Bound

Overview

Bound is a platformer that features a dialogue-free framing story between levels, with heavily symbolism throughout. In the core game, the player travels across platforming locations broken into fragments, with the fragments often solidifying into platforms when approached in order to facilitate progress.

The balletic protagonist's grace is demonstrated through her traversal and the way she animates when crossing over narrow bridges or fighting enemies. She regularly runs afoul of an evil monarch that has dropped her kingdom into its current chaotic state.

The framing story, meanwhile, presents a pregnant woman who is returning to a beach and reminiscing about her childhood. These memories are first represented by the levels and then by a vivid static image that the player must recreate by corralling broken fragments together. These snippets eventually reveal the tale of the woman's unhappy upbringing and her hang-ups about her parents.