NotChamoo
4 reviews liked by NotChamoo
the least traumatizing day in Norway
if you plan to play it do yourself a favor and do it blind. it's better if you don't expect what this game is going to do to you
if you plan to play it do yourself a favor and do it blind. it's better if you don't expect what this game is going to do to you
I'll begin by saying the less you know the better. Go into it blind, don't even read this review just go play it!
The first hour of this game feels similar to those grim, pre-2000s children's films you watch and get mildly scarred for life by. They all have that one scene that evokes a 'wtf were they they thinking' response: Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory's boat scene; that poor horse in The Never Ending Story; yeah basically the entirety of Return to Oz like wtf.
Bramble starts you off making friends with giants and frog kings and gets you playing hide and seek with cute little gnomes but then you'll be hit with an abrupt plunge into a world of rotting corpses and maggots. On my first boss (some horrific butcher monster thing) I almost had heart palpitations when my cutesie fairytale Hansel-looking kid protagonist got sliced into photorealistic chunks of gore!
What's kind of brilliant is how the stylistic clash of fantasy caricatures and a realistic world design - especially the forest - captures the earthiness of folk horror, the mythical monstrosities lying beneath the beautiful and the mundane. I can't stress enough the power of that magnificently jarring 180° tonal shift.
And the rest of the game is great too, even if it becomes episodic in structure, as you encounter different monsters in newer, less inviting places. It has that clunkiness of a book full of short Nordic myths, tied together by narration that doesn’t always work - the voice acting is stronger elsewhere, notably a segment involving witchcraft. A significant peak later in the game involves a Silent-Hill-2-esque boat ride and a sinister figure in the form of the mythical plague maiden Pesta. This nightmarish boss fight, and other moments in the game, can be frustratingly trial-and-error in places but the generous checkpoints keep the pace afresh.
Elsewhere, the gameplay consists of light platforming, undemanding puzzles, one or two chase sequences and some use of a magic light wielded by our hero. It’s certainly nothing groundbreaking - even the story and tone borrow from Limbo - but it’s done well. The simple gameplay gives attention to the game’s other strengths: consistently evocative sound design, inspired use of dynamic lighting and overall impeccable game direction. I pretty much wept at the moment, just after escaping the clutches of a fiendish troll, when you ride a little hedgehog across a pond to the soundtrack’s gorgeous folk song ‘Blomstertid’ - Death Stranding levels of sublime!
Overall, a pleasant surprise! I have confidence that the devs at Dimfrost are capable of greatness in their next outings. Until then, please don’t overlook this absolute gem.
The first hour of this game feels similar to those grim, pre-2000s children's films you watch and get mildly scarred for life by. They all have that one scene that evokes a 'wtf were they they thinking' response: Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory's boat scene; that poor horse in The Never Ending Story; yeah basically the entirety of Return to Oz like wtf.
Bramble starts you off making friends with giants and frog kings and gets you playing hide and seek with cute little gnomes but then you'll be hit with an abrupt plunge into a world of rotting corpses and maggots. On my first boss (some horrific butcher monster thing) I almost had heart palpitations when my cutesie fairytale Hansel-looking kid protagonist got sliced into photorealistic chunks of gore!
What's kind of brilliant is how the stylistic clash of fantasy caricatures and a realistic world design - especially the forest - captures the earthiness of folk horror, the mythical monstrosities lying beneath the beautiful and the mundane. I can't stress enough the power of that magnificently jarring 180° tonal shift.
And the rest of the game is great too, even if it becomes episodic in structure, as you encounter different monsters in newer, less inviting places. It has that clunkiness of a book full of short Nordic myths, tied together by narration that doesn’t always work - the voice acting is stronger elsewhere, notably a segment involving witchcraft. A significant peak later in the game involves a Silent-Hill-2-esque boat ride and a sinister figure in the form of the mythical plague maiden Pesta. This nightmarish boss fight, and other moments in the game, can be frustratingly trial-and-error in places but the generous checkpoints keep the pace afresh.
Elsewhere, the gameplay consists of light platforming, undemanding puzzles, one or two chase sequences and some use of a magic light wielded by our hero. It’s certainly nothing groundbreaking - even the story and tone borrow from Limbo - but it’s done well. The simple gameplay gives attention to the game’s other strengths: consistently evocative sound design, inspired use of dynamic lighting and overall impeccable game direction. I pretty much wept at the moment, just after escaping the clutches of a fiendish troll, when you ride a little hedgehog across a pond to the soundtrack’s gorgeous folk song ‘Blomstertid’ - Death Stranding levels of sublime!
Overall, a pleasant surprise! I have confidence that the devs at Dimfrost are capable of greatness in their next outings. Until then, please don’t overlook this absolute gem.
Narrative-First Adventure Puzzle Platformers are kind of an antique genre at this point, but thankfully things have quieted down enough that the value of the experience can be appreciated once again. Bramble isnt doing anything innovative or different but is instead just a stellar specimen of atmosphere and tension. The brutal and harrowing mythos of Scandinavia is frankly timeless and evergreen material for when you just wanna freak some people out. For some primal reason, we all fear the forest.
And for my money Bramble is among the best takes on the folklore so far in video games. When youre not being lured into a pond by the vexing siren song of Näcken, youre wading through unexpectedly detailed renderings of meat-soup viscera. Apart from featuring more obscure myths the game also has an auteuric sense of framing and presentation, with a brisk flow keeping you moving through concepts and setpieces. The game even has the balls to have gameplay (!!!) and while not especially difficult, Brambles handful of action segments requiring some expression of skill is actually kind of unheard of in the genre. This element of pressure forces you to take Bramble a bit more serious than usual, making a tense and foreboding world that much more actually tense and actually foreboding.
And for my money Bramble is among the best takes on the folklore so far in video games. When youre not being lured into a pond by the vexing siren song of Näcken, youre wading through unexpectedly detailed renderings of meat-soup viscera. Apart from featuring more obscure myths the game also has an auteuric sense of framing and presentation, with a brisk flow keeping you moving through concepts and setpieces. The game even has the balls to have gameplay (!!!) and while not especially difficult, Brambles handful of action segments requiring some expression of skill is actually kind of unheard of in the genre. This element of pressure forces you to take Bramble a bit more serious than usual, making a tense and foreboding world that much more actually tense and actually foreboding.
If you're up for a trip through the fucked-up fairy tale land of Nordic legends, then "Bramble: The Mountain King" is your ticket to a brilliantly twisted adventure. This game grabs you by the cojones with its stunning visuals right from the get-go. You play as Olle, a kid who's definitely not having the best day since his sister decides to pull a Houdini in the middle of the night. The poor dude's journey to find her involves dodging troll snot and dealing with witches who are more into child sacrifice than making candy houses.
The puzzles in this game are so easy they make you wonder if the devs thought we were all hammered when playing. Seriously, most of the time, it feels like you're just there to push a button or two while soaking in the creepy vibes and gorgeous scenery. And don’t get me started on the linear gameplay; it's like being on a freaky Nordic-themed Disneyland ride without the option to hop off for a quick beer.
Combat, though, is where it gets good. Olle turns into a freaking light-wielding badass, tossing balls of glowy doom at monsters that look like they crawled out of a heavy metal album cover. It's a blast, but these bits come in as often as a compliment from your mother-in-law. Overall, "Bramble: The Mountain King" is an absolute gem that's as beautiful as it is disturbing. It's not perfect, but damn, it's a wild ride through a fairy tale gone batsh*t crazy. Four stars, would brave the bramble again!
The puzzles in this game are so easy they make you wonder if the devs thought we were all hammered when playing. Seriously, most of the time, it feels like you're just there to push a button or two while soaking in the creepy vibes and gorgeous scenery. And don’t get me started on the linear gameplay; it's like being on a freaky Nordic-themed Disneyland ride without the option to hop off for a quick beer.
Combat, though, is where it gets good. Olle turns into a freaking light-wielding badass, tossing balls of glowy doom at monsters that look like they crawled out of a heavy metal album cover. It's a blast, but these bits come in as often as a compliment from your mother-in-law. Overall, "Bramble: The Mountain King" is an absolute gem that's as beautiful as it is disturbing. It's not perfect, but damn, it's a wild ride through a fairy tale gone batsh*t crazy. Four stars, would brave the bramble again!