Beast Bound
Platform: iOS, Android
In JB Gaming's RPG adventure Beast Bound, free for iOS and Android, you and your sassy floating cat-panion Cappi have been struggling to get by as monster hunters on the island of Manaden, but you don't exactly have the best reputation, so the bills (and pizza boxes) have been piling up, not to mention you're constantly being shown up by the rude (and incompetent) local hero Sky and his "friends". You manage to pick up some work clearing low level beasties for a local farmer when you stumble across a strange contraption that seems to be pumping mana straight out of the earth, and a strange folder inside it you can't manage to open. What are the chances you've just stumbled across a threat to the world that you'll have to stop, d'you suppose? You'll explore the island finding treasure and duking it out with monsters in a vaguely Super Mario RPG-esque turn-based battle system. Back at your cramped and dirty headquarters, you can decorate, clean up, craft potions and more. With simple to master gameplay and a beautiful style housing wonderfully funny dialogue, Beast Bound is a light-hearted and nostalgic RPG adventure for just about anyone, despite some rough edges.
Tongue firmly planted in cheek, Beast Bound is a cheerfully silly and surprisingly witty game, thanks in part to some great writing and the immense likability of your opportunistic pal Cappi. Visually the game is a treat... the colours spring off the spring, character design is expressive and quirky, and gameplay is a breeze to pick up. It's a shame that so much of the worldbuilding is relegated to the official website, since the story and characters are definitely the stars here, and more screentime with them would have been fantastic. Beast Bound feels very authentic in a way that fans of classic console RPGs will appreciate, and it's the sort of game that makes you want to kick back and sink an afternoon into like you were when you were a kid and really should be finishing up that book report, but just one more boss.
What Beast Bound desperately needs, however, is variety and polish, with gameplay that starts to feel a little too simple and repetitive, and combat that also at times is unbalanced. Damage can vary wildly both dealt and received to the exact same enemy, while the treasures you find are so random as to be unhelpful, with the in-game player shops rarely stocked to offset it. While there are unskippable in-game video ads, however, they're short and infrequent (always heralded by the ad-slinging ghost), and in-app purchases are mostly cosmetic. I say "mostly" being that you can also buy diamonds to speed up tasks or get more potions, but it doesn't feel necessary or pressured. Its developer seems to be actively soliciting feedback, working with players to quash bugs and balance things, which is always great to see, and there's no denying that Beast Bound definitely feels like a labour of love. If you want an RPG that won't demand anything from you but a sense of humour, Beast Bound is worth checking out. Despite its flaws and simplicity, it's bright, colourful, and merrily funny in a way I wish more games were.
Beast Bound (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad)
Android:
Beast Bound
The game was a little entertaining, but clearly I was entertained enough to finish it. Notably there are not that many ads and unlike other games it does not crash after an ad plays. Do not expect to finish this game in a day, with all the grinding for leveling up, weapons and health potions it takes about a month, possibly longer; I largely drew my play out due to routine and boredom, also I tend to grind to make sure my higher level playing experience is more successful. This is a game to enjoy a few times a day as one of your something to do when you want a distraction or to semi-relax for a few minutes. It had good and bad parts. The graphics were decent, the game play was relatively smooth. The craft stations are not really necessary, you can find just about everything in game, it just requires a lot of playing to happen to come across them, so really you could go either direction in playing. You always have to zoom out whether in map on in game, that part was irritating, especially with the large maps to get through. If the zoom issue was fixed I feel that there would have been a significant positivity in playing experience, at least for me. It was fun to figure out the weaknesses of the enemies. I liked coming across new items and collecting the right ones to craft a new higher item. *The really hard to get edibles did not give much of an increase in health, however the health potions and revive potions were very useful, the cheapest to buy and easiest to get or craft out of all the edible items.*
Partly I kept playing the game to earn enough coin to get all the Kat furniture, but also I had a lot of extra gems that I used to craft weapons and sell. Of course it was also a good boredom saver a few times a day.
The gems for higher level achievements don't really increase, I don't know why. If the gems did increase for higher achievements it would be an encourager for people to play more.
I prefer to watch an ad to earn something versus they stop you in your tracks in the middle of a map. If that option was available they could do both, so if you are not using the opportunity to earn a coin or gems then it goes back to the usual way of playing ads.
Battles and health:
Also see the store default prices section for notes on weapon damage and edible health benefit amounts.
You get hit less hard the lesser of a weapon you have, so if you know you can beat the next level but there is always a chance you play second you can lessen your weapon to survive before your turn. I have not thoroughly tested it, so the amount saved may not be worth the weapon switching, you must decide that for yourself.
Attack is based on level plus weapon.
Total health is determined by level of character. Max level 30, 170 health. There was no massive killer weapon and your health increases stopped at level 30.
If you want to stack up on health potions and revive potions repeatedly play level 1, Aric's Grove. Some others may also have the necessary items, but that is the level I stuck with.
You can exit to the shop to regain your health, however on later levels when there are really long paths the enemies may reappear negating the gained health.
Locations of quests if applicable:
Great for gaining coin when you have unneeded items.
Locations left blank if there are no quests.
Old Woodland
Aric's Grove
1 stone slab
1 mana wad
1 butterball
1 sturdy twig
80gold 70exp
Shore of Sorrow
2 stone soup
2 mana wad
2 smithy oil
2 sturdy twig
232gold 224exp
Pappy's Farm
Bumble Bee Farm
1 iron ingot
3 mana wad
2 leather
158gold 238exp
Tranquil Forest
1 butterbowl
2 leather
1 heart root
205 gold 308exp
Gildenfree (varies upon level reached)
2 shroom
1 beef shank
1 stone soup
299gold 238exp
2 iron ore
1 smithy oil
109gold 154exp
Later:
3 mana wad
2 someone's blood
2 fresh spring water
340gold 434exp
1 blade o' grass
2 shroom
162gold 182exp
2 heart root
2 mana wad
182gold 224exp
Even Later:
2 dough-dough
1 questionable meat
2 something's blood
491gold 630exp
2 smithy oil
4 leather
166gold 308exp
2 tamahagane
2 leather
3 fresh spring water
416gold 616exp
And Later:
1 whump stump
2 fresh spring fresh water
182gold 238exp
2 bleed worm
2 iron rivet
1 liquid boom
508gold 784exp
1 something's blood
1 someone's blood
2 mana wad
202gold 252exp
Rollem Winds
2 questionable meat
1 tamahagane
1 sturdy twig
306gold 392exp
3 stone slab
2 iron ore
144gold 196exp
Seaside Getaway
The Crossroads
1 priceless fossil
2 dough-dough
1 iron rivet
2 sturdy twig
520gold 644exp
Lost Cavern
2 something's blood
2 liquid boom
1 leerdrop scarf
2 dough-dough
690gold 896exp
Darkshore Rock
2 skull soup
5 stone bomb
1 whump stump
1202gold 1610exp
Hot Springs
Stoker's Thicket
1 fritter critter
2 damascus
2 sturdy twig
495gold 616exp
Seacliff Rock
3 sturdy twig
72gold 42exp
1 whump stump
58gold 70exp
1 blade o' grass
42gold 42exp
Starfish Coast
2 flavor bone
2 leerdrop scarf
1 someone's blood
2 grill stacks
624gold 784exp
Watery Timberland
1 skull soup
5 squire sword
3 sturdy stick
904gold 1092exp
Enchanted Loch
1 tomato
4 skull soup
2 stuffin bun
1202gold 1596exp
Cloud Island
2 damascus
3 sauce pack
2 Ms. Fizz
1126gold 1470exp
Misty Hollows
2 ms. fizz
2 sauce pack
2 stuffin bun
1040gold 1400exp
Shellrider Woods
Blackrock Beach
1 unicorn poop
2 skull soup
1 stuffin bun
2 liquid boom
1026gold 1260exp
Swashbuckler Sands
1 unicorn poop
1 root beer
2 solid chocolate rocks
1 skull soup
1344gold 1386exp
Sneak Tunnel
The store's default selected prices, not necessarily the items worth:
As well as notes on weapons and edible health increases
barb-aric 94 (find for crafting) (quite an improvement over the twig) +3 I accidentally bought this on my first round to the shops, way over paid, but it came in handy for the first many levels
beat loaf 96 (craft only?) (better than twig) +5
beef shank 140 (find for crafting) (weapon) +3
berry bomb 32 (can find and craftable) (splash/multi hit weapon) +8
birthday basher 699 (one of three highest weapons, good against rollems) +15
blade o' grass 42 (better than your fist) +3
bleed worm 80 (find for crafting)
boom bomb 120 (splash/multi hit weapon) +20
butter bowl 84 (craft only?)
butter cone 342 (craft only?) (52 health)
butterball 16 (find for crafting) (5 health)
chin buster 180 (mid range weapon?) +8
choco rocks 306 (find for crafting)
damascus 152 (find for crafting)
dough-dough 112 (find for crafting)
edible herbs 11 (2 health, more than 0, still useful, in abundance when collecting mana wads)
flavor bone 92 (weapon) +3
fossil fist 999 (one of three highest weapons) +14
fresh spring water 62 (6 health)
fritter critter 143 (craft only?) (34 health)
grill stacks 88 (craft only?) (26 health)
health tonic 22 (recovers about half health)
heart root 75 ?
hot rod 76 (find for crafting)
iron ingot 64 (find for crafting)
iron ore 36 (find for crafting)
iron rivet 123 (craft only?)
iron slammer 125 (great for rollems) +6
leather 23 (find for crafting)
leerdrop scarf 90 ?
liquid boom 102 (craft only?)
mana wad 16 (find for crafting)
mana paddle 599 (one of three highest weapons) +13
ms. fizz 204 (craft only?) (6 health)
nature's bounty 321 (splash/multi hit weapon) +40
priceless fossil 125 (find for crafting)
questionable meat 95 (find for crafting)
revive potion 22 (full health recovery)
rollem buster 189 (not as good as iron slammer because it doesn't freeze) +9
rollem skull 106 (find for crafting)
root beer 250 (42 health)
rot dog 136 (36 health)
sauce pack 138 (craft only?)
shark's fin 299 (May do better than the mana paddle, good against sharks and plants) +11
shroom 60 (13 health)
skull soup 162 (36 health)
smithy oil 37 (find for crafting)
someone's blood 84 (find for crafting)
something's blood 86 (find for crafting)
squire sword 134 (better than your twig, good against plants) +6
stone bomb 164 (splash/multi hit weapon) +20
stone slab 24 (find for crafting)
stone soup 39 (16 health)
stuffin bun 178 (40 health)
sturdy twig 24 (better than your fist) +2
tamahagane 92 (find for crafting)
the roosevelt 78 (weapon) +4
toemato 198 (find for crafting)
unicorn poop 320 (craft only?)
warrior spirit 142 (find for crafting)
wereclaw 332 +12 (find only?)
whump stump 58 (better than your fist) +4
Some of my sales in the shop:
I spent a bit of time buying out every shop and for the most part my prices were lower than what I bought them for; the purpose? I had already finished the game and had lots of extra coin left over. When I finished playing I clearanced everything out at 10% prices (not listed in sales sheet below).
I had a different computer when I started, so not everything is on here. The sales were about double what it is listed below and sold in a shorter amount of time as there were a significantly higher number of players playing. The more players the more successful your shop will be.
, = 1 sold
V = 5 sold
X = 10 sold
Prices varied by sell-ability and if there were a lot of something.
barb-aric 94 85 X
barb-aric 94 x10 700, 400 V,,,, x5 200,
beat loaf 96 90, 91 X X V
beat loaf 96 90, 91 x10 700,
beef shank 140, 142V,,,,
beef shank 140 x10 999 V,
berry bomb 32 30, 24,,,
berry bomb 32 x10 190,,, 181V,,,, 144 X,
birthday basher 699,,,
blade o' grass 42 X V,,
blade o' grass 42 x10 405,, 420,
bleed worm 80 60 X
boom bomb 120 100, 110 X,,,
boom bomb 120 x10 801,,
butter bowl 84 80,,, 84 X V,,,
butter cone 342 340, 301,,,
butterball 16 15 X,,
butterball 16 15 x10 150, 152
chin buster 180 170, 162 X
choco rocks 306, 296,, x2
damascus 152 150 V,
dough-dough 112 109,,,, 100,
edible herbs 11 10 X V,,,
edible herbs 11 10 x10 90,93,,,
flavor bone 92 90, 92 X,,
fossil fist 999,,
fresh spring water 62 60, 50 X V,,
fresh spring water 62 60, 50,, x10 410,
fritter critter 143 140, 141 V,,
fritter critter 143 140 x10 1111,,
grill stacks 88 80, 81 X V,,,,
grill stacks 88 x10 600,,,, 800,,
health tonic 22X,,,
heart root 75 65 X V,,
heart root 75 x10 500, 502,
hot rod 76 70, 61 X
hot rod 76 x10 500,, 503
iron ingot 64 60, 51 V,
iron ingot 64 x10 401,
iron ore 36 X V,
iron rivet 123 X,,
iron slammer 125 120 X X
leather 23 20 X V,
leather 23 x10 150,151,
leerdrop scarf 90 70,, 71 V,,,
leerdrop scarf 90 x10 500,,,
liquid boom 102 100 X,, x6 (600)
liquid boom 102 x10 801,
mana wad 16 X X X, x2
mana wad 16 x10 160,
mana paddle 599 V
ms. fizz 204 200,, 201,,
nature's bounty 321,,,
nature's bounty 321 x10 2222,
priceless fossil 125,,,
questionable meat 95 80, 81,, 86,,,
revive potion 22 44 X X,,,
revive potion 22 x10 440,,,
rollem buster 189 180, 171 V,,,,
rollem skull 106 90, 91, 95,,,,
rollem skull 106 x5 400, 402
rollem skull 106 x10 700,
root beer 250, 241V
rot dog 136 130, 131 V,,,
sauce pack 138, 128 X,
sauce pack 138, x10 952,
shark's fin 299 X X
shark's fin 299 x10 2123,
shroom 60 40 X,,,,
skull soup 162 160 V,,,,
smithy oil 37 40, 41 X V
someone's blood 84 80 V,,,,
something's blood 86 80,, 83 X
squire sword 134 130, 132 V,,
stone bomb 164, 160, 161,,
stone slab 24 20, 21 X,,,
stone slab 24 x10 200 V,,, x2
stone soup 39 30,,31 X V
stone soup 39 x10 250,,,,
stuffin bun 178 170 V
sturdy twig 24 48 X
sturdy twig 24 48, x10 480, 405 X V 480
tamahagane 92 80, 82 X,,,
the roosevelt 78 70 V, 71,,, 70 V,, x2
the roosevelt 78 x10 500,, 501
toemato 198 190 X,,
unicorn poop 320,,,
warrior spirit 142 140 V,,,
warrior spirit 142 x10 1155,
wereclaw 332,
whump stump 58 68 X V,,,
whump stump 58 68, x10 680,,
Problems I came across (happened once unless otherwise noted):
They may have resolved some of the issues I had when I started playing at approximately the end of August, I have removed all from the list that I know have been fixed.
20 gems just disappeared (they went from 35 to 9 and I had spent a total of 6), 5 achievements selected and 1 gem earned (you may want to collect 1 achievement at a time), (gems went from 59 to 50 while none had been spent)
The Crossroads the chest gave me a priceless fossil (found in treasure chest, never showed up in inventory)
Darkshore Rock (room with a whole to fall through, a few spaces "south" below the hole) a chest you cannot get to
Dialogue came up after entering arena, therefore could not block attacks
When crafting it asked if I wanted to buy missing resources; I do not know why it came up and good thing it asked for 0 gems since there were no resources that I did not already have for the task to start, in fact I had more than needed
Selected an iron slammer, went to a different machine, came back to see how much time it would take for the iron slammer, no iron slammer in progress, items to make it gone and the iron slammer is not any where to be found
Shellrider Woods a coin on top of a bush so impossible to collect
Sneak Tunnel at least two areas of coins are unreachable in the second room on the right
If you put an item in your store and then collect coins for one that was sold the game will crash, however there is an advantage to this, when you reload the bonus gems on the map will reappear, 1-3 as it usually is; so it is kind of a gift for the crash.
WoW I missed this game. Thank you so much SHA for this deep review.
Be careful with bigger enemies, if you don't tap right your weapon will hit two and you will have one less hit to defeat them.
Secret passageways:
There is a secret passageway in almost all of the levels. This path leads to coin and treasure. They can be a wee bit hard to spot if you are not looking for it, but really it isn't that difficult to find them. Just try tapping around the edges usually where there are trees or other environment objects that are taking up more space then you would expect blocking your view and that is where it tends to be. For the most part the environment goes to the edge of each room, so those spaces with extra edge environment items tend to be where the passageways are. You can search the edges or try tapping in the large areas that look like you cannot go through them.
Bonus gems
You get bonus gems on the board each day 1-3 gems, as well as for the first enemy you beat each day 1-2 gems. They can add up quite quickly. This may occur more often, but it is several hours in between gem resets.
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