Every now and then, there is an indie horror game that catches my attention. With a trailer or small gameplay video, the atmosphere, the gameplay or the visuals and sometimes all of them impress me enough to try it. Bramble: The Mountain King was actually a recommendation by Chris. It is one of the games that had the things that needed for me to play it.

A few things about the game

Even though I had an initial positive view for the game, it doesn’t give the full picture about the game. A few things about the game before I start with the review. The description of the game, stated on the Steam Page. “Bramble: The Mountain King is a grim adventure set in a world inspired by dark, Nordic fables. Explore the beautiful yet dangerous and twisted land of Bramble in your endeavor to rescue your sister. Traverse a wondrous landscape and survive deadly encounters with Bramble’s many hideous creatures”.

The game being inspired by nordic fables, definitely attracts even people like me who are not familiar with them. It intrigued me to really be interested to learn about them.

The characters of Bramble

In the game, you play as Olle, a young boy who wants to rescue his sister, by a dreadful troll, who kidnapped her. He travels a lot of bright, beautiful, but also dark and grim places. Encountering friendly creatures that help him, and monsters that try to harm him in their own way. Behind every character in the game there is a story; or rather a fable that you can read in a small book and learn about the it. Definitely look out for them. The developers did a great job of handling that part making it easy for the player to understand the story. Providing enough information for you to continue and keep you wanting to learn more and answer questions that come up throughout the game.

One thing I loved about the game

The best thing about the game that helps tell the story is the narration. You can disable it, if you might not like it, but if you do, like me, is a great and unique way to tell the story especially when you are traversing to the next area and there aren’t a lot of things happening on screen. This is something that other studios, indie or big, can take inspiration from and come out with something new and innovative regarding the way they tell a story in game.

Bramble the Mountain King

The story itself has an excellent dark theme that horror enthusiasts will love. It is consistent and definitely has enough shocking moments that keep you excited but not overdoing it. The heavy scenes and dark themes give a sense of rush and danger that help keep you on your seat. It has a well-balanced pace, though not perfect in my opinion, and the length is appropriate for the kind of game it is. You can go through the entire game in one session if you want, though I recommend exploring the environments as they have a lot of detail and easter eggs that you don’t want to miss!

The verdict

In conclusion, the game has a lot to offer for anyone who is looking for a deep and dark story. Inspired by Nordic fables this game is something that horror fans can enjoy. It is definitely worth checking out. There is a review with spoilers with more details about the story on the “With Spoilers” section coming very soon.

Thank you for reading.