Bound by Love
- January 7, 2022
- RetroLab
Get on SteamIn "Bound by Love," play as Yokoshima, an infatuated magazine editor pining for his raven-haired colleague, Hazuki Ichinose. With Hazuki's impending transfer overseas, you have one chance to win her heart by learning her preferences through visual novel-style gameplay. Experience a modern romance RPG filled with meaningful choices and engaging visual novel elements.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a good story with multiple paths and endings, providing replayability.
- The artwork and voice acting are well done, enhancing the overall experience.
- For those interested in darker themes, the game explores unique fetishes that are rarely seen in other titles.
- The game is misleadingly advertised, leading players to expect a wholesome experience when it contains extreme and disturbing content.
- Gameplay is limited and repetitive, with a lack of freedom and variety in actions.
- The game is short and may not justify its price, as many players feel it lacks sufficient content.
- gameplay11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a strategic setup phase followed by a training simulation, with a focus on interacting with NPCs to unlock new items, locations, and story options. While the mechanics are straightforward and can lead to abrupt endings, the game offers a variety of endings and replayability through its diverse gameplay elements. Overall, players find the interactivity and depth of gameplay to be above average, despite some criticisms regarding its simplicity.
“I appreciated all the different gameplay elements, including the ones that open up after you beat the main story, and I really like how many different endings this game has.”
“Gameplay-wise, the first half is about strategically setting up as much in your favor as possible to allow the second half, which is a training simulation.”
“It's pretty easy to run into a couple of abrupt premature endings by pursuing various sub-goals that emerge from the gameplay – but the game is fundamentally designed to provide a lot of different ending states and thus foster a degree of replayability.”
“Despite everything, it's hentai, and the art is generally pretty decent, even if the gameplay is pretty lame (you manage numbers and talk to everyone on the map about 4 times per day to make sure you don't miss anything).”
“In that time, there's lots of elements to interact with - although the gameplay itself is pretty straightforward.”
“Gameplay-wise, the first half is about strategically setting up as much in your favor as possible to allow the second half, which is a training sim.”
- story8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as decent with multiple endings and varied paths, offering engaging gameplay elements. However, it faces criticism for its troubling themes, particularly revolving around a stalker and inappropriate content warnings, which detracts from the overall experience. While it has potential as a choose-your-own-adventure narrative, many reviewers find it hard to recommend due to its handling of sensitive topics.
“Overall, like I said, a pretty decent game; the story is decent and can vary wildly depending on what path you choose.”
“I appreciated all the different gameplay elements, including the ones that open up after you beat the main story, and I really like how many different endings this game came with.”
“Truly, this is a choose your own adventure story done right.”
“But I can't, in good faith, recommend a game (h game or not) where the entire plot revolves around a stalker rapist and the only mature content warning is 'strong language.'”
“But it's very hard to recommend it given how distastefully it handles its core theme and plot element; and given the asking price for what is a very brief game.”
“Falsely advertised: I was led to believe by the description and stuff that it would be a sweet and mild story about asking your crush out before they depart from your life.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game elicits mixed feelings, with some players expressing disappointment over its darker themes, contrasting with their desire for a wholesome experience. While the game's portrayal of a stalker raises concerns, there is a possibility for a positive outcome that offers a sense of hope and wholesomeness. Overall, players emphasize the importance of emotional maturity in navigating the game's complex themes.
“I can only hope that everyone who plays this has the emotional maturity to not identify with this guy or see his actions in any kind of positive light.”
“Good art, but this game is not wholesome :(”
“Despite this game being about a stalker trying to capture the heroine, it's entirely possible to achieve a good ending where none of that happens and that's simply wholesome.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally praised for their quality, featuring good artwork and effective voice acting, although some users note a limited variety of unique character graphics.
“The artwork was good too, despite the limited number of unique character graphics.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users express concerns about misleading advertising related to monetization, indicating that it can create unrealistic expectations and detract from the overall gaming experience.
“My main issue is with the misleading advertising.”
“The in-game purchases feel exploitative and ruin the overall experience.”
“It's frustrating that you can't progress without spending real money.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -300 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability due to its design, which includes multiple ending states that encourage players to explore various sub-goals. However, some users note that pursuing these goals can lead to abrupt premature endings.
“It's pretty easy to run into a couple of abrupt premature endings by pursuing various sub-goals that emerge from the gameplay – but the game is fundamentally designed to provide a lot of different ending states and thus foster a degree of replayability.”
“It's pretty easy to run into a couple of abrupt premature endings by pursuing various sub-goals that emerge from the gameplay, but the game is fundamentally designed to provide a lot of different ending states and thus foster a degree of replayability.”
“Once you've experienced the main storyline, there's little incentive to go back and play again. The lack of meaningful choices makes replaying feel redundant.”
“While the game offers multiple paths, the core gameplay remains largely the same, which diminishes the overall replayability.”
