Bound Platforms: PS4 |

Developer: Plastic

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Release: October 13, 2016

Bound originally jumped onto PlayStation 4 back in August. Despite a relatively positive critical reception, the title completely slipped by many gamers. The timing just wasn’t right for an atmospheric, relaxed platformer. Just in time for the launch of PSVR, developer Plastic put in the extra effort to enable virtual reality headset play for Bound. Now that the game is thrust back in the spotlight there’s a greater chance for it to be experienced by many. Of course, when projects aren’t designed with VR in mind from the ground up, they oftentimes fall flat. Not only that, but poorly implemented VR solutions can in fact cause motion sickness. Luckily, it appears that the appropriate amount of effort was put in to ensure that this title is completely playable within the PSVR headset.

In its simplest terms, Bound is an imaginative, colorful 3D platformer. Our protagonist appears to be a fanciful ballerina making her way across a very strange world. Her graceful dancer moves fit in perfectly with the concept of platforming. Instead of simply taking elevators to ascend or descend, she often sidles gracefully along a ribbon. Instead of just running and jumping, she’s dancing and gracefully gliding to another platform. The momentum feels great and even works its way into an optional speedrunning mode which is unlocked after beating the game once. Players exploring this mode will quickly realize that Bound is full of potential. With alternate paths and other secrets, skilled players can turn gameplay into an even greater performance.

The world that Bound presents is absolutely stunning. While there may be some familiar imagery, such as stairs and doorways, everything else is abstracted in a dream-like fashion. From the undulating cube abyss to dangerous noodly webs, every stage is stunning. Getting caught up in the beauty of each location is often cause for taking a photo. An included photo mode allows for high quality screenshots framed exactly as you want them. This beauty is dampened slightly by the PSVR. Obviously, the PSVR is not the most powerful headset on the market. The result of this is that the visual fidelity within the headset is somewhat grainy and jagged. Although Bound mostly retains its stellar vistas in VR, it’s a step down from the quality of watching straight on a HD TV. Of course, the benefit of VR is getting to truly immerse yourself in this world – having it encompass you from all angles.

PSVR mode offers a special method of camera control in an attempt to curtail motion sickness. The in-game camera does not move as you move the protagonist. Instead, the otherwise static camera moves on your command and does so at specified angles. Each movement is also accompanied by a brief darkening of the screen to lessen the motion’s “impact”. This is meant to keep motion sickness/nausea at bay and it certainly worked for me. The only negative about this method of camera control is that it cuts out the beautiful cinematic angles specifically made for Bound initially. Instead, you’re the one moving the camera and doing so in whatever awkward way instead. It also seems to require a lot of maintenance to keep the protagonist framed well as she moves throughout areas.

Bound was never a particularly long game. A first playthrough is likely to take most folks around four hours to finish. With that said, playing in VR takes longer. Not only for the fact that you’re enjoying the scenery, but because the path forward becomes obscured. Seeing the game in its original TV screen presentation frames things such that it’s very easy to tell where to go next. In VR, you may find yourself craning your neck and searching in order to find an otherwise “obvious” next step of the journey. Fortunately, gameplay is not challenging. This means that the player will never suffer for simply taking a moment to get their bearings.

Closing Comments:

There are games which prioritize the experience over challenge and Bound is one of them. The gorgeous locales and emotional storytelling shine through exceptionally well via PSVR. With that said, it seems that virtual reality was not in the design plans from the get-go. Sure, it doesn’t get players motion sick, but there’s often a feeling of being lost when playing in VR that isn’t there during non-VR gameplay. The speedrun mode, in particular, seems poorly suited for VR and serious players are likely to ditch the headset entirely in order to practice. Bound brings players into a divine fantasy setting for only a few hours, but shows third person platforming is possible in VR.