Bound

Bound is a 3D platform game with a surreal setting. It takes place in the mind of a woman reminiscing over her childhood. The start of the game shows the woman, pregnant, arriving at a house near the beach. As she walks around and eventually sits down to reflect, it shifts to the world in her head where the real game takes place. There, the player controls a female, vaguely humanoid character referred to as Princess. Her mother immediately tells her there is a monster in the kingdom and she needs to stop it. This fantasy world and many elements in the environment have ties to the real world, and the link is explained eventually through various story sequences as the game shifts between the worlds.

In the dream world the Princess character needs to navigate the largely linear environment with platform elements and light environment based puzzle-solving elements, for instance using colour switches. She is able to run, roll, use ladders, climb or glide down ropes, push objects and wall jump. While the character can die for instance falling down gaps, she respawns right away and the game offers a lighter challenge than similar platform games, focusing more on just progressing. Typical platform elements include jumping, small passages to shimmy and moving platforms. Most often a behind view is used, but the camera also offers free rotation along with a cinematic perspective for many sequences.

There is a unique element to the movement as the character always moves as a dancer with elements of ballet and modern dance. This is visible through the stance, but also through movements such as demi-pointe, attitude, plie, pirouette, rond, split, sissone etc. animated through a modern dancer's motion capture. Movement is never regular, but always incorporates these in a graceful way based on the elements in the environments. At times Princess is attacked by swarms and other hazards. This is never lethal, but to defeat them a variety of moves needs to be performed through button combinations, in any order, forming a routine that creates ribbons around the character, protecting her.

After the initial stage further levels are accessed through pages in the journal of the woman in the real world, with drawings that represent fears. These can be played in any order. Levels often have complex structures, an organic, pulsating movement, and with constant transformations. Some levels have hidden islands and shortcuts. Optionally memory shards can be collected.