Remake · Adventure · Role-playing

Scalebound

Xbox console exclusiveRemake

In Scalebound, the next great adventure from critically-acclaimed developer PlatinumGames and renowned Game Director Hideki Kamiya, you will experience the journey of a young loner, Drew, who is pulled into the strange, beautiful and dangerous world of Draconis. There Drew is bonded to a fearsome and noble dragon, Thuban, the last of his kind. These two, lone-wolf heroes thrown together by fate must learn to fight as one to defeat the powerful enemies that threaten Draconis, Earth and a vast universe of parallel worlds.

Released: —
Platforms: Windows Xbox One
Genres: Adventure Role-playing
Developers: —
Publishers: Xbox Game Studios
Modes: Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Third person
Themes: Action Fantasy Open world
Engine: Unreal Engine 4
Country: Japan

About

Scalebound was an action role-playing game developed by PlatinumGames from 2013 until its cancellation in 2017. It was scheduled to be released in 2017 for Windows and Xbox One, but Microsoft Studios announced its cancellation in January 2017. In the game, players would assume control of Drew, and his dragon partner, Thuban. Players could use a variety of weapons to defeat enemies, and could issue commands to the dragon, which assisted players during battles. Unlike other games developed by PlatinumGames, the game was to put more focus on graphical qualities and the role-playing aspect instead of action.

Keywords

evolution
action-adventure
giant monsters
achievements
polygonal 3d
bow and arrow
canceled games
gamescom 2015
male protagonist

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Scalebound was an action role-playing game played in a third-person perspective, in which players assumed control of Drew, as he progressed through the world of Draconis. Players are accompanied by a dragon called Thuban, who would assist Drew throughout the game. Drew and Thuban are bonded together, and Thuban's death would cause Drew to die as well and vice versa. Thuban is usually controlled by artificial intelligence, but players can give commands to the dragon when performing attacks.

Drew can enter the Dragon Link mode, allowing the player to directly control the dragon from his perspective. In this mode, the perspective would shift to first-person, and Drew is very vulnerable to attacks. There are three types of dragons, each with different characteristics. The three types can be blended together through the game's customization options and the dragon's abilities, appearances and armor can be modified by the player.

Development

The game was under development by PlatinumGames. The concept for the game was created when Platinum established in 2006 but the studio decided to move to develop Bayonetta instead of making Scalebound. The studio attempted to re-pitch the game again after the completion of Bayonetta, and a prototype was made but it failed to generate any interest, and the studio moved on to develop The Wonderful 101. When the development of The Wonderful 101 was almost finished, the idea for Scalebound was revised, and the game's development officially began in 2013.

Director Hideki Kamiya considered the game a new experience for the studio, as it was something that they had never worked on before. The studio hoped that they could create a game whose gameplay would have been unlike any other game previously developed by Platinum. Kamiya described it as a big challenge for the studio. He also considered the collaboration between Platinum and Microsoft a leap forward for the studio.