Plastic, the studio behind the underwhelming PlayStation Move title Datura, has teamed up with Sony Santa Monica to provide the PlayStation 4 with a gorgeous, emotional experience in Bound. Although it was only revealed a few days earlier, Plastic’s new game was playable on the show floor of PlayStation Experience. Being intrigued by the cryptic teases from Sony Santa Monica, I gave it a look.
The demo begins with a kingdom in peril. A masked princess is called upon by her queen to send an invading monster away. The seemingly less than original story grows and expands as it becomes a clear metaphor for other more grounded events. Similar to The Unfinished Swan, Bound uses its environment and fantastical setting to tell a story relatable on the human level.
Although possessing a familiar feel, Bound transforms platforming into a visual artform. Controls like running and jumping have been replaced with a graceful flow of ballet steps. I must say that player movement has never looked so elegant.
Elegance in Chaos
The world surrounding the princess is chaotic. The ground trembling at every step. The ocean of pillars below feels angry, disturbed by the intruder destroying the kingdom. What does it all mean?
The princess navigates the environment by leaping up ladders, spinning across ledges and sliding down ribbons. After a number of basic platforming challenges the antagonistic monster appears. A massive swipe from the beast cuts the princess down, knocking her unconscious. An abstract cutscene offers a glimpse into a family’s home. A chessboard lies on a table where a man and two children sit. Unfortunately, who these characters are and what the events of the demo allude to need the context of the full game for true meaning.
The ballerina princess regains her senses and continues onward. Certain parts of the structures have become toxic. Fighting the swarms back offers a new layer of interaction to the gameplay. Finally, the beast returns once more but before the monster strikes, the demo comes to a close.
Bound has loads of potential combining standard 3D platforming with a beautiful, artistic flow. Using the precision of a ballerina to transverse a disturbed yet stunning world offers an original experience for PlayStation 4 owners. Hopefully, the parallels between this interesting environment and the actors are able to set the stage for a truly moving narrative. Pay close attention. Sometimes in order to move forward, you have to take a step back.
PSX 2015 On Site Gallery
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PlayStation Experience 2015
The enormous autograph wall allowed fans to share in their PlayStation love.
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Ratchet
Waiting in line to pick up his badge, Stephen gets a glimpse of his first PlayStation character!
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Badge Pickup Desk
Heading to the third floor to watch the keynote!
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Keynote
The hall was packed with PlayStation fans eagerly awaiting Sony's announcements.
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Final Fantasy VII Remake
What a way to open the show! We were excited to get a glimpse at more of Final Fantasy VII Remake.
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Battleborn
Randy Pitchford talks more about the upcoming beta for Battleborn.
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Street Fighter V
Fighting fans rejoiced as more was announced for Street Fighter V.
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PlayStation VR
The PlayStation VR offering was expansive, with two floors of virtual reality units ready for players to try out.
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Dead Star
Dead Star is a competitive, twin-stick, MOBA style game, featuring 10 v 10 battles in space! Keep an eye out for our preview soon!
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Destiny: Sparrow Racing League
Chandler previews Destiny's Sparrow Racing League ahead of its Dec. 8th release.
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Dark Souls 3
This enormous fountain was a photo op that sprayed "blood" from the body of the fallen soldier.
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Dark Souls 3
Here's the blood fountain in action.
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MLB: The Show Trophy Bar
Want an easy way to grab a beer and play some baseball? MLB: The Show's trophy bar offered both!
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Uncharted 4
No, the main game wasn't playable, but anyone missing the multiplayer beta of Uncharted 4 was able to play the multiplayer at this enormous booth.
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PlayStation Vue
Not only were the games on show, but PlayStation's media features were given a focus too, with this booth giving more information on Sony's PlayStation Vue service.
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PlayStation 4
Who can resist checking out a variety of PS4s, DualShock 4s, and that sweet PlayStation VR headset?
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Abzu
The underwater game that evokes feelings of titles by thatgamecompany was playable on the show floor.
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Helghast
Stephen is caught by some Helghast for being an ISA spy. Fortunately it was all just a misunderstanding and we were allowed to go about our business without further delay.
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Disney Infinity
Disney usually brings their massive arch of Infinity figures, and they were showing off the latest additions to Disney Infinity 3.0 at the show.
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RIGS (Livecast Stage)
The creators of RIGS talk more about the competitive VR game on the livecast stage.
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RIGS (Livecast Stage)
The creators of RIGS talk more about the competitive VR game on the livecast stage.
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Capcom Cup
Sunday morning the Capcom Cup gets underway!
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Tim Schafer (Double Fine)
Tim Schafer sits on the livecast stage to talk about the games that Double Fine is bringing to the PS4.
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Battleborn
A huge display showcases some of the characters from Battleborn.
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Hob
Indie game Hob was popular despite being tucked along one of the walls.
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Far Cry Primal
Fans got a chance to tame beasts in Far Cry Primal's first playable showing.
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Abzu
Due to the lit up sign, this picture's exposure turned out pretty cool.
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Destiny
Destiny's guardians wandered the show floor keeping guests safe from the darkness and waiting for a Gjallahorn drop.
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Masquerada
Chandler is shown indie game Masquerada by one of the devs.
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Randall
An enormous statue of the character from Randall looms over their booth.
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Uncharted 4
Walking by the Uncharted 4 booth kept having us question if we were still in San Francisco.
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Drawn to Death
An enormous notebook for fans to doodle on. Who knows, maybe David Jaffe will take future character inspiration from it?
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PlayStation Network
The back wall was a showcase of the PlayStation Network and its media features.
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LEGO Hulk Battle
It's Hulk vs. Hulkbuster in this fight of epic LEGO proportions.
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LEGO Hulk Battle
It's Hulk vs. Hulkbuster in this fight of epic LEGO proportions.
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MLB: The Show Trophy Bar
Because just one picture of the place where you can get beer at the show isn't good enough.
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Livecast Stage
The livecast stage was host to a number of awesome events, talking to developers and showing off games.
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RIGS
The RIGS demo station pitted two teams against each other in one of the most desired demos at the show.
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Yoda
This giant statue of a Disney Infinity Yoda is bigger than Yoda would be in real life.
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Destiny Sparrow Racing League
If only this Sparrow had an actual engine so that we could race around the show!
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Destiny Sparrow Racing League
We're ready to race our sparrows for some loot!
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Chandler and Kratos
Chandler met Kratos and somehow survived the experience!
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Stephen and Ratchet
Ratchet's a movie star now, and Stephen just had to get a picture with him on the red carpet.
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Chandler and Ratchet
Ok, Chandler decided to grab a picture with Ratchet too.
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Atoi and Iota
Chandler and Stephen take a moment to visit with messengers Atoi and Iota.
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Fat Princess
Fat Princess needed some protecting from the minions of darkness! Luckily Chandler and Stephen were on the scene with funny hats and menacing looks!
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Kat (Gravity Rush)
Stephen had to ask Kat what manipulating the world's gravity was really like.
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Uncharted 4
You've seen those Uncharted 4 trailers with the crazy vehicle driving? Turns out it was Stephen behind the wheel!
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PlayStation Experience 2015
PlayStation Experience 2015 may have come to an end, but you'd better be certain that PlayStation LifeStyle will be on the scene to cover the show again when it comes back next year!
