dodges can be done any time the player has enough Sync meter and are used as disruptive offensive and defensive options, functioning somewhat like tag-based fighting game mechanics. Timing them right, or saving up for an Ultimate Morph Strike, is the difference between swift victory and sudden death.

A couple of poor judgment calls risks losing those options even before anyone actually dies, however. Health and maximum stamina are shared per character in Deathbound, so efficient fighting without heavy use of Morphing becomes tougher as characters take damage. Learning to manage this by leaching life for wounded reserve fighters with the lead Essence’s attacks, while carefully using the Estus Flask equivalent to give party health back to the leader, is a vital part of gameplay. It's annoying that a low-health team can't sprint for long, but when a single downed Essence means defeat, that's a small price to keep Deathbound’s tension high.

Common Souls mechanics like backstabs and parries are divided among the Essences, but other hallmarks like multiplayer and fast travel are absent.

Deathbound Is A Mixed Bag, But Knows Its Strengths

Deathbound - Olivia Heinz Casting Spells 2

Unfortunately, it isn't the only price. The party’s health, stamina, and, when relevant, Heat build-up are tightly packed into diamonds in the bottom-left of the screen, often requiring effort to properly read. Combat itself can be slightly too slow, delayed, or both, with even quicker Essences striking at speeds that won't always feel right. A degree of clunkiness for challenge is a defining Soulslike feature, but this goes beyond what even Demon's Souls once had. Enemies have it worse, though, and while their AI issues can be to the player's benefit, they also have occasional fast attacks with strange, almost un-reactable animations. These issues expose the limits of Deathbound’s polish, but there is a satisfying core for those willing to stick with it.

Longer confrontations with a lot of movement and Morphing bring out the best in Deathbound, and it feels great when it clicks. The number of options available to a full party makes up for each individual's small, static moveset, though that may wear thin for players whose builds solidify early on. Enough differences across the cast should give everyone something to enjoy, and the satisfaction of pulling off a long combo on a boss by timing Morph Strikes alongside staggers, all while staying Sync-positive with Perfect Dodges, is what sets Deathbound apart from other Soulslikes.

Breaking Down Deathbound’s Minutiae

Deathbound’s menus are overly busy, but transparent breakdowns of unusual Souls stats like movement speed and poise are appreciated. Each Essence opens part of the shared skill tree used for leveling, as well as unique traits that gradually enhance their preferred fighting style. Buffs and debuffs are also awarded depending on each character’s relationship, which is sometimes played with in fun ways, like the staunch Church of Death crusader Therone having a trait that buffs him in a hostile party. Progression doesn't offer much in the way of gameplay changes, however, and using a skill tree instead of the traditional Souls stat leveling risks escalating choice paralysis.

Longer confrontations with a lot of movement and Morphing bring out the best in Deathbound, and it feels great when it clicks.

Accessibility features are light, especially compared to the recent, accessible Soulslikes Rise of the Ronin and Another Crab’s Treasure. Despite that, Deathbound has a decent spread of options, and its Steam skew even runs smoothly at 120 FPS. Some mild glitches were encountered, but the game's autosave was generous enough to smoothly recover from even a rare crash. Button remapping is only available for keyboards, though the reason why becomes apparent when comparing the Type A and B controller layouts. Each one swaps Essence changing and item usage between the D-Pad and face buttons, but there's always at least one other displaced mechanic. Type A feels good enough to ignore this, but Deathbound’s gameplay will remain tuned for one more button no matter what.

Deathbound Takes Two Steps Forward, And One Step Back

It doesn't reach the visual polish of a AAA Soulslike like Elden Ring, but Deathbound looks good for what it is. Character models and environmental flourishes are fully realized, with their details visible at a glance. Area art is no slouch either, although little tops Deathbound’s Essence Labs tutorial area. Different regions are given clear color palettes and a decent, though variable, amount of extra details, but there are frequent stretches where repetitive architecture makes navigation confusing. Things like traps, ancient vegetation, and character tableaus give areas more definition, but the contrast between high and low-detail environments remains stark.

Where those tableaus shine is their soundscape. Immersive voiced dialogue helps separate Deathbound from many other indie Soulslikes, even if it falls understandably short of FromSoftware’s peerless dubs. Series’ of interactive frozen scenes talk players through each Essence’s background, personality, and play style, though nonplussed players can sprint past in the moment and catch up later through item and trait lore. Traditional cutscenes, party banter, and one-off NPC dialogue are more prevalent in Deathbound than the average Soulslike, so its voice cast does it a great favor.

Deathbound’s first playthrough should last between 15 and 25 hours, depending on the player.

Deathbound won’t be the next Soulslike sensation, but at a time when they’re around every corner, its courage helps it stand out. When there's a story to hear and monsters to fight, Deathbound’s rag-tag gang of alter-egos can hold their own, even as unfulfilled potential continues piling up. Its demo and low asking price should help prospective buyers decide if Deathbound is for them, and promised post-launch DLC could reward those who do stick with it. This is a solid title for Souls enthusiasts between major releases, and the emphasis on weaving disparate play styles together will make Deathbound an experience to remember, despite how hard its flaws are to forget.

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