Trying every PS-Plus Extra game: Bound

This full title of this game is Bound: Shattered Kingdom and it is one of the titles that I think most people would probably skip past if they were perusing the catalogue of "extra" games because there are just so many of them.

This one was a surprise to me because I didn't expect to like it nearly as much as I did. I normally allot only 1-hour of time to each game before I form my opinion but I ended up electing to play this one for around 2 hours, which was also how long it took to finish the entire game.

Bound is VR optional, but to this day I have never met anyone that actually has that peripheral for their PS4. It functions perfectly well just using a standard controller.

src

If you watch the trailer - and I did not - it would probably surprise most potential players that the game actually starts out in the real world, with a pregnant woman being dropped off at the beach and you have to wander to certain parts of it where the woman will sit down and open her book. When she does so she is transported to a magical world that puts you in control of a character whose every move is a dance move of sorts.

src

I do not know the names of these ballerina moves but the way in which they were captured for the sake of the game is absolutely stunning. If nothing else comes from this game I hope that these attributes can be incorporated into other games because it just really works well. I will include a trailer because still images do not do it justice.

Between this lovely movement and the incredibly touching soundtrack that plays throughout the game is already good enough to end up being recommended by me but this game goes even further by having a story behind it that is truly emotional and unfortunately will probably resonate with entirely too many people. The story is revealed to you in pieces so you don't really have a full understanding of what the entire picture is until the end of the game and I absolutely love it when games can manage to pull this off.

You can't lose in this game either. You can fall off of a platform or get stuck in a place but there is no limit to how many times you can try again. Also, none of this game is particularly difficult so I believe that most people will likely be able to finish this game in a few hours, the same way that I did. It is a masterpiece of story-telling and this is coming from a buy that doesn't particularly care for games that overly rely on story. Perhaps this is because the story isn't thrown at you with tons of dialogue but rather with images that should be fairly evident what they mean.

src

There is a "boss" that pursues you in the game but you don't have to fight it per se. I'm not going to spoil who this boss is but I'm sure you will be able to figure it out in the very limited 2 hours of gameplay that is required to complete the game in its entirety.

The level design is unique in that there are no enemies to fight but there are certain dance moves that you must do in order to get through certain parts of it. Trust me, none of these are difficult to figure out and I only went to one or two areas, which were optional that I ever felt were in any way difficult.

A perfect casual game that is presented in an unusual and touchingly artistic sense, I think that Bound: Shattered Kingdom will surprise a lot of gamers out there in how something so simple as far as controls are concerned can end up being a game that will make you think and talk to others about it for a while afterwards.

This game is definitely worth playing and I would go so far as to say that it is even worth buying if you have to. The short run-time might seem like a downside but in all actuality this game is exactly as long as it needed to be. Any longer and I think I would have gotten sick of it.

I highly recommend this one and it is one of only 2 games I have played to completion while enjoying the entire ride, in the past several months.

---

Games I have tried in my journey to play every PS-Plus Extra game for at least an hour

• Windbound (survival game with rogue-like elements - not recommended)
• Magicka 2 (top-down humorous multiplayer hack and slash-sort with immense spell system - maybe recommended)
• Tearaway: Unfolded (charming casual 3D platformer with inventive graphics and gameplay designed for all ages - recommended for casual players)
• Spiritfarer (casual simulation / resource-management style game with an extremely good story - recommended for all)
• Observation (point and click survival sort of... interactive game of sorts set in space - found it very boring after just one hour and do not recommend)
• Gabbuchi (simplistic puzzle game that I feel is better suited to mobile devices. Not recommended on consoles)
• The Messenger (8-bit style action/platformer that is a throwback to original Ninja Gaiden. It's simplistic fun. Recommended)
• Megadimension Neptunia VII (typical JRPG with some adjustments made to combat for uniqueness. Could be fun and I lukewarmly recommend for someone willing to dedicate 50 hours to a turn-based RPG)
• Monster Jam: Steel Titans 2 (monster truck racing game that will appeal only to people who are already fans of the sport - not recommended for any other people)
• Entwined (Visually appealing rhythm pace game that is very easy to pick up but gets repetitive after 30 minutes or so - recommended for anyone that can get it for free.)
• 2Dark (8-bit graphic survival horror/stealth hybrid. The game becomes extremely difficult really fast and therefore failed to hold my attention - not recommended)
• Virginia (interactive-cinema...not really a game and it is over in a couple of hours. Not recommended)
• Trials of Mana (simplistic action RPG that will definitely appeal to the casual gamer that is a fan of old-school RPG combat mechanics - recommended)
• Journey to the Savage Planet (FPS exploration game in a semi-open-world environment. The game is intentionally silly and I loved it - recommended)
• Resogun (arcade-style single-screen SHMUP that will get boring to most people after an hour or so. Not recommended)
• The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 (point and click adventure game that doesn't work on consoles and is just irritating to play - not recommended)
• Mighty No. 9 (it's Mega Man but terrible. Definitely not recommended)
• Moving Out (delightfully funny moving company simulator. It gets boring and repetitive pretty quickly. Recommended for a short laugh)
• Last Day of June (a sad story done in 3rd person perspective that while an interesting story and/or life lesson, quickly becomes repetitive and dull. Not recommended)
• Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom (action adventure RPG with an inventive combat system that unfortunately becomes very boring very fast. Filled with bugs and invisible walls, I lost interest within the first hour. Not recommended)
• Hue (inventive puzzle-platformer that whose basic controls are the reason why it is fun. This is also the reason why it gets old after a couple of hours)
• Dragon Quest Builders (simple building game similar to Minecraft with a quest and story system built it. A lot more fun than I thought it would be and highly recommended)
• *Bound: Shattered Kingdom ** (artistic 3D platformer with an unusual graphical style that has an amazing story. It's only 2 hours long but still very good. Recommended)