Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Reviewed On: Xbox One
Bramble: The Mountain King begins with you taking on the role of a young boy named Olle. He awakens in the middle of the night to find that his sister, Lillemore, has gone missing from their room. Olle exits through an open window in his bedroom and embarks on an adventure that is equal parts fantastical and horrifying in hopes of reuniting with Lillemore and bringing her back home.
I went into Bramble completely unaware of what I was getting myself into and I was surprised with the places this game went. At its core, it’s a puzzle platformer and gives off similar vibes to games like Limbo, Inside, Little Nightmares, and even Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Without giving too much away, Bramble manages to outclass the aforementioned games when it comes to just how creepy it is. I watch A LOT of horror films, yet there was still some seriously brutal and disturbing imagery that managed to shock me and I absolutely loved that about Bramble. Throughout the game, I was always excited to see what grotesque creature or frightening experience was around the next corner.
While almost every section of the game is fantastic when it comes to this horrific aesthetic, the overall narrative didn’t piece them together in a way that connected them well. It was like the creators had all these ideas they wanted to include, so they just cobbled them together without giving much thought to how the story actually flowed. While it may not be connected very well, there is some very cool lore in Bramble. Unfortunately, you’ll have to find story books scattered throughout to get most of the best bits of this lore. I did manage to find every story book in my first playthrough, so they aren’t hard to track down, but they are missable if you aren’t exploring each area fully.
Bramble also features some impressive art design. As mentioned earlier, the creature designs are grotesque and creepy in all the best ways. There are also some environments in the game that I found to be gorgeous. So much so that all the images in this review are ones I captured during my playthrough. Paired with the art, the sound also plays a big part in bringing Bramble’s disturbing atmosphere to life. The music, sound effects, and ambient noise all go a long way in creating tension, melancholy, and even moments of hope.
When it comes to gameplay in Bramble, if you’ve played a game like Little Nightmares or its sequel, you should be familiar with how Bramble plays. It’s basically a 3D platformer with a fixed camera and that, for better and worse, comes with all that you’d expect from the genre. There are some issues with hit detection that will cause you to miss jumps that you feel like you otherwise should have made. Sometimes it’s difficult to judge where you are on the 3D plane, and that can lead to falling off narrow walkways or coming up short on jumps. It’s not the most frustrating experience I’ve ever had with this type of game, but there were certainly some moments that annoyed me. All-in-all, the platforming and level traversal is completely serviceable.
There are also a number of puzzles you’ll have to solve throughout the game. Most of these are on the easier side, with only a few that had me actually having to put some thought into. The most difficult puzzles in the game are the ones that incorporate stealth because these force you to hide from either enemies or incoming projectiles, and failing to do so results in an instant death.
This brings me to my next point – Bramble is the type of game where any mistake results in your character’s death. Every enemy, obstacle, or trap will kill you in a single hit. Much like the aforementioned Limbo or Inside, this results in a lot of trial and error because, oftentimes, the game is very vague about what it wants you to do at first glance. This is most apparent during the handful of boss fights in the game. While some of the boss fights themselves are rather interesting in concept, not being able to take more than one hit before you die can be a real pain when trying to learn attack patterns. Not to mention, some of the boss fights later in the game go on for way too long. Luckily, the checkpoint system, in most cases, is very forgiving and won’t have you replaying large sections.
Bramble: The Mountain King is a game that came out of nowhere for me, and I had a great time playing through it. It’s probably not going to blow you away with its gameplay, but it is competent enough in that aspect. Where Bramble really shines is in its horrific, yet beautiful aesthetic and the creepy bits of lore sprinkled throughout. If you’re sensitive to certain issues, you should definitely look into this game’s themes more in-depth before jumping in because there is some disturbing content that won’t be for everyone. That said, if you enjoy games like Little Nightmares or want a horror game that isn’t just a first-person jump scare simulator, I’d recommend giving Bramble: The Mountain King a shot.
