Bound by Flame

Bound by Flame comes with a fair amount of hype surrounding it. That's partly because release is due during a bit of an RPG drought, but more than that its intriguing premise and impressive visuals have struck a chord.

The game takes place in a high fantasy land beseiged by seven ice lords and riddled with monsters such as scythes, swamp beasts and ghosts. Humanity has been fighting against the ice lords for its survival for a very long time, but one way or another the war will end soon.

You play as Vulcan, a mercenary tasked with trying to defend the land (Vulcan is fully customisable, with the option to pick her/his gender, by the way). As the story begins, however, a failed attempt by Vulcan to raise a fire demon sees him/her possessed. This gives rise to one of the game's key game mechanics, as Vulcan is gifted with flame powers at the potential cose of her/his humanity. Players must constantly work within this duality, choosing whether to embrace these dark powers or try to find a more heroic path.

Players can tackle three skill trees to master one ability set or another. They can choose to go down the strong 'tank' route, the nimbler 'ranger' route or really embrace the pyromancy powers.

How you play is reflected in the plot, too, with branching storylines that are affected by your actions.