Paperbound Reviews
With its four-player arena-based combat, 'Paperbound' returns to the glory days of local multiplayer, offering fast and frenetic gameplay that's best enjoyed with a group of friends.
Paperbound is a thrilling multiplayer arena game, but too few game modes and lack of an online feature makes it only an occasional party favorite.
Paperbound isn't all that exciting even for hardcore arena veterans, but the foundation is there for a fast-paced frag-fest. The developers employed a half-measure when it comes to aesthetics and content, but there's plenty of fun to be had once you start flipping out and making gravity your bitch.
If you're looking for a new local multiplayer game for you and your friends, then Paperbound might just be the right one, with its fresh take on the genre and brilliantly inspired aesthetic. If you're not the type for local gaming, then while the AI works well enough, the lack of single player content may get old fast, though the PS4's SharePlay feature could be a welcome solution.
Built for local couch multiplayer matchups with friends, Paperbound is definitely a quality option for parties, but otherwise will likely be collecting dust on your hard drive in the mean time.
Paperbound is a riot, and a ton of fun to play with a group of people. As easy as it is to quickly hop in and set up matches, and the fairly simple control scheme overall, it's a great party game. Sadly, Paperbound may not reach its full potential for you if you don't have three other people to play with locally. That doesn't mean it's a bad game, it just means that it is meant for four local human players by design. If you are looking for an excellent party game and a way to relive that classic, long-lost experience of simple, crazy gaming with other people in the same room, Paperbound is a chaotic festival of unpredictable madness that really deserves a home on your PS4.
The best way to determine whether Paperbound is for you is by answering one simple question: can you assemble a group of people to play video games with on a regular occasion? If the answer's yes, then put this on your watch list; it's a fun and fulfilling casual brawler that will provide solid afternoons of multiplayer action. If not, then you should probably consider closing the book on your interest in this.
For ten dollars you get a game that really is just a multiplayer game that you can only enjoy with friends at your house. For some that could be a bit of an undertaking in and of itself. But if you can get three friends to play with you, you can have a decent time with it.
Paperbound taps into our imagination by drilling into the pages of literary classics, fuelling a frenzied brawler that deviates from standard fare through subtle and unique decisions.
When it comes to Smash Bros. clones, Paperbound is, well, paper thin. That's not to say the game isn't fun, because if you get the right group together, it can be. The brawling tactics are good, though not great, and the change-up in certain stages can make for some interesting scenarios. But it all feels a bit one-note, especially when it comes to the presentation and lack of variety. It's worth a try considering its low price, but don't go into this expecting the next great party game.
Paperbound does a lot of things well, but mechanically it's a bit too shallow when compared to the more hardcore arena fighters out there. The concept is cool, and has a unique enough twist, but it is a game that will work best in more casual environments.
The action can be fierce in Paperbound, but the game should be played in short bursts. The small amount of game modes, and the lack of online multiplayer restricts the longevity of the title. If you are able to gather a few friends, Paperbound will provide an enjoyable old-school arena multiplayer experience for a quick hour or so.
Paperbound's restrictions impelled me to seek out my friends and spend time with them and that is a worthy, if comparatively inconvenient, experience for a game to foster. If you can manage to wrangle up enough controllers and in-the-flesh human beings, a jolly experience awaits you. Otherwise—maybe skip buying the game and just go hang out with your friends.
Missing features and lack of variety may be a let down, but Paperbound is fun, four-player fighter with plenty of heart and a desire to bring back sofa-centered local multiplayer.
I've never laughed so much at getting constantly brutalised by my competitors. The game is nothing short of whole-hearted fun
All in all, Paperbound is a fun game. It's got a lot of potential to be a staple for anyone who has friends that come over and play games on a regular basis. But if you're not willing or able to play the game as intended — four-player couch versus only — then you're going to be equal measures bored and frustrated, and painfully so, at that.
When first playing Paperbound you would be forgiven for thinking that the game is a simplistic take on the arena battle genre. Dig a little deeper though and you find a game with solid gameplay mechanics, that delivers rounds of fast paced fun whilst playing solo, or with friends. The quick, frenzied matches of Paperbound can offer hours of fun if the core gameplay appeals to you. It's undoubtedly a mix of solid mechanics that appear simple, but are fiendishly fun to play and can be deviously complex, it's just a shame that Paperbound ends up being paper thin.
'Paperbound' feels like a game on the wrong platform. As a Vita game, or a mobile title, something to play on the go when you have a half hour to kill waiting for something bigger to download, 'Paperbound's simplicity would be a boon, a perfect slice of hectic mayhem to pull out of your pocket on a whim. As a PS4 game, though, it just feels thin, a delicious bite that makes one pine for the satisfying main course that doesn't come. Still, it's hard to be immune to its charms in the moment. There's nothing to dislike about 'Paperbound' aside from the fact that there's not more of it. That's the best kind of problem to have.
While Gamestyle can't confidently state that Paperbound should be in everyone's library, if this is your excuse to call your friends, get the beers in and squeeze everyone on the sofa, we say bring it on.
In the end, Paperbound is a good game if you enjoy local multiplayer action. The core mechanics provide a good amount of chaos and strategy while remaining fun for players of all skill types. Though the modes don't seem to have much variance, the gameplay is solid enough that few will find the lack of variety to be detrimental, and the presentation is distinct enough to stand out in what is starting to be a rather crowded fighting sub-genre. The lack of a true single-player mode and online multiplayer hurts the game when you compare it to other titles, but if you play lots of local multiplayer anyway, you and your friends will have plenty of fun with Paperbound.