New Game is a Party-Based Soulslike

There's a new Soulslike on the block called Deathbound that brings forth a unique party-based system, promising to innovate upon other iterations of the punishing subgenre. Deathbound is a Soulslike developed by Trialforge Studio, which recently showcased a demo at Steam Next Fest. After numerous players had a taste of the game, the Brazilian studio collected all the feedback and pledged improvements for its second upcoming demo, available starting March 21 on Steam.

Soulslikes feature higher difficulty levels than usual and focus on environmental storytelling, which might intimidate newcomers to Soulslikes. Still, the punishing gameplay style of Souslikes became a global phenomenon and inspired developers worldwide to create their own take on the genre.

Deathbound has the unprecedented feature of being a party-based Soulslike. The game is set in the world of Ziêminal, where the science of the past clashes with the faith of the present. Players will control a character that can absorb fallen warriors' Essence and acquire their personality and traits. With new Essences, it's possible to switch between four heroes, assuming their abilities and battle style mid-combat. To clarify, Deathbound isn't a Soulslike where you create your own party members and fight collectively side by side, but rather a single-player game where the protagonist can assume the identity of the chosen party at will.

Among the available heroes is Mamdile, a warrior who utilizes Afro-Brazilian Capoeira martial arts skills. It's one of the most original combat styles not only in Soulslike games but in any action-RPG. Besides the Capoeira fighter, Deathbound features the knight Therone Guillaumen, the brute and violent Agharos of Meriva, the sorceress Olivia Heinz, and the elusive assassin Anna Lepus. Players can only take four of these heroes into battle at the same time, and if, by chance, their personalities clash with each other, the party's relationship can sour, resulting in buffs or debuffs for