Bytebond is a captivating co-op puzzle adventure where you control your own adorable, glowing robot to fight a virus in an infected CPU. Inspired by the iconic BB-8 from Star Wars, I was able to assist my pixelated companion through puzzles that required a bit of strategy. At PAX, I was immediately drawn to this title because of the colorful robots and was excited when I found out it is co-op. It’s the perfect adventure that I can enjoy with my partner, exploring a virtual world together and solving challenges as a team.
Since I did not have my player two with me, I embarked on the electrifying adventure with the developer. It began with a basic tutorial: one player collects energy while the other transfers it. To solve the puzzles, we had to strategically think about how to lift platforms, open doors, and combat the virus. Each level presented unique challenges, requiring careful planning and teamwork. We even had a little fun, engaging in harmless “bumper car” collisions with each other. Though this feature didn’t seem to have any practical purpose, it added a touch of whimsy to the gameplay that I enjoyed.
I loved the unique storyline, where a digital virus threatens to corrupt the system, as it added depth to the robots’ urgent mission to defend their home. This narrative arc provided a compelling reason for their actions and made me eager to continue playing. Bytebond offered a well-balanced blend of challenges. The puzzles were engaging without being overly frustrating- instead of being stuck in one place for 30 minutes banging your head against a wall, pressing every button or interacting with every option just to brute force a puzzle unlock. There were visual cues like the floor lighting up or wires showing the flow of energy when transferred. If that wasn’t quite the right way to flow the energy it wasn’t locked into place. We could always grab the energy back and try again.
While I initially encountered some controller issues with transferring the energy, switching to a new controller resolved the problem and I can happily say that the game ran smoothly otherwise. I enjoyed being able to roll around each level with ease and even when my player two ran ahead the screen would switch to split screen so that we both could see where each robot was. The demo primarily showcased the computer mainframe biome which was bright and vibrant with glowing wires to illustrate the energy flowing. I could always tell when there was an impending threat of the virus as the floor would turn red and have pixelated boxes and wires.
If you’re seeking a new co-op game, I highly recommend keeping Bytebond on your radar. While a release date hasn’t been announced, the developer continues to share updates on Steam and social media about upcoming enhancements. I’m particularly excited about the addition of new biomes- winter and spooky, new animations like blinky eyes, and laser puzzles, which I believe will significantly enhance the gameplay and story. The demo was already impressive and I’m eager to see what future levels have in store.
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