Hey everyone!
In this post our community manager Knufte asks Zeth, the game creator some questions, I hope you guys enjoy!
Please tell us about Bound By Blades
Bound by Blades is a cute indie adventure full of epic boss rush battles.
The focus in Bound by Blades is on the bosses, what makes the battles special?
A: As one of the first things people see is the unique grid system, which ties into the real action combat. Every boss has their own style and attacks and many utilize this grid system to their advantage, requiring you to master your own actions in order to survive.
So players not only have to keep an eye on the Boss, but also on the environment?
A: Right, some bosses will not only send out direct attacks, but also block either line of your path with damaging flames, or fully block off one of your standpoints, limiting your movement options.
Is this your first game you’ve made, what inspired you to do Bound by Blades?
A: Bound by Blades is my first indie game, and largely my own project I’ve made. Before BBB, I worked on at a small game studio, Tic Toc Games (sorry, not that TikTok!). At TTG, we were a third party studio, so we worked primarily on other company’s games and their IP’s.
Since I have a lot of passion for gaming and game development, I had a strong desire to make something to give back to players, while being something I would make for myself to have fun with too. And thus Bound by Blades was designed to tie the good parts of what I knew about making games and what I loved to play. I love to grind hours for great equipment and min-maxing my stats, thats why I put a strong emphasis on Slaying, Looting & Crafting as the main gameplay pillars of the game. Sort of like the gameplay loop we came to know from Monster Hunter, just toned down a notch to be playable for casual players and on more than just PC/Console.
In Bound by Blades you can choose between 3 main characters, can you tell us a little bit about them?
A: First there's Teo, the Kuza cat warrior who wields a massive sword. Teo was our first character, and he ties into your all out style of offense, with spamming quick attacks to provide a flurry of endless stabs, or time your strong attacks into a special dash attack combo finisher that dashes you across the screen.
And there’s Guren the Fangorian bunny archer, wielding a bow and having a pet wisp accompany her. She is my personal favorite as she is a good mix between offense and defense while still being greatly agile. Her quick attack combo actually powers up her wisp, which lets her use that power in her charged up strong attacks releasing it into great damage.
And then you have Kota, the Oxbourne ox defender, using a shield and a large shuriken like disc. Kota’s disc weapon works like a boomerang, tossing it out and having it return, and by attacking again right on retrieval, it combos and increases the damage it deals. And where his defense truly comes into play is his shield, when he blocks or reflects attacks, his shield gains power and glows immensely. Using his strong attack while its charged will unleash a large amount of projectiles at the boss dealing great damage.
What is your favorite part of the game overall, development and in the game itself?
A: My favorite part through development by far, has been the team. I started alone, and while I enjoyed working on BBB, it wasn’t until Lam (the artist) first joined that things went from a small glimmer of hope into a dream coming true. After Lam joined and brought his amazing art, more people were quickly interested in coming on board, and the team we made together has been an experience I will never forget.
My favorite part of the game would be the bosses (although I do really like the equipment and gearing up too!). Bound by Blades is the first game I’ve gotten to design combat and bosses for, and both of those are a core passion to me so I put a lot of work into them to make them feel unique. I’d take months on a single boss before I was happy with even the core idea of them, to come up with a series of attacks, an idea for their visual design, and how the battle would flow in my head. And then finally getting to see these bosses come to life with beautiful art and animations was a great feeling.
Thank you everyone for taking the time to read the interview!
Bound by Blades is releasing very soon, please add it to your wishlist, as this helps us a lot and keep your eyes peeled!
