Deathbound: Everything We Know

If you're a fan of souls-like action RPGs with a dark atmosphere, then you'll want to keep your eye out for Deathbound. Very recently announced, it appears Deathbound is looking to expand on the genre FromSoftware calls home. It's a mighty endeavor, but from what we've gathered so far, Deathbound seems to have some unique ideas in its bag of tricks that will, hopefully, separate itself from the competition. So, if Deathbound's cryptic nature has piqued your interest, keep reading to find out everything we know about it.

What is Deathbound?

Published by Tate Multimedia and Developed by Trialforge Studio, Deathbound is a newly announced souls-like action RPG. From what we can gather so far, Deathbound is a single-player experience where players “Absorb the essences of fallen warriors to harness their powers and abilities. Survive in a brutal reality where Life and Death were never more conflicted.”

While that still leaves a lot of stones left unturned, it sounds like Deathbound is aiming for an original take on the souls-like games. Their concept, however, will not only consist of a darker atmosphere but considerably more diversified combat as well. Nonetheless, we will delve more into that in the Gameplay section; for now, let us learn about the Deathbounds narrative.

Story

For starters, Deathbound is set in the fictional world of Ziêminal. In this setting, ancient technologies coexist with the medieval present, resulting in a civilization that's home to unrelenting creatures and exotic cultures. You're specifically based in the city of Akratya, which is known to be rich in lore and dangers. “From the body-filled streets to arenas and places of worship. With its imposing brutalist architecture and melding of technology, it’s a city bound for oblivion.” All in all, it's pretty apparent to see that Ziêminal is a callous world “where fanatical faith and unnatural science clash in the shadows of a crumbling society.”

In terms of conflict, it appears that the Church of Death that stands in Akratya is about to launch a “holy conquest to eliminate the Cult of Life”. However, you are the one thing standing in their way. We just wish we could say who you are, but it's sort of hard to make out. According to Deathbounds Steam page, “You are no one, yet everyone, the results of desperate experimentation in the pursuit of Eternal Life. In the eyes of the Church, an icon of sin and heresy. To others, validation of their relentless experiments. You stand in a world where there is no good nor evil, only justifications.”

As a result, it seems that Trialforge Studio wants to keep a sense of mystery in the plot. Despite this, they already have us hooked into their fictitious world. However, it's really the gameplay where they spill the beans, so let's see what they have in store.

Gameplay

As we previously mentioned, it looks like Deathbound is attempting to expand on FromSoftware's souls-like style by offering up a more diversified experience. One of the biggest ways they are attempting to branch out is in combat. With what they are calling the “Binding System”, you can “absorb the essence of the fallen warriors you encounter throughout your journey and form a dominant party.” As a result, you can “Gain the skills, memories and identities of fallen warriors throughout the world. Combine their unique personalities and combat styles and switch between them seamlessly.”

“Morphing” is another original combat feature a part of the gameplay. Essentially, Morphing allows you to combine the powers of fallen warriors into devastating Morphstrikes. “Utilize different attack styles to pull-off powerful combinations and finishing blows”. And you'll need it because the foes in Deathbound are “crafted to push you to your limits.” So, while the fighting may provide a completely new experience to that of FromSoftwares souls-like games, expect the difficulty to be on par with, if not greater than those titles.

Development

In terms of development, we know very little about how deep Trialforge Studio is in the making of Deathbound. But, given what they've given us in terms of a game description, it looks like they've put a lot of thought into the setting and story. Regardless, first news of the game came with the announcement trailer that's fresh off the shelf. Although it is mostly cinematic, there are few glimpses of gameplay. As a result, we know the development team is in the midst of bringing the game to fruition, however, there's no telling how far along they are in that process.

Trailer

We can try and put it into words all we want, but it's really the announcement trailer that does Deathbound justice. Thankfully, we have it imbedded just above. So, take a look for yourself and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Unfortunately, Deathbound does not yet have a proposed release date or a tentative release window. The slightly encouraging news is that the release date on Steam is listed as “Coming Soon.” With that in mind, we'd guess Deathbound will grace our screens sometime in Q1 or Q2 of 2024, however, that's purely speculation.

Because the game already has a Steam page, we can confirm that Deathbound is coming to PC. On the other hand, there is no word on if it will arrive on next-gen consoles at launch – we suspect that it's a bit of a stretch. However, we wouldn't be surprised if the game is a success, it will eventually make its way to consoles. Aside from that, it's far too early to discuss game editions. Nonetheless, stay tuned to Gaming.net as we'll be sure to provide any updates and news on Deathbound when it sheds.

So, what's your take? Are you excited about Deathbound? Will you be picking up a copy when it releases? Let us know in the comments below or over on our socials here!