Bound By Flame
Developer Spiders
Bound by Flame is a 2014 action role-playing game developed by Spiders and published by Focus Home Interactive. Bound by Flame puts the player in the role of a victim of demonic possession who must choose between the evil powers that are offered or rejecting them in favor of developing heroic talents. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
221 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Oct 22, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
115 positive · 68 negative
95% range 56–70%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 115 | 68 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 10 | 3 | 23 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
What players are saying
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 188 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mixed (2,767 of 4,055 positive).
Many find the combat janky, frustrating, and poorly balanced. [1][2][3] Some appreciate the charm and value despite technical flaws. [4][5][6]
- [3]
A Spiders game... automatically means janky linear gameplay, but good characterization and engaging story. Voice acting is pretty good as well as weapons, armor, combat moves, and spells variety. Dialogue and player choice really shines. This game has abysmal difficulty level, so speed and stealth is critical for thinning out the tanky mobs as well as having your invincible companion tanking most enemy hits. Only …
- [10]
while the art direction in this game is really good and has beautiful music the clunky gameplay and writing that could be better brings it down but if u want a goofy time with some dialogue and some great music, by all means play the game
- [7]
I enjoyed playing this game on PS4 in 2014 but couldn't beat the last boss; it was very frustrating. I decided to play it again on Steam and enjoyed every moment. The game still delivers even after so many years. The story is about a war between mages and elves against necromancers who filled the world with the undead. You play as a mercenary named Vulcan, who specializes in creating deadly traps; he and his team, …
- [1]
It is essentially The Witcher bought from a dollar store, but with the difficulty cranked up to "Sadistic." You play as a mercenary possessed by a demon, but the true evil force in this game is the combat system. You aren't just fighting monsters; you are fighting the controls, the camera, and the fact that a random skeleton does more damage than a nuclear bomb. You will spend 90% of the fight rolling around on the …
- [4]
If you're like me and you take pleasure in games with balancing issues, 'janky' combat and serviceable writing, then this might be right up your alley. There's a lot of games like Bound by Flame that come to mind such as the Risen franchise for example, that have undeniable glaring and frustrating issues but have somewhat become part of their charm over time. Bound by Flame looked pretty good when it came out, and …
Summarised from 34 of the 226 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
63% of the 188 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Bound By Flame. The complaint that keeps coming up: combat is clunky, frustrating, and poorly balanced. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Bound by Flame received mixed reviews. It was criticized for its lack of deeper character development, relationship building with party members, poor AI system, short length, and poor combat that gives the game an unnecessary difficulty. Excessive and inappropriate swearing and profanity to give the game an artificial edge as well as out of place jokes and misplaced dialogue and information have also been cited. Kevin VanOrd of GameSpot stated that there are several questionable design choices such as when "you're asked to enter a name for your character—a name that is then summarily ignored by the game's supporting cast... This identity crisis may seem a minor detail, but it is a…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 221 · most liked firstThis is a painful outcome. Bound By Flame was one of my first PS4 games, The Technomancer was an ambitious sci-fi opus, and Greedfall was the last PS4 game I played. With all their faults, they had heart. Really saddened to see this. Goodbye, Spiders.
negative · AI labelView post →I enjoyed playing this game on PS4 in 2014 but couldn't beat the last boss; it was very frustrating. I decided to play it again on Steam and enjoyed every moment. The game still delivers even after so many years. The story is about a war between mages and elves against necromancers who filled the world with the undead. You play as a mercenary named Vulcan, who specializes in creating deadly traps; he and his team, the Freeborn Blades, were assigned to protect some mages while they perform a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →story game > online game is this enough ? story is good fighting style is little bit lame gadget and magic and other stuffs are fine but honesty this game is billion times better than nintendo trashes
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It is essentially The Witcher bought from a dollar store, but with the difficulty cranked up to "Sadistic." You play as a mercenary possessed by a demon, but the true evil force in this game is the combat system. You aren't just fighting monsters; you are fighting the controls, the camera, and the fact that a random skeleton does more damage than a nuclear bomb. You will spend 90% of the fight rolling around on the floor and the other 10% drinking health potions because the parry window is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I abandoned the mostly positive review I had written in lieu of recent developments though I'll share afterwards. Review of Bound By Flame Fun Fact (because every review should have one): I have 173 friends that own BBF and maybe 4 finished it. Looking at the game's achievements Steam wide, maybe 7% finished the game on normal and under 3% on higher difficulties. The game has 2 classes so you either invest in Warrior or Ranger and then invest in the Flame skill tree to complement your…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bound by Flame is an old, rather difficult, action RPG with an interesting premise: you’re transforming into a demon and the player’s actions determine how much you change. Edit: messed up the name, it’s flame not blood.
neutral · AI labelView post →While I did not enjoy this game to begin with, I cannot in good conscience recommend it for a different reason as of 29 April 2026. As of right now, all proceeds from Spiders' games go directly to Nacon, a parasitical publisher who destroys their studios with zero regard for their developers and creations. This applies to titles published under Focus, from Faery through GreedFall. Per Spiders Studio and the STJV: Workers at the studio already didn’t get anything beyond their salaries, which…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My therapist says I need to "diversify my gaming interests" but jokes on her - I'm switching therapists to one who appreciates true art! The moment I booted up this DIVINE CREATION, I knew my life would never be the same. Forget Mass Effect's boring paragon/renegade nonsense - THIS is how you do character development! Forget Witcher, forget Dragon Age - Bound by Flame has the most EMOTIONALLY DEVASTATING romance arcs! Every choice matters! Do you embrace the flames and become a flaming badass…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A Spiders game... automatically means janky linear gameplay, but good characterization and engaging story. Voice acting is pretty good as well as weapons, armor, combat moves, and spells variety. Dialogue and player choice really shines. This game has abysmal difficulty level, so speed and stealth is critical for thinning out the tanky mobs as well as having your invincible companion tanking most enemy hits. Only the most persistent and committed players will finish this one due to very…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pros: It’s difficult. Cons: It’s too difficult.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you're like me and you take pleasure in games with balancing issues, 'janky' combat and serviceable writing, then this might be right up your alley. There's a lot of games like Bound by Flame that come to mind such as the Risen franchise for example, that have undeniable glaring and frustrating issues but have somewhat become part of their charm over time. Bound by Flame looked pretty good when it came out, and still looks pretty good today. The music and sound effects are done very well…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A somewhat janky, somewhat dated, but definitely engaging AA RPG. The good: The story. Yes, it's basically another "chosen one" narrative, but enough time is taken with the writing for the worldcrafting to be juicy enough. I like the Venom-esque conceit of your demon 'friend', as well. The voice-acting for NPCs is pretty decent overall. I didn't cringe all that much. The ending. I did a little research on how to get the usual "good ending", but it really wasn't that hard at all to achieve.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →while the art direction in this game is really good and has beautiful music the clunky gameplay and writing that could be better brings it down but if u want a goofy time with some dialogue and some great music, by all means play the game
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ashrah looks soooo good in this new Paladin armour 😍 I also love how it alludes to her Bound by Flame outfit in Chronicles of the Realms (drawing), which is a look I had planned for her Demon Hunter run, but it fits her so well here, too! #BG3 #Blutoid
neutral · AI labelView post →❓ What is this A 2014 action RPG from the French mid-budget developer Spiders, operating in the AA or B-segment of game development. ❔ How I played I played around 12 hours to finish the main campaign, completing about 60-70% of the side quests. Expect a total of 10 to 15 hours of content, depending on your playstyle. 🕹️ Gameplay This game sticks closely to the classic RPG formula, borrowing heavily from the Bioware model: companions, a combat system with a tactical pause, looting,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It has a certain charm to it. Sure it's clanky at times like any budget title, but I'm enjoying the game. It's one of those games that feels a little late to the party, meaning if it had released 6-8 years earlier it would've been praised. It's .76 cents on sale and more than worth it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bound by Flame — a strong idea with a sense of incompleteness I’ve completed Bound by Flame and chose the self-sacrifice ending to restore the world and break the cycle of evil . On paper, it feels like the “right” ending, but emotionally it left me with mixed feelings. The game world is interesting, but only partially explored. The lore exists, yet lacks depth and detai, many key ideas feel more symbolic than fully explained concepts. Because of this, the ending feels more abstract than…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm trying all Spiders games by release date and this is definitely my favorite up until now. It's nothing incredible, but for it's price and length this is a good game to fit inbetween bigger titles. Story is simple but enjoyable, especially because it gives you some hints in the early stages that you can put together to understand stuff that is gonna be confirmed/reveal later, I always find stories like these more engaging as I rather understand stuff on my own than have the game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For anyone playing this in 2026 This game is over a decade old now, and if you're comparing it to the yearly heavyweights, you might be disappointed. Let me be clear: this game is good, despite the mixed reviews. I enjoyed it so much that I jumped straight into a second playthrough on max difficulty—well, mostly to make different choices, but it's definitely worth a second run. And this is coming from someone who grinds Apex all day. Bound by Flame has a very familiar fantasy setting,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bound by Flame is a mid-budget grimdark RPG that has some charm to it even though it clearly lacks polish. The combat is probably the highlight, especially since you have different weapons (a two-handed sword that has slower attacks, a pair of daggers that attack faster, and fire magic that allows for ranged combat or infusing your weapons with flame attacks), and the game focuses on timing blocks/dodges/parries, making the combat more action-oriented. The demon possession mechanic is also a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An exciting premise and eerily dark art design are this RPG's greatest strengths. Unfortunately, that's where its strengths end. The rest of the game is mediocre at best. The story fails to captivate, and many characters remain one-dimensional and bland for most of the game. The combat system is challenging and, unfortunately, frustrating, as poor balancing and clunky controls undermine the gameplay. The dialogues are mostly ridiculously bad and often unintentionally funny. The emotionless…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Oh boy, if there are rage inducing titles, this one is sure amongst them. It begins by naming your character, that will be addressed as Vulcan either way. As the story goes by, you figure out you're posessed and the further you progress, you decide whether to fight it or embrace it. This could be a perfect eurojank title, if and only if they wouldn't attempt to soulsify the linear narrative. This should've been a basic linear RPG for up to 4-5 hours, but instead you spend 12 due to janky…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Challenging game unfortunately very short(not enough content). I'm going to ramble in the next part I played this game back in 2014 when it was released and wow did Spiders want to create a sadistic game. Inflicting frustration on the player. The game has an absurdly high difficulty spike in the start. Depending on your build and patience it get's easier towards the end and THEN there's the final boss fight against the demon. Damn it's tough, and that's on medium difficulty. I don't know…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →They should rename this game The ♥♥♥♥-cher. Nah, I'm just kidding. It's not that bad, it's just also not that good either. It seems like a competent 360-era hack and slash, but then you start to notice the smell: the checkpoints start getting farther apart, the quests start becoming fetch quests, and the voice acting does NOT get any better. The story is trying so hard to have the characters from The Witcher in the world of Dragon Age, but it's just so poorly written. The protagonist is one of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! As Good as I remember when I first played it in 2014. I love the feeling of The Witcher and Dragon Age Origins with its own unique take on Classic RPG! Highly recommend playing Bound by Flame. The Ending is TOO Difficult. I couldn't beat after like an Hour of trying, that is my one complaint plus a lot of things respawn after you return to an area, very annoying.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A buggy, awful mess of a game. This is a fairly dated RPG with terrible combat, annoying difficulty levels and some of the worst dialogue you'll hear. There are some pretty terrible game breaking bugs, enemies that are frozen when you expect them to fight you and textures popping in during dialogue.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Short, difficult and sweet. The soundtrack is the highlight.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →❤ Audience ❤ ☐ Beginner ☐ Casual Gamer ☑ Normal Gamer ☐ Expert ☼ Graphics ☼ ☐ Bad ☑ Alright ☐ Good ☐ Beautiful ☐ Fantastic ♬ Music ♬ ☐ Bad ☐ Alright ☑ Good ☐ Beautiful ☐ Fantastic ☠ Difficulty ☠ ☐ Easy ☐ Average ☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master ☑ Hard ☐ Unfair § Bugs § ☐ Bugs destroy the game ☐ Lots of bugs ☑ Few Bugs ☐ You can use them for speedrun ☐ Nothing encountered ☯ Story ☯ ☐ There is none ☐ Bad ☑ Alright ☐ Good ☐ Fantastic…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Overall, I found the game decent. Although it can be somewhat clunky at times, it is significantly better than what some negative reviews suggest. I am eager to explore more of Spiders' other titles. Note that it is not good enough for me to put other playthrough efforts into 100%'ing the game. Music and characters/story are not memorable unfortunately. So yeah, game is not without its flaws, but possesses a certain charm (which is uncommon in today's market). I would recommend giving it a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →got this for under 1€ in sale took me a little over 8h to finish was fun, but the difficulty settings are a bit wanky 3 main builds to choose frome for this low price if you are looking for an action rpg its worth the money and time
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I vaguely remember this being ~6/10 that was enjoyable to play through from how janky it was, cause this was pure euro-jank.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →pretty decent game, i actually played this decade ago when this game just release, so i understand about how unfair the final boss is. but is beatable, i beat it after 2 hours after dodging and learning its pattern, so min maxing your build is important here. by today standard the swordplay is janky, equal to skyrim janky two handed weapon. though this game still enjoyable if you use dagger, hitting and dodge is fun. even when its released this game is low budget, so only dagger is polished…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this is the definition of a 6/10 game, lacks polish all around. took me 27 hours for a complete run, completing all side quests except for just a few that locked me out for unforeseen reasons. + graphics, some characters are so well-detailed that they look like they belong in a different AAA game. weird because this level of attention isn't consistent throughout + story was interesting when it held together, but at times it fell apart when characters failed to react to major events +…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i am tentative to recommend this game because of the sour taste the final boss left in my mouth, but ignoring that, i do think bound by flame is a really decent game. i also hesitate to call it an rpg since theres maybe like, 4-5 game changing choices made throughout the whole thing. gameplay is super tricky at first but with enough effort and patience you can get into a good flow with it. like all spiders games, the worldbuilding, art direction, and overall concept is very interesting and well…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Oh boiiii, the Devs CLEARLY didn't finished the game on the hardest difficulty and said: "Yes, this final boss seems fair and balanced. Release it!" Aside from that, I decided to buy and try this old beautuy from my childhood now that I am older and I just wanted to ask. Spider, why are you doing this? You gave us a goth-ice baddie and proceeded to lock her in the bad route of the game? Shame on you, the game is fine overall as it follows Spider formula of a dark fantasy RPG with the same…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So I've been digging around the Xbox winter sales to grab 360 games for under $10. I picked up a game from like 2014 that's We Have Witcher at home called Bound By Flame and it looks like peak 7/10 gaming, especially for $2 also Space Invaders Infinity Gene is like $1.50 rn and that game rules.
neutral · AI labelView post →This is the best RPG from Spiders. Simple linear world, weird but entertaining dialogue, enjoyable combat, if you stay on the second difficulty and it's short enough to not overstay it's welcome.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very difficult game but I had my fun learning the combat system. This game will make you rage and it will teach you to be patient. Final boss fight 60 traps planted at entrance right before the final fight so i only need to lower his HP to half and damage dragon and then lure him into the traps and game over lol.( if you bring 120 traps then 60 for 100% hp to 50% and the other 60 is to kill him after damaging the dragon and you lure him to the traps and congrats you just beat the game.)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game isn't bad, just manage your expectations. Don't expect a massive AAA budget here. It's a AA game, and I'm completely fine with that because unlike a lot of modern AAA titles this one actually delivers on its promises. It's a fun ride, and it's something I'd like to revisit and play again sometime later...
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not a masterpiece, but definitely not a bad game either. Actually it's quite enjoyable and I had a lot of fun with Bound By Flame. Let's start with the good stuff, the combat. It's difficult and has a nice flow to it, the progression feels good and there's some cool abilities to unlock and builds to explore. Each companion has their own skills and combat style, and all of them are very capable so you don't have to think too much about which one to choose at a given time. I had no real issue…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Like playing a B grade fantasy movie - if you can appreciate some jank and some logic leaps in character development then it's a fun time. 5/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I kinda had fun with this one cause its actually the first action rpg ive ever played offline ... if youre looking for good gameplay its not really the best ever ... clunky is the word i would use here :) but the story is kinda cool and fully voiced characters are fun :) ... Edwen(the hot witch) attributes alone are worth the effort to try this game ... trust me ;) ... Ill give it a 6/10 7/10 for edwen :D ...
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Quite simply this game is just terrible. Everything about it is, there are no redeeming features as far as I can see. I paid £0.89 when the game was on sale, that's £0.89 too much. Getting it refunded.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It should be standard policy to be able to request a refund based on garbage final bosses as the developers have done nothing but waste your time.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Combat sucks- It is designed for 1v1 so naturally when 3 normal enemies and 2 archers attack you at same time, it doesn't really work. ♥♥♥♥♥♥ Companions- can't keep themselves alive for 5sec. Sequel Bait- The story says 7 Ice Lords and you only get to fight with 1 at the end. Bad Keyboard-Mouse controls.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Interesting ideas, poor execution. The game feels both unfinished (litteraly, the story ends with multiple antagonists remaining) and unpolished. You are possessed by a fire demon, the solution to humanity's unpending doom at the end of Frost Evil Wizards. You are a fighter and a spellcaster. The game and plot lean on the fact that relying on the demon corrupts you. Sadly, this doesn't apply to gameplay, only story choices. It doesn't matter if you set the world ablaze in gameplay as long as…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I initially played this game on xbox but never actually completed it and set out to do so on pc instead. i genuinely enjoyed playing the game and played it through twice (whilst following a guide) to gain all the achievements. after seeing every ending it its obvious that only the human ending was actually fleshed out as the others quite literally just end abruptly and go straight to the credits whereas the human one has an epilogue of sorts, telling how your companions fared in the ensuing…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →dnf. enemies take forever to burn through their health and nothing in the game is good enough to keep going anyways. the production is better than mars war logs, the swamp looks good and character models have good personality. Story choices are binary and only there to feed into one of two paths. there's like one standout npc that's fun and well voice acted and she would still be the worst companion in an average bioware/obsidian game. the writing in general is utilitarian, there to reinforce…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cons - Combat is terrible, takes 3 minutes to kill a foe just left mouse clicking and regularly pressing Q to dodge attacks - Foes are pretty dumb, you can just run past them and continue to your objective - Voices don't match the scenario, there is a battle and characters talk to each other like if they were on Sunday late night when everyone is asleep - Turns out this flame bound given by this mighty demon which makes my characters special is just another skill tree for magic spells. - RPG,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bound By Flame Review Review is after completing the main quest and about 80% of the side quests. I played a warrior build supported with pyromancy skills. Pros: Unique setting of a world at the very brink of its destruction. Most other games are about preventing the destruction within a very generous time period. Cell shaded art style that captures the desolate theme of this world. Familiar Spiders game weapon wheel and combat mechanics. I was able to level up my preferred skill tree…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Overall Score: 6.5/10 Combat: 5/10 Graphics: 6/10 Sound Design: 6/10 Soundtrack: 8.5/10 Bound By Flame is a charming RPG by Spiders, the same studio that made Greedfall and Steelrising. The combat can be a bit clunky, but hey, it was 2014! If you can get over that fact, this game is quite enjoyable, with memorable party members, an interesting world, and a beautiful soundtrack I wish we could buy on Steam. There is no character customization besides picking a gender and a few hairstyles and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beat the game 100% and yeah it's underwhelming but remember it was spiders studio second attempt at making a action RPG and for a second attempt they made some huge improvements at the time and even with the lackluster story you can still feel the passion that spiders have for making RPGS so fun game and it's dosen't cost alot so buy it if you feel like playing a okayish game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is really good! The gameplay is like Witcher 1 (the best Witcher game) The game on normal is a good difficulty. I think it has a weird problem with daggers having a dodge and the 2h don't. So you are basically using the daggers since they can animation cancel out of your attacks to dodge, which give you dmg. Music is good, voice acting is ok, graphics are great, good amount of enemy spawn.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You know what... I enjoyed it! Rough around the edges. Same with the characters. But the gameplay is solid and it was memorable and enjoyable!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Some pickups from a small game store in WV. Vampire Night, Bound by Flame, Darksiders 3, Code Vein, DMC HD collection, and Tenchu Wrath of Heaven. Next stop: Buccees and then the hotel.
neutral · AI labelView post →Spiders made absolutely butt video games, but I loved their absolutely butt video games :( This actually makes me a bit sad. We need more of these B-tier developers out there. Steelrising was actually pretty good, and I like Bound by Flame, as jank as that game is.
neutral · AI labelView post →Combat is good enough to enjoy it, story is interesting. I definitely enjoyed my time and it was really nice to come back to this game after so much time. If you gonna play as a warrior I would recommend mod from Nexus what buffs some of the skills
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Video game recommendation of the week: BOUND BY FLAME By the same people who made Greedfall, an interesting story where you literally have an inner demon. Fun companions, good combat, romance options, choices with consequences… a few dragon age vibes but shorter and darker. Very replayable.
positive · AI labelView post →The enemy to character balance is terrible in this game. Even on normal difficulty and preparing for the battle that you know is coming, you will still come across enemies that kill you in 2-3 hits. It's a level of frustration that takes the fun out of the game. Groups of normal enemies without a companion is nearly a death sentence, and even with a companion you'll spend most of your battles constantly guarding, dodging, and drinking health potions like they're water to survive. Not to mention…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →not a single controller works, full controller support is an outright lie. Edit: I had to find another controller, glad I did I needed it. Got this one working, I will update the review when I have thoughts on the actual game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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