The best part of being a PlayStation fan is that Sony funds some truly wacky stuff, and Bound definitely falls under that category. The game – which is being produced for the PlayStation 4 by Datura developer Plastic in collaboration with Sony Santa Monica – was teased around the web recently, and resembles a 3D platformer in which you'll need to… Well, progress through the power of dance.
The game promises a "mature" story, but it also hopes to deliver a compelling gameplay loop that will keep those uninterested in the narrative occupied. The visuals, meanwhile, have been inspired by Modern Art, while the developer has worked with real world dancers and choreographers to nail the movement of the main character. Are you excited yet?
Plastic's saying that the title will run at 60 frames-per-second in 1080p, and that it's spent more than a year simply optimising its engine in order to deliver unwavering PS4 performance. While it's always behind some pretty "out-there" stuff, we've enjoyed the Polish studio's output in the past, and we're pleased to see Sony continuing to plough resources into interactive experiments like this.
[source blog.us.playstation.com]
Comments 41
The website's pretty cool: http://bound.playstation.com/
Looks pretty sweet. Right up my alley.
Oohw God.. How can ps4 compete with xbox one with all those semi indie crap.. Where is the time when PlayStation was all about the first party exclusives
I hope this isn't the main game that Santa Monica plans on talking about at PSE.
You guys are right, this game's lacking a mini-map. After all, how else will I know where all of the towers I need to climb are located?
Don't worry, Sony Santa Monica produces all of these "semi indie crap" games additionally to its internal titles. You'll still get your God of War game.
Why are people complaining when 2016 is already jam packed with big exclusive games?
This AAA or bust mentality is stupid.
@DominicanGlory There still aren't enough exclusivez for PS4 apparently. Sony complacent. No games. Indies don't count.
This looks pretty cool! Will definitely be keeping my eye on it
@get2sammyb
For those who want AAA exclusives, and once again there's nothing wrong with that (getting sick of having to say that here but people still don't get it because they want to pretend PS4 is perfect), the PS4 is lacking, don't see how that can be argued. 2016 looks good but the question still remains if most of the games lined up will actually make it next year or not. Sony has been slow on the exclusives, it's a legitimate criticism whether fanboys want to admit it or not.
@Gamer83 Yes it can be argued because PS4 had plenty of exclusives this year (one of them an instant classic) heck I even made a forum post on here lisiting all "Sony exclusives" that have and haven't been released yet just to prove the point that saying PS4 is lacking in exclusives is completely false.
As for Santa Monica...what were you expecting them to announce? The ballet dancer teases didn't exactly scream " NEW AAA IP" did it, of course it was going to be an external game. As for the new God of War game, well that's been in development for just over a year so I doubt they would have much to show in the first place. I'd rather Sony did a Bethesda and announce games when there 6 to 9 months from release.
If you exclude Tomb Raider, I'd take Sony's 2015 lineup over the Xbox One's every single time. But it's all opinions, isn't it? I understand everyone has different tastes, but it irks me when people come out of shows like Paris Games Week which has a vast array of content of all different genres and scopes, and still isn't satisfied.
It's getting to the point where maybe PlayStation isn't the right platform for you if you don't like anything Sony do...
@get2sammyb That's why I did that forum thread Sammy, so it can be an objective list of every PlayStation exclusive with Sony's direct involvement so that people can know because (as much as I would like them to be) not everyone knows so much about the PlayStation ecosystem.
@get2sammyb @Gamer83
Both you guys know I try to be pretty middle of the road - and by that I mean I criticize everything both Nitneod and Sony do, mostly Nintnedo - but I have to say my initial reaction to seeing this headline this morning wasn't good. It was something along the lines of - "Oh yeah, that's why I don't own a PS4 yet." I thought it in jest, but it had a ring of truth.
PS4 marketing this holiday is built on the Uncharted Trilogy which I've already played, COD which I never have or will, and SW:B which has been getting mixed reviews. That's still better than Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival and Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, but that's not saying much. I know Xbox One has TR for a year and the usual multiplats and they are promoting Fallout 4 heavily as well.
My point is I understand why people get so snarky whenever games like this show up. U4 was supposed to be out this year, delayed. R&C was supposed to be out this year, delayed. We've been waiting 10 years for FFXV, and half that for The Last Guardian. So yes, next year looks great, and there are already plenty of great games on PS4 - Witcher 3, Fallout 4, MGSV, Batman, Bloodebourne - but people who are going to complain do have a few things to complain about if they choose to focus on the negative. Sony has spent an awful lot of time promoting No Man's Sky since the PS4 began, perhaps more than any other game besides U4, and I think people are growing a bit tired of the "indie scene".
This is just 1 of those game announcements that reminds gamers of all the "indie" support Sony has been spending time on, all the delayed games, all the muiltiplats and remakes supporting PS4 this holiday. I think it's a very understandable "gut" reaction to have. "PS4, the indie machine". Not an argument that would hold up well in any rationale debate, but more comments are gut reactions than rationale debates.
To misquote Obi Wan - "This is not the holiday line-up you are looking for."
@rjejr But the idea of tentpole exclusives launching at Christmas is a bad one, which is why Halo 5 has seen massive decline and Rise of the Tomb Raider was sunk by Fallout 4. Uncharted would have struggled.
Yes, more choice for gamers is good, but at the end of the day there's only so much time and cash floating around. Sony made the right decision by not rushing its games for Christmas, as they would have got murdered by the multiplats.
It's something that people simply need to accept.
EDIT: And besides, this conversation isn't really relevant to the topic at hand. Heaven forbid a publisher support a game that's actually, y'know, a little different...
Oh man this looks awesome! Definitely right up my alley!
@rjejr
Did you change your profile icon? I have a feeling you did. And yes. Yes!!! you criticize those companies. Criticize them hard! Harder!!!
@Sanquine
tbh, these are the kind of games I wish Xbox would fund a little more often. I like AAA games as much as the next person, but many of them are starting to feel very similar. They're the hollywood blockbusters of videogames. But we also need our dramas, our romances, our french new waves. It will be a sad day when most of our games end up looking like Michael Bay wannabes.
@Gamer83 Thank you, this so much this.
@Get2sammyb I just don't care about games like this.. I play it for 1 day and i'm already bored. I want AAA i'm playing bloodborne for about 40+ hours and still can't get enough of it.
I'm just saying that Xbox one is looking better every day.
@Utena-mobile "I like AAA games as much as the next person, but many of them are starting to feel very similar. They're the hollywood blockbusters of videogames. But we also need our dramas, our romances, our french new waves. It will be a sad day when most of our games end up looking like Michael Bay wannabes."
THANK YOU. This is what I'm saying. There's room for all types of games.
@Sanquine That's a perfectly valid opinion to have, but I think you should get an Xbox if they're putting out the games that you want.
@get2sammyb
Your response tells me my opinion isn't welcome? What's wrong with wanting AAA games. I mean there are some indies that deserve my attention but a lot of them are just meh. Thomas was alone and resogun are fantastic but games like flower what i call artistic games with like almost no story or just plain boring gameplay can not do it for me.
I will not buy a xbox one because i have not the income ( student) to buy games for more than one console.
@get2sammyb And ofcourse there's room for all types of games but this indie revolution is a bit too much.
@Sanquine Everyone's opinion is always welcome. All I'm saying is that if the Xbox has the games that you want then maybe that's a better choice for you. I hope there will be future PS4 announcements that appeal to you if not...
@Sanquine
Yeah, I agree that not all indies are good (I would say there are more bad ones than good). But they're taking risks that AAA games aren't. and sometimes they pay off.
Bloodborne exists because From Software made a reaaaaally good game with Demon's Souls. But at the time Demon's Souls wasn't anywhere near AAA status.
There's room for AAA and indies in this market. Now, the sad ones that are dying off are the A, B, and C level games. Either you go big, or you go indie. Publishers don't want anything in between, which I find tragic.
p.s. also I'm with you on the money issue. lol. I want to get a PS4 but I don't have any money right now either (except for Christmas presents for friends and family). *sigh
@get2sammyb Always been a playstation gamer Not going to change that now. Faith has to be tested sometimes. I will buy one maybe when money isn't an issue. Sunset overdrive and that new platinium game are the games that i want but thats all:P
@Utena-mobile Yeah, it sucks... I already borrow money to get the bills paid ( student, living on my own and having a low wage)
@get2sammyb "Uncharted would have struggled."
Seriously? The Trilogy is flying off the shelves, PS4 bundles w/ the trilogy are flying off the shelves, but you are going to sit there and tell me if U4 had come out this holiday nobody would have bought the game or the system? Seriously?
Halo 5 struggled for reasons that have nothing at all to do w/ Sony - lower install base for one; one of the previous games sucked (I forget which one, but I know one of them reviewed poorly) and it's competing directly against COD and SW:B in the FPS department. U4 is a narrative driven 3d person action game that would have sold fine now or in March. TR is a Playstation franchise, it just is. It has sold well in the pas in part b/c of Sony. No Sony marketing, no sales. I've argued before that having it as an exclusive actually hurt sales b/c they didn't have Sony helping to market it. Now its possible more copies sold on X1 than they would have with a simultaneous release, but surely overall more copies would have sold for Squenix w/ a dual release. And then there's that X1 install base again.
So I'm not buying your "the holidays are too crowded for U4" argument, not by a long shot. And even if you are correct, and too many games come out over the holidays, well then Sony and Naughty Dog should just be up front and announce March, b/c then the game isn't delayed and you aren't annoying your fanbase. B/c w/ U4 it doesn't really matter when the game comes out, only that it was delayed. That's the problem, the game delays, not when they come out.
"And besides, this conversation isn't really relevant to the topic at hand. "
I will agree with you on that. But I was post #14, the thread was already derailed long before I got here, I was just following the flow of traffic and trying to explain to you why there was traffic. You seemed confused, or more defensive really, that anybody could have anything bad to say about this game, Sony, or the PS4. I tend to agree w/ most things you say - well not the U4 selling badly over the holidays part, that's just absurd - but it's good to acknowledge that other people have other opinions without getting so defensive all the time. It's not your obligation to convince everyone that indies are good. Some people just don't like indies, all they want is AAA. Probably the majority of your readers.
lol this is the closest to a comment war on push square that's going to happen
@SKC_Diamond And all because someone had the nerve to announce a game with ballerinas instead of an angry man with stubble and a gun.
@get2sammyb hear, hear
@get2sammyb
Nah, it's because the snarky comments had to be directed towards people who would like to see something more than this from Santa Monica. It's a highly talented studio hasn't been put to great use yet this gen as far as the AAA stuff.
@Gamer83 Fair enough, but like I said at the very beginning of the thread, Santa Monica has its finger in a lot of pies. It's still making God of War, so we all get what we want in the end.
Doesn't look to bad but by the looks of the reactions of people, let just hope that Scanta Monica still has more to show than just a Indie game about a ballerina.
@get2sammyb Santa Monica will likely produce something unique here and I'm intrigued by this game. I think the reason people are complaining about this is the same reason they're complaining about plus: variety is great but we want to be wowwed every now and then. My favourite game of the generation has been Transistor but I want some meaty experiences that generally come from Sony First party studios.
@Gamer83 Thank God someone agrees with me
@Sanquine
I think there's a lot of people on both sides. Some want more big-budget productions, others want more stuff like this. I actually want a nice balance of the two but with a studio like Santa Monica definitely prefer to see what I think it does really well which is AAA production. Working on a game like this is great, but it's like I commented, if this is the game they're bringing to PSE and there's isn't some kind of update on God of War, I'm going to be very disappointed.
@Sanquine No his response is if you like a Xbox better i guess why don't you get 1 you have to buy what you prefer.
To be honest i like God of war but i rather see a new Heavenly Sword. I bought COD but i was sick of it fast Im just looking for new IP's not GOW 18, COD 74, FIFA, BF. I bought AS creed because the last 1 i played was part 2 and i'm having fun. Batman was great a lot of nice indie games finally something original. Infamous was awsome Im starting First Light after Syndicate. Then Alien Isolation, Tales of Zesteria, Until Dawn, Divinity, Dragon Quest, MGS there are so many games. I have enough for net year almost. So not enough games i think not.......
@SkanetWasTaken This is what I'm saying. It's why I hate this "meh indie" attitude because it's ignorant, idiotic and unhealthy to the industry as a whole. The AAA market as it is now is unsustainable because it's costing too much to make (hence pre orders, season passes and microtransactions) plus a lot of developers are getting disillusioned with the stresses and pressures of it that they'd rather go indie and make the games they want to make. One example is Ken Levine, he admitted himself that having shooting mechanics in the game was a necessary evil because 2K were worried it wouldn't sell without it, so what we had was a great game that could have been a classic but was dragged down too much shooting galleries, looting and difficulty spikes that padded out the game's length when it should have been this absorbing, mysterious journey through an incredible world.
@SkanetWasTaken
And just as ignorant are the people who act like the only games that get made these days are shooters so they write off all AAAs. It goes both ways. Bottomline, some people are going to love indies, others won't. The people who don't care for them are just as much entitled to their opinion as you are yours.
@SkanetWasTaken wow thanks! Is it too much to expect a AAA game from santa monica? Furthermore, a lot of those games are third party games. And yes i am offended because i can't have any opinion without being attack. And why stop gaming? Because you say so? Because i have a different opinion i Just have to shut up? Bunch of hypocrites.
And for your information i love low budget japanese games. Dangonronpa is far from AAA but i screamed for air when that got announced ( doensnt cost as much but the quality is superb). I loved helldivers and don't starve which are both indies. But is it too much to ask for a first party game of Sony?
@Sanquine To be honest i dont think they pulled everyone from the GOW project to do this small one. Dont put all of your eggs in one basket wasnt that the saying.Dont forget about Uncharted 4 and Bloodborne, Infamous,Untill Dawn. I think the days are over that we will see many 50-100 dollar million productions because in the end a lot of time it doesnt pay out.
@Sanquine Are you joking? PS4 has already eclipsed Xbox several times with AAA games, and it's got many more smaller games too. How this situation could ever be bad is beyond me. Whichever you prefer you're set. Me personally I like good games and couldn't care less whether they are AAA or "indie" type as you put it. And the PS4 is the best console I could ever have in that regard.
Also we already know SSM are working on at least God of War, possibly more AAA games. This is a collaboration with a small studio and can't possibly hurt those projects.
"I loved helldivers and don't starve which are both indies. But is it too much to ask for a first party game of Sony?" I'm not sure what you're getting at with this statement when Sony have been announcing first party games at a faster rate than ever lately.
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