Unbound:Worlds Apart

85%
Game Brain Score Based on 616 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
Unbound:Worlds Apart Game Cover
Unbound: Worlds Apart blends gorgeous design and animation with puzzle platformer challenges that incorporate a number of unique mechanics to create an extensive and exciting adventure.
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"Unbound: Worlds Apart" is a hand-drawn, atmospheric platformer that challenges players to navigate through a series of unique and surreal worlds. Each world features its own distinct rules and physics, requiring players to adapt and strategize in real-time. With a focus on exploration and puzzle-solving, players must harness the power of their character's magical abilities to bond and break with the environment, in order to progress through the game.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

85%
Audience ScoreBased on 616 reviews
gameplay136 positive mentions
stability13 negative mentions
  • Beautiful hand-drawn art style and captivating soundtrack enhance the overall experience.
  • Unique portal mechanics provide engaging puzzles and platforming challenges.
  • The game offers a fair difficulty curve with frequent checkpoints, making it rewarding to overcome challenges.
  • The game can feel overly difficult at times, especially in later sections, leading to frustration.
  • The story and character development are minimal, making it less engaging for players seeking a rich narrative.
  • Some mechanics, such as hitboxes and control responsiveness, can be inconsistent, affecting gameplay.
  • gameplay312 mentions

    The gameplay of "Unbound: Worlds Apart" is characterized by its unique portal mechanics that introduce a variety of puzzle-solving and platforming challenges, keeping the experience engaging and dynamic. While many players appreciate the creative level design and the fluidity of controls, some express frustration with the precision required and occasional lack of clarity in mechanics. Overall, the game offers a mix of enjoyable platforming and clever puzzles, though it may not reach the same heights as other titles in the genre like "Hollow Knight" or "Celeste."

    • “The platforming and metroidvania aspect is okay, but the additional dimension-swapping puzzle mechanic really sets this game apart.”
    • “Each new mechanic was interesting and didn't overstay its welcome.”
    • “The gameplay is fun and often times extremely challenging.”
    • “The gameplay is not much fun; it's not terrible, but it's not fun enough, and the reason is the simplicity and how repetitive the level design is. The puzzles are often so obvious that they are not puzzles, and the gameplay is a bit too simple.”
    • “The mechanics are frustrating, the story isn't engaging, and the abilities are very basic and take a long time to unlock.”
    • “I feel like the devs had more they wanted to do; there's a couple of mechanics that show up once, maybe twice, and then disappear again, and it makes me feel like the game is incomplete.”
  • story218 mentions

    The story in "Unbound: Worlds Apart" is generally viewed as underwhelming and simplistic, often described as predictable and lacking depth, with many players finding it forgettable or merely a backdrop to the gameplay. While some appreciate the charming art style and the potential for lore through collectibles, the delivery and character development are criticized for being dry and uninspired. Overall, the narrative does not significantly enhance the experience, with many players prioritizing the platforming mechanics over the story itself.

    • “The storytelling is immersive and the mechanics are very efficient.”
    • “The story is not long but it fits great into the world.”
    • “The story may not be the most mind-blowing thing, but it's interesting with charming characters and a great background.”
    • “The story is delivered in the driest way possible; basically every character you talk to is talking like they are quoting from a book, they don't feel like real characters at all.”
    • “The story in particular lacks the gravitas the game is trying to sell to the player - again, it feels slightly rushed and lacking some extra thought that would really make it shine.”
    • “The story was weak and forgettable; I found myself forgetting the point of what I was doing and not at all invested in the game, or even my own progress.”
  • graphics145 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beautiful hand-drawn art style, vibrant colors, and polished visuals, often drawing comparisons to titles like Ori and Hollow Knight. Many reviewers highlighted the smooth transitions between worlds and the overall aesthetic appeal, though some noted that while the graphics are nice, they may not stand out significantly in a crowded genre. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's atmosphere and gameplay experience, making it a visually engaging platformer.

    • “The graphics are very polished and the transitions between the worlds are very smooth.”
    • “The visuals and game and enemy design are delightful!”
    • “The graphics are incredible and the game mechanics are creative and unique.”
    • “The graphics are ok, there's some areas of just walking through uninteresting screens to get from A to B.”
    • “This game does feel like it has the art style of Ori 1 but significantly cheaper looking; for the most part, it looks decent though a lot of the enemies and spikes, really anything with multiple layers looked unfinished or unpolished.”
    • “My biggest issue with this game is honestly the art style.”
  • music126 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its beauty and atmospheric qualities that enhance the gameplay experience. However, some players find it repetitive or not memorable enough, occasionally detracting from immersion. Overall, while the soundtrack is often described as enchanting and fitting, there are concerns about audio balance and the music's ability to stand out in certain contexts.

    • “The soundtrack is beautiful, and the studio's attention to detail shows their dedication and love for this game.”
    • “The music is wonderful, the controls are amazing and the graphics are some of the best out there - take your time and really look at the background, both within and outside of your little portal.”
    • “The music is really good and supports the mood very well.”
    • “The downside comes with the music, which is too simple and repetitive, especially for this kind of game, and the animation, which is honestly pretty bad at times, only passable the rest of the time.”
    • “The background music was kinda just there and never really felt like it contributed properly to the setting.”
    • “The music was pretty in the beginning, but in some places it got very repetitive and messed with my concentration so I turned it off.”
  • atmosphere36 mentions

    The atmosphere of "Unbound: Worlds Apart" is widely praised for its immersive and gorgeous design, combining beautiful artwork with a compelling soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to create a unique ambiance that complements its challenging gameplay and engaging story, making it feel both atmospheric and dynamic. Overall, the game is described as a captivating blend of art, music, and environment that draws players into its enchanting world.

    • “Unbound: Worlds Apart is an atmospheric indie game that transcends being boxed into one genre.”
    • “The atmosphere is amazing, the art design is beautiful, and the soundtrack perfectly matches the game.”
    • “Unbound has a strong and unique atmosphere which can easily take you out of your room to the melancholic realm of Vaiya, Sanarya, and Umbrella.”
    • “When taking on difficult puzzles or boss fights, these map themes often take on more intense instrumentation, driving atmosphere and immersion above all.”
    • “Starting in the lamp atmosphere of a colorful world where you can only jump, we gradually come to a double jump underwater, followed by a double dash and instant switching of the conditions of the surrounding reality.”
    • “The gameplay loop here is most similar to Celeste in that the gameplay focuses on a lot of short, challenging fine-tuned platforming 'levels,' even though holistically, the art, story, atmosphere, music, exploration, environment, and map are much more similar to Ori and the Blind Forest.”
  • stability13 mentions

    The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs and glitches affecting gameplay across various platforms, including Linux and Steam Deck. Players have experienced issues such as character disappearance upon respawning, random deaths in specific levels, and frequent crashes, which detract from the overall experience. While some mechanics are well-implemented, the persistent instability and lag significantly hinder enjoyment.

    • “Another one of the problems is that the game can be rather buggy.”
    • “Extremely buggy on Steam Deck.”
    • “Would be a good game if it wasn't for the constant lag (even on the lowest setting, nothing else running in the background and I have well above the required system specs), screen freezes, and I keep getting fatal error messages and the game crashes.”
  • emotional11 mentions

    Overall, players feel that the game lacks emotional depth and connection, with insufficient time to bond with characters before significant events occur. While the story has potential, the execution fails to deliver impactful moments, leaving players feeling detached rather than moved. The gameplay mechanics, focused on traversal and quick respawns, detract from the emotional engagement, resulting in a missed opportunity for a more profound experience.

    • “Players haven't had enough time interacting and building an emotional connection with the village, then it's just gone and destroyed by demons.”
    • “It kind of made me feel like Limbo did, which I was not expecting.”
    • “The story behind it is interesting and touching.”
  • replayability9 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it offers limited replay value primarily as a one-time experience, others appreciate the presence of collectibles, multiple endings, and optional challenges that encourage exploration and replay. The consensus suggests a moderate level of replayability, with some players rating it around 6/10.

    • “Many of these types of games have a darker macabre element to them, this is no exception, but it's fairly chill anyway and has great replay value.”
    • “There are additional collectibles and different endings to increase replayability.”
    • “Not a lot of replayability, I'd say, but a short to medium duration singleplayer experience where you'll be challenged at times, while far from being the hardest platformer in the world.”
    • “There are lost villagers and other NPCs to find in the world from optional areas, and finding enough villagers can open additional challenge areas to try out, so there is some replay value if you want to find everything.”
    • “Replayability: 6/10”
  • optimization7 mentions

    The game suffers from significant optimization issues, with players reporting extremely low frame rates (as low as 5 fps on high-end hardware) and persistent stuttering, making gameplay nearly impossible. Performance on the Steam Deck is also subpar, particularly with the default Linux installation, and users have noted erratic VRAM usage when vsync is disabled. Overall, these technical shortcomings detract from the game's potential enjoyment and mechanics.

    • “My only minor gripe is with interesting performance behavior on Linux, where VRAM usage goes crazy when VSync is disabled.”
    • “It sucks because I enjoyed the concept of the mechanics, but the performance issues made the platforming nearly impossible.”
    • “Typically, this should be a 'Steam Deck' type of game; unfortunately, the performance on the deck is not good when you follow the default installation, which is native Linux.”
    • “This could be a really good game, but it's really poorly optimized. No matter what settings I use, the game constantly stutters and there are some very annoying bugs.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience, with some describing it as tedious and frustrating, particularly during boss fights and certain areas. While the game improves after an initial slow start, it can still feel repetitive, especially for those aiming for 100% completion. However, some players appreciate the unique mechanics that allow for avoiding enemies, even if it occasionally leads to a grind.

    • “The full game starts too tedious before becoming good when it hits the stride of the demo, then it returns to tediousness.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “It is a little grinding at some points, and can be a little frustrating in some areas, but you don't have to worry about that too much if you aren't planning on doing a 100% run like I did.”
  • character development4 mentions

    Character development in the game is highlighted by impressive character designs, particularly for the main character and the humorous blue cat, which adds charm to the experience. However, the overall depth of character development is limited, as the game's linearity and short length restrict opportunities for meaningful interactions and growth. While the visuals and music are praised, the lack of significant character progression leaves some players wanting more.

    • “The character design is on point with the differing outfits and not one outfit for all.”
    • “The graphics are pretty and the portal concept is really awesome, and Soli (as well as the character designs in general) is very cute.”
    • “The level and character design is beautiful.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game is noted through the amusing character designs, particularly the protagonist and a quirky blue cat, which adds a lighthearted touch to the experience. However, the overall comedic elements are overshadowed by critiques of the game's linearity and lack of interactive map features, leading to mixed feelings about its engagement and replayability.

    • “I think it's funny that everyone loves souls-like games (I don't), but most of the reviews about the difficulty of this game are negative.”
    • “The character design was pretty cool for the main character and the funny blue cat, which added a nice touch to the overall experience.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

80% average critic score

Buy Unbound:Worlds Apart

Play time

8hMedian play time
8hAverage play time
4-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 12 analyzed playthroughs

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