Deathbound is a new soulslike where you can control four different characters in its unique party-based combat. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.

Deathbound Review Overview

What is Deathbound?

Deathbound is an action RPG soulslike game with a unique setup where you can control four different characters in one body. The game is set in a world where Faith and Science clash and the believers of the Church of Death and the Cult of Life are at each other's throats. The gameplay is similar to the Souls series, but with its own twist of being able to combo off of different characters’ attacks.

Deathbound features:
　⚫︎　 Soulslike Combat
　⚫︎　 Warhammer 40K-like Setting
　⚫︎　 Unique Playable Characters With Varied Playstyles
　⚫︎　 Narrative-Heavy Gameplay
　⚫︎　 Interesting Progression System for Essences

For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Deathbound's gameplay and story.

Deathbound
Steam	Epic	GoG	Playstation	Xbox

Deathbound Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Party-Based Combat System Unique Variety and Progression Great Theme, Aesthetic, and Setting	Max Health is Tied to Stamina Healing Hurts You More Than It Helps Common AA Problems

Deathbound Overall - 72/100

Deathbound is very unique, and if there was a score for uniqueness as a soulslike game, it would score an 11/10. It’s a fairly decent game with a great aesthetic and theme, but it is held back by a myriad of issues that affect the game’s core gameplay. It has enough variety to separate itself from the pack of soulslike games and even the giants in the genre. However, it may not be a game that a casual fan would enjoy because of the clunkiness and jankiness that exist in the game.

Deathbound Story - 7/10

Without spoiling much of the game’s story, it’s a classic tale of conflicting beliefs fighting each other. The most interesting part of the game’s narrative are the interactions between the playable characters. Their conversations about the current situation add some spice to the bleak story, as some of the characters are staunch believers in their faith and others were unlucky to be on the wrong side of the ongoing war. It’s not the most compelling story, but it’s definitely not the worst.

Deathbound Gameplay - 7/10

As a soulslike game, it has all the things that you expect in the genre, good and bad. The combat itself isn’t too crazy, but the character variety makes it more interesting than it actually is. With differing playstyles and the game’s unique Morph mechanics, it separates itself from being just another game in the already overpopulated genre. However, with the game having issues revolving around its core systems and other common AA jank, it might prove to be a game that only purists will like.

Deathbound Visuals - 8/10

Aesthetically, the game looks good. It’s a medieval-modern fusion where a full plate of armor isn’t out of style. You’ll see modern cities and facilities around the game, but with character designs that remind you of the Warhammer 40K vibe. However, there are issues with some of the animations in the game, as they break both the immersion and the gameplay as well.

Deathbound Audio - 7/10

The audio design in the game isn’t particularly noteworthy, except for the game’s voice acting, as it’s very hit-or-miss. The music and sound effects are decent enough, and the former definitely supports the creepy and heavy vibes of the game. The voice acting ranges from good to grating, as supported by the varied cast of characters. You have a zealot talking in old English, which has pretty good delivery. But then you have a more boisterous character that drops f-bombs in any conversation in which they’re involved.

Deathbound Value for Money - 7/10

For $29.99, the game is a decent and completely unique soulslike experience. It may not be for casual fans of the genre, however, as the core systems are something that you’ll find yourself battling against most of the time. If you want to try out a new take on the soulslike genre, then it’s a welcome addition to your library, but you could definitely have more enjoyment for the same price with a different game.

Deathbound Review: A Most Unique Soulslike Experience

Have you ever seen a soulslike game where you could change characters on the fly? Well, if you haven’t, this is where Deathbound comes in. The game is a unique take on classic soulslike combat by introducing the Morph System which allows you to switch characters in combat. However, the game’s core mechanics definitely affect the whole experience, which may be a deal-breaker for many players.

To start off, the game’s story is a mixed bag. The narrative takes place in a fictional world where the goddesses of Life and Death are against each other for past transgressions. Their hate for each other has transcended them, as even their believers are fighting each other for their reasons and beliefs. It’s not the greatest or most compelling story among games, but it does make an effort to get you acquainted with the game’s world and its cast of characters. Their interactions may not be as funny as on Monkey Island, but they are definitely more exciting than Duke Nukem 3D.

The characters in the game interact with each other in a special way as they’re all from different backgrounds, which is interesting as they may be at each other’s throats when reacting to the current situation. They’re not particularly interesting on their own, but the game introduces them to you through their dead spirits as you relive their memories in various places in the game. This isn’t anything new, but the effort put into introducing each and every character is definitely commendable. Some of them may be as crazy as Justin Timberlake, maybe even as quiet as Zayn Malik or not as good-looking as Harry Styles, but they have personalities that are quite memorable.

Visually speaking, the game’s aesthetics are on point. It’s a blend of medieval and modern designs that are definitely reminiscent of a Warhammer 40K vibe. It nails the bleak and heavy atmosphere of the game to a tee, and it shows with the game’s character and level designs. It may not be the best-looking or animated game, but the whole design is good enough to be quite memorable, at least to us.

Gameplay-wise, it plays primarily like a soulslike game. Down to the controls and even the commitment aspect that the genre has when it comes to deciding when to attack and defend. The game’s unique and main gameplay element is its Morph System, where you control four characters with one body and play around with the classic Soulslike mechanics while being able to shift between characters when attacking and defending.

Before talking about the actual Morph System, it would be great to talk about one of the game’s progression systems, specifically the gear upgrade system. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it’s interesting enough that other games should try to emulate this kind of gear progression. For example, you could get a ring that increases both your XP gains and drop rates at the same time. You could either choose to spend the specific currency to strengthen the XP gain to its maximum or vice versa. You could even double-dip on the upgrades and upgrade both to make it even.

The Morph System completely separates Deathbound from other games in the genre, as it’s one mechanic that we’ve never seen before aside from being similar in some aspects. Morph Attacks are similar to Bloodborne’s Transform Attacks, but this is an oversimplified version of saying it. It’s a way for you to attack and switch characters mid-combat, and take note that each character plays differently and also has different stats as well. There are other ways to use the game’s Morph system, like dodging and other ways, and it establishes this mechanic fairly early on that you should get used to this type of combat to comfortably play the game.

This is supposed to be the case; however, with certain core designs being changed, the game becomes in big conflict with its combat design as well. The biggest things to note are that your max HP is tied to your total Stamina and that the equivalent of the game’s Estus Flask hurts you more than it helps you. To give you context, when you take damage, this lowers both your HP and Stamina, which means that you are being punished twice as much for not being able to dodge the incoming attack properly. This even lowers the total number of times you are able to dodge or attack since you have lower stamina.

If you think that the best option for you to address getting hit is by healing, then you’d have to consider that using the game’s Estus Flask or Essence Enhancer actually hurts you more than healing you. This is because the Essence Enhancer only heals the current character you’re using and actually damages the other three inactive characters in your party. While this is a way for the devs to balance the game’s healing aspect as each character has individual HP bars, this goes against the game’s design of letting you constantly change characters mid-combat.

Not only that, but the game is also mired by the type of jank you’d expect from indie AA titles using Unreal Engine. Choppy animations, getting stuck in debris, sudden input freezes, and more are just a few of the things that hit us during our playthrough. It’s nothing game-breaking, but these are annoyances that harm the game’s overall experience.

In summary, it’s a decent soulslike game to its core, and while it pushes a lot of unique ideas with some of its systems, some of its weaknesses are on the foundation of the game’s design. It may be a game that only fans of the genre will like, as the game fits that niche of being a different soulslike experience. Casual fans may have to broaden their horizons or have an open mind about the genre to appreciate what Deathbound does.

Pros of Deathbound

Things Deathbound Got Right
Party-Based Combat System Unique Variety and Progression Great Theme, Aesthetic, and Setting

Party-Based Combat System

The game’s combat system is definitely the most unique part of the game. They add another element to classic soulslike combat by introducing the Morph system. Morphing can be used both defensively and offensively, where the latter is used to deal the most damage and could be useful in a pinch as the upgraded Morph Strike has invulnerability frames.

Unique Variety and Progression

With eight different characters to play with, each of them changes the way you go about combat. Some characters specialize in ranged combat, while others are more traditional melee-oriented fighters. To add to this, the game’s progression is also interesting, as the game has three ways to strengthen your characters. While they aren’t exactly groundbreaking ways to progress your character, there are definitely some aspects of the game that should be adopted by other games to enhance their progression.

Great Theme, Aesthetic, and Setting

The aesthetic of the game is definitely one of its stronger aspects, as you can see from the character and level designs. It’s a fusion of past meets future with the different modern places and Warhammer-inspired designs of the different armors in the game.

Cons of Deathbound

Things That Deathbound Can Improve
Max Health is Tied to Stamina Healing Hurts You More Than It Helps Common AA Problems

Max Health is Tied to Stamina

In a short summary, getting hit also affects the number of times you are able to dodge and attack. This design makes it hard to push the game’s design of going aggressive, as taking damage limits both your offensive and defensive capabilities. The worst part about this is that there are certain characters that have less HP but use up less stamina when they attack, which means they get affected more than the bulkier characters. Additionally, this design makes it harder for the player to explore areas as a whole, since taking damage is a bigger annoyance than it already is.

Healing Hurts You More Than It Helps

To give you context, the game’s healing item, the Essence Enhancer, heals the current character that you’re using but damages the other inactive characters on your roster. This makes using it more of a detriment than a way to recover. While there is passive lifesteal in the game in the form of healing your inactive characters by attacking with your current character, it completely goes against the whole design of switching characters mid-combat. This could be changed in a coming patch or not at all, but the healing aspect of the game is a big contradiction. The unique mechanic of Morphing in combat is the type of aggression that they’re trying to encourage you to go for it, but the passive lifesteal is minimal, and the resources to use stronger Morph Strikes aren’t available at all times.

Common AA Problems

There are a lot of animation issues and other Unreal Engine jank that the game has that you have to deal with. For starters, there are times when your attacks hit the wall first before the enemy, but they won’t deal damage because the attack already hit the wall. Another one is getting stuck in certain debris that the game has a lot of; it’s not like you can wiggle out of it, but it does get annoying. Lastly, the game’s animations are very choppy, and with the game's animated cutscenes, it definitely affects the experience.

Is Deathbound Worth It?

Not For Everyone But A Unique Experience Regardless

For the price of $29.99, Deathbound promises a unique take on the soulslike genre because of its combat and progression systems. However, the game has the same jank and problems you’d expect from AA games made in Unreal Engine. They’re not game-breaking, but they could be frustrating to deal with from time to time. To add to this, its uniqueness also clashes with the core design of the game, which makes it another problem to deal with. There are definitely better options out there for the same price, but this may be a game you’d consider if you enjoy the genre.

Digital Storefront
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$29.99 Wishlist only

Deathbound FAQ

What are the System Requirements to play Deathbound?

The System Requirements are as follows:

Game8 Reviews

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Deathbound Product Information

Title	DEATHBOUND
Release Date	August 8, 2024
Developer	Trialforge Studio
Publisher	Tate Multimedia
Supported Platforms	PC (Steam, GoG, Epic Games), PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre	Action, RPG, Souls-like
Number of Players	1
ESRB Rating	M 17+
Official Website	Deathbound Official Website

Michael Gerra-Clarin

Resident fighting game nerd, avid FFXIV fan, and enjoyer of mostly anything gaming. Currently, he is enjoying Dawntrail as a Viper, while dying to Messmer's flames in Shadow of the Erdtree.