Scalebound: A First Look

Today at GamesCom 2015, PlatinumGames released their first gameplay trailer for their upcoming game Scalebound. The game is set to be released in 2016 for the Xbox One, and players have a lot to expect from Platinum, who have developed great action games such as Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, and The Wonderful 101. Because of how well received these games were, players were hyped for months when Platinum had announced that they would be making a game that featured something that had been seriously lacking representation in this generation of consoles: dragons.

When the gameplay trailer first starts, we are greeted by an awesome dragon flying through a bright, beautiful, and stylized forest landscape that shows once again that Platinum is capable of creating a beautiful game. However, this initial breathtaking view is hindered by the fact that the video played at a choppy speed that took much away from what could have been a spectacular opening. We then hear lines of dialogue from the main character as he and his dragon approach a group of enemies that make him sound similar to DMC: Devil May Cry‘s Dante, and not in a good way. 

Featuring dragon arms and a snarky, edgy attitude, this character comes off as the generic kid that tries too hard to be cool, and his outfit is reminiscent of an ad for Beats headphones. All of that could be forgiven if not for the fact that even after the opening cinematic had ended, the gameplay still suffered from low framerate and uninteresting sword and bow combat.

However, we must remember not to be too critical of the game just yet. The game is still in pre-aplha, and with how reliable PlatinumGames has been in the past, they are unlikely to disappoint.