A Nightmarish Fairytale
Bramble: The Mountain King was released earlier this year and it got a little bit lost amongst so many big releases. That said, this is a must-play title as it was both one of the most relaxing and tense experiences I’ve had this year.
So what exactly is Bramble? Well, it is a third-person action-adventure game developed by Dimfrost Studios in what is only their second game. It is heavily story-driven and linear in nature. The story itself sees you play as Olle, a young boy whose sister Lillemore has gone missing in the middle of the night. What follows is an adventure inspired by Swedish fables and bedtime stories, with a touch of horror thrown in for good measure.
The story and atmosphere are what I absolutely love here. While the core narrative may seem like one that has been told thousands of times before, having that familiarity guide you through these fables was fantastic. It left each section feeling unique, like its own condensed story yet pushing forward the tale of Olle and Lillemore. One thing that might put some people off is a lack of voice acting for any characters in the game. Personally, I didn’t mind this too much since the story is told through a spoken narrator like they are reading this fable, which for me suited the inspiration for the story completely. Something that I found enjoyable is through finding the books this fable is inspired by that would allow the narrator to then read through the stories you are playing through.
As for the gameplay, it is fairly simple in nature but highly effective. It’s a combination of traversal, puzzle solving, and some light combat. Control-wise, you move with the Left Stick, sprint on RB, crouch on LB, jump with A, and interact with items using X. The majority of the time, you will be moving around very nice-looking environments as you solve puzzles, with some being of the traversal variety but others will have you combining potions to open magical doors. This was somewhat enjoyable but traversal could at times be tricky due to an odd camera placement or the janky animations.
What really made me enjoy the gameplay was the boss encounters which is where pretty much all of the combat takes place. Combat is mostly throwing pebbles or using a magical stone to emit a bright light. These actions are pulled off using the left and right triggers together and aiming with the right stick. Just bare in mind that when pebbles are required you have to pick them up using X first but you can move before throwing them.
What I really loved about these boss encounters, is that not only the inclusion of combat to this experience but they still had a somewhat puzzle nature to them. They also transition between straight-up gameplay and a more cinematic style with some QTEs. I always felt highly engaged in these encounters and couldn’t wait for the next one.
I spoke earlier about the beautiful environments, but sadly, the characters don’t quite hit the same level of visual quality. Olle’s face, in particular, really stood out as not achieving the same standard as the rest of the game. Thankfully, audio is a different story as I quite enjoyed the music and ambient sounds present across the story. The score never felt out of place and always set the proper tone, from being both terrifying to whimsical. It always mirrored precisely what I was feeling and expected to feel at the moment. The narrator, however; was a standout here, almost making me want to hire this actor to read me my own fables.
While the game has a few minor issues that can come across as unfortunate blemishes, I did encounter a game-breaking bug that saw my progress come to a halt. Thankfully, after several restarts, including re-installing the game and replaying the same chapter over, it somehow fixed itself and I was able to continue.
When all is said and done, Bramble was a delight to play. I appreciated its linear focus to provide a short and condensed adventure, clocking in at around 6-7 hours. If you are looking for a fairly well-paced adventure that you can beat over the course of a weekend, Bramble just might be one fable worth checking out.
Developer - Dimfront Studio. Publisher - Merge Games, Dimfrost Studio. Released - April 27th, 2023. Available On - Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Windows. Rated - (M) Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X. Review Access - Bramble: The Mountain King was downloaded via Xbox Game Pass.
I’m Jordan I have a background in game design and am deeply passionate about accessibility in gaming. My favourite games/franchises include Shenmue, Red Dead Redemption 2, Plague Tale: Requiem, Metal Gear Solid 3, Yakuza, Splinter Cell, and Assassin’s Creed.