Honor Bound

I liked “Honor Bound” quite a bit. It’s beautifully written, and I enjoyed getting to know the characters, especially my chosen love interest. Indeed, the romance was probably the highlight of the game, in my opinion, and the optional adult scenes were pretty good, too. The story, meanwhile, while okay, never really seemed to take off. Instead, I felt like I spent most of the game engulfed in the day-to-day of a bodyguard, and the threats I assumed would appear rarely did. Mostly just your run-of-the-mill bandits with motives as deep as a puddle. In short, only late in the game do things get intense. Prior to that, you spend most of the time talking to people, patrolling the area, attending social events, and doing minor tasks rather than anything particularly meaningful. (7/10)

Harris Powell-Smith is amazing at making these kinds of games. Them and Kreg Segall (Jolly Good Cakes and Ale) are the masters of this genre and people should be throwing money at both of them to keep writing. I only wish I could have properly imported my save from Royal Affairs--unfortunately that game appears to have a game breaking bug now right around after you choose to join the drama club.

I've enjoyed this whole series, characters are compelling and well written. You don't need to have played the previous entries to enjoy and understand this one, or any of them really. Its the same world but your always in a different country, if not not continent. I wouldn't describe any of them as having alot of action, but good pacing, and legitimate player agency, with logical outcomes based on your skills and attitude. My only warning/criticism is that after playing all the games, the DEI/forced lgbtq just gets to be a little stale and feels like its being used a crutch at times.I get that its not easy to write multiple young adult characters that all have depth, but there were characters i felt like their being trans was included so they could have some kind of arc. I also don't creatively respect presenting the option to players to chose these character's genders as you go, only to find out the character is trans in the next chapter, can be especially jarring if you started to romance that character before its revealed. I think you should fully implement it, or dont. I just don't respect fence sitting. I donno, its a tricky topic to mention in reviews. I don't base my purchasing on whether or not there is a trans, gay, or non binary character, but if you want to include those character's, i'll review it alongside the rest of the narrative.

I never played the previous titles from the series. Doesn't seem like it's needed - all I can say is that there's an overabundance of names that I couldn't really keep up with and that may or may not be related to the setting. Varied cast of characters. 6 love interest - you can pick their gender, two of them are trans. Most existing couples don't seem to be traditional; poly marriages are thing and a bit overfocused on (not sure if harems, it's not explained here how 3 people marry together). It's an easy read - the type that keeps you entertained and glued to your screen until you finish it; however, the start is slower and the ending feels a little abrupt and even anticlimatic. It has a bit of everything - some slices of life, some romance, some action, though none of it is very fleshed out. You get choices almost every single page - some add to your stats, the other test them. I feel they could've done more with your character - the setup is good, there's a bit of discussion here and there about your thoughts and feelings but that's about it. A few examples: - When you're talking to the priest about having killed someone, I expected something deeper, but not only is the answer pretty generic no matter the background, it's also almost identical to the reaction you get from telling another character; you even get the exact same response choices. At least you get the option to pray / remember the person that you killed, so the background isn't completely ignored. - The main characters' pain & injuries are a gimmick mentioned a few times that have no real consequences over the story (you can still carry heavy stuff while recovering from a spine injury and so on) - mostly used to trigger an achievement if you fail to take care of yourself too many times. - Religion is added but while it crops up here and there, I didn't see it having any effect over anything; it changes the events slightly - for example, a friend notices a statue in your room, or you get one extra irrelevant option at some point in a discussion but I played with both a believer and a non believer and there's no effect over your mental state, your recovery or your choices (like whether or not to help someone or hide something etc). In fact, you're always given a way for a non believer to choose believer options if you want (for example, choosing to participate in a ceremony because you like being part of the community) - so it's mostly choices to create the character you want in your mind, but with no ingame consequences. The other characters suffer from the same issue of their stats having almost no relevancy: - The characters can lean one way or the other with their personalities depending on your choices, but these values are only stat tests and the response is the same if you pass the test; they only seem to matter in the epilogue a little, but show no change in the character along the story - There's a bit of a discrepancy between the bar that shows how well you get along with someone and the text; you can have 80 on a bar with someone and they're angry with you and you never talk to them ever again; ok, we go from "trust" to "anger" but the option to patch things up only pops in the romance and not in friendship. - your charge's stats are even less relevant, even though there's several of them; once again, the result of a choice is the same if you pass the test using your preferred stat that you worked on; the character doesn't change or make different choice by herself; for example, she gets on patching up a relation with another girl if you ask her to and doesn't if you don't, no matter the stat you use - so it's all gimmicky, it genuinely didn't need 5 bars about her since all you needed was your influence over her; seems like they were added so you could fail if you choose a response that doesn't test the stat you worked on but that's about it. TLDR: it's a good read, but it's not long enough and detailed enough to be too deep. It's all very well technically done from the pov of a Choose your own adventure game, but the entire story is based on whether you pass or fail when a stat is being tested, the stats themselves changing almost nothing about a specific character or their actions (aside from where they end up in the epilogue); it also kinda fails at using the unique setup when fleshing out the character and the interaction with the others.

Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 562: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (9/10) Wake up, babe, another Harris Powell-Smith banger just dropped 😍😍😍 Am I crazy if I say this is as good as [i]Creme de la Crème[/i], the love of my life? It's wonderful seeing Powell-Smith's writing improve with each entry, and many of my disappointments with their two previous entries have been fixed. Everything about [i]Honor Bound[/i] is [i]refreshing:[/i] the older ROs, deep character customization, mature plot, and transparent stats. While I have two minor quibbles, [i]Honor Bound[/i] is Powell-Smith's most complete work to date. [b][h2]Pros:[/h2][/b] ✅[b] Premise.[/b] Whenever I see "boarding school," I let out a sigh. I love boarding school settings; I'm tired of boarding school settings. I've been Harry Potter/Percy Jackson/Ren Amamiya (Joker). I've used magic or powers. I've romanced teenagers (that ... sounded better in my head). But pretty much any material around boarding schools has been thoroughly explored. [i]Honor Bound[/i] is a slice-of-life that takes place at a boarding school—but flips the perspective entirely. You aren’t a student; you’re an older bodyguard, responsible for keeping students safe (and, thankfully, not romancing them). It’s rare for IF to let you play an older protagonist. Now, you can be in your late 20s, 30s, or even 40s, which immediately changes the tone: this isn't some whimsy coming-of-age game. No, you'll be focusing on trauma, duty, and authority. ✅[b] ROMANCE. OPTIONS.[/b] Respectfully, virtually all these ROs are MILFs—or, to be inclusive, PILFs (Parents I'd Like to F*ck). Not to be a fangirl or anything, but the cast is mostly in their 30s or 40s, with some comments about characters' silver hair. Most IF romance revolves around youth, first love, or explosive feelings. [i]Honor Bound[/i] trades that for chemistry built on competence, trust, and shared responsibility—and honestly? It’s hotter. And this might sound silly, but they [i]feel[/i] like adults. These romances come with history, restraint, and a sense that everyone involved has already lived a full life before you showed up. Besides age (which, you should be sold already) the ROs are genuinely attractive. There are six, but to keep it short, there's a widowed parent, or a reserved military officer, or a friendly bodyguard, and even a priest?! Everyone is so unique. This is my favorite cast, I think. ➡️[b] Poly options![/b] No one does poly romance like Powell-Smith—and I'm a strictly monogamous person IRL! But gosh, the poly paths here feel distinctly adult: everyone knows what they want, talks about it openly, and respects boundaries, which makes the whole thing surprisingly compelling. Most importantly, every poly path has sparks between all three of you, not just between you and each partner individually. I got two hands for a reason! ✅[b] Character customization.[/b] Powell-Smith has the most caring and intricate character customization—almost to a fault. The game removes nearly all boundaries and sources of conflict around identity, letting you be exactly who you want to be, with little resistance from the world. There's a nice little array of body types including broad to soft; you can choose to be religious and practicing, semi-religious, indifferent, or atheist. You can choose a battle scar (literally!) and your background in the military. I was especially impressed with the options for being trans. It's not just a yes/no choice: there are comments on hormones, voice changes, body surgery, and names. What else? Regarding romance, all the power is in [i]your[/i] hands. You can choose when to "lock in" to a relationship, if you want to hug or kiss your partner, if you're shy or flirty, if you want to break up, and even control the ~spicy~ scenes! 👀 Do you want to stop before anything happens? Prefer to be in charge—or not? These aren't big choices that will change the narrative completely; instead, Powell-Smith keeps adding detail after detail that builds up throughout the game. If you want to feel safe or accepted when self-inserting, this is for you. ✅[b] Stat page.[/b] Not to be shallow or anything, but I knew this would be a banger when I opened the stats page. Powell-Smith puts the most love into the appearances, I swear. And I had to [i]scroll[/i] to see the bottom of the stat page, upon which I was greeted with MORE pages. First, you have a "Character Dossier"which includes typical character customization: name, pronouns, age, appearance. Secondly, you also have some added spice: your Employer, former and current role, Injury, and Health, and what chapter you're in (YES GOD). But then, you also have your Traits and Talents. Powell-Smith does my favorite thing and adds both a numerical bar and a description of how high your traits are. Same thing with your Attitudes (personality traits)! So my 91% Dutiful stat reads "You strongly lean towards complying with authority, rules, and regulations, and you gain satisfaction from doing so." I'm trying to be more concise, so let me just say you have like, 15+ more stat bars regarding your reputation and character relationships. BEST OF ALL: there's also a Stat Visibility choice, where you can see what choices raise what stats and what is being tested. Did I mention the save system? Yeah, Powell-Smith has the most informational, accessible stats out there. ➡️ [b] I'm not done praising the stat system btw.[/b] There's a Stat Guide that gives you paragraphs on your stats. There's also a Character Guide with everyone's age, pronouns, appearance, and personality—which is great for forgetful readers like me. There's also a Character Guide for 15+ side characters and an Animal Guide. Because why the hell not? Lastly, the Setting Guide was a highlight for me. I loved digging into how [i]Honor Bound[/i] differs from Powell-Smith’s other games; the universe just keeps getting richer and more ambitious. [b][h2]Cons:[/h2][/b] 🟥[b] Confusing ending.[/b] First, I should acknowledge how improved the ending twist is compared to past works. In [i]Royal Affairs[/i], I found the ending conflict too obvious, difficult to reconcile with the main plot, and had ridiculously high stakes. The ending is much better here, with lower yet still believable consequences that were not as conspicuous. However, I wonder if I made the wrong choice. MAJOR ending spoilers but [spoiler]I sided with Korzha and went with her inside of staying at the school. My assumption was that we would dispose of the chemical by reporting it to the army, then I could go back to the school and explain everything to the cast, who opposed Korzha. However, you're either with them or against them. As a result, Fiore and Saverel's relationship with my MC was broken forever. I was a bit surprised with Saverel's fervent opposite and Fiore having to flee, as well. I didn't realize the stakes were [i]that[/i] high.[/spoiler] 🟥[b] Too many side characters.[/b] I mentioned how the Character Guide included all side characters. I appreciate the detail, but in-game, I found it difficult to keep up with who's who and what everyone's agenda was. Besides the ROs, there's 5 students, 7 teachers, 9 townspeople, and 7 political figures. Characters appear briefly, disappear for long stretches, and then reemerge expecting narrative recall. Instead of deepening immersion, this volume sometimes pulled me out of the story as I tried to mentally reorient myself. 🟥[b] Poor Raffi, no one wants a poly relationship with them 💀[/b]. [hr] If you enjoyed this review, please check out my curator page to find more: [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45814768-Verdict-Play-or-Pass/]Verdict: Play or Pass. [/url] Also, please leave a like and visit [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Indie_Gems]IndieGems[/url] and our YouTube channel for more reviews like this one. [/hr]

This is one of the first CoG games that genuinely felt like a novel as I was playing. Powell-Smith's world feels like a comfortable pair of shoes at this point, and it was a lot of fun to walk down a new and interesting path with them. I definitely recommend starting with Creme de la Creme and carrying your save all the way through to Honor Bound. It was a ton of fun to have brief cameos from my old characters from Creme de la Creme and Royal Affairs. It felt a little bit like being a future regeneration of the Doctor meeting an earlier one.

An engaging story in an enjoyable world, Honor Bound offers lots of choices and reactivity to shape your character and their goals the way you want. It even allows you to save at the end of each chapter, should you require a second go. The pace is quite gentle and slice-of-life, but your decisions influence more significant events in the late game. No hesitation recommending this one at all.

another banger from Harris Powell-Smith

Playing this game was a genuinely enjoyable experience. One of the standout features is the variety of romance options available, which adds an intriguing layer of choice and personalization. After completing my first playthrough, I find myself eager to dive back in and make different decisions, which speaks volumes about the game's replayability. That said, while I appreciated the romantic encounters in my playthrough, I felt they lacked emotional depth and genuineness at times. Perhaps with more nuanced storytelling or character development, these moments could feel more impactful and meaningful. Don’t get me wrong—I thoroughly enjoyed the experience overall, but I think there’s room for improvement in this area. What I especially liked was the ability to carry over choices from previous games. This feature adds a wonderful sense of continuity and makes the world feel richer and more immersive as familiar elements unfold with a new perspective.