Bramble: The Mountain King Review (Grimmy)
Reviewed By A Norse Mythology/Folklore Nerd
This game should stand as a flagship for what can be achieved by tapping into cultural folklore.
that being said, they made some mistakes that i will touch on in this review, but first lets list pros and cons without spoiling anything.
Pros
* The game is beautiful
* The controls are very intuitive
* It encapsulates the Scandinavian aesthetic perfectly
* runs flawlessly
* EDVARD F****NG GRIEG
* The soundtrack is from out of this world! It's one of the best i've ever heard.
Cons
* The game is extremely short
* It misnames a few mythical creatures.
* Despite the run length, some fights are clearly just there to add playtime and add no value to the story.
* The camera angles can often cause you to fall and makes maneuvering difficult.
Spoiler free review
Ultimately, i'd recommend the game for anyone with an afternoon to kill that enjoys games similar to Inside, Little nightmares and limbo. As the vibe and gameplay style is very similar and clearly draws inspiration from all of the aforementioned titles.
The music is phenomenal, and adds real cultural spice to the game to make you really feel enveloped in the culture while playing. Hell, they have Edvard Grieg, you can't beat that.
The story is nothing crazy to write home about! Very basic stuff, and it's really more like travelling through many mini-stories with one bigger story that you're actively progressing towards at the same time.
If you enjoy Scandinavian culture, or even are Scandinavian, this game is 100% for you! Easily worth the price!
Spoiler review
As much as i love this game, i have some qualms with it. I am Scandinavian and have grown up on most of these stories so i recognize nearly every creature in here!
But, I noticed that Näcken was not a Näck, but rather a waterfall grim. Two distinctly different creatures. Näcken shapeshifts and lures people to water through these shapeshifting capabilities, then drowns them.
While what's referred to as Näcken in this game is a waterfall grim. The waterfall grim does what is pictured in the game, so that doesn't need much explanation.
They also added a fight with the Skogsrå/Hulder around the mid part of the game. Which was next to pointless to do, as it has no real effect on the story, and directly contradicts the Hulder's story in Norse folklore. If you're first gonna envelope such a rarely adapted piece of media, it's important to get it right! I'm sure there's a reason for this, so i'm cutting them some slack!
The Hulder is entirely based around luring young men into the forest and if they treat her with respect, she'll become their wife, if she is disrespected, she'll kill you. If you don't do either, she'll lead you to a dark basement where you'll get all the riches you could wish for, but you cant leave.
All of which is a far cry from the Hulder in the game that just outright attacks you then tries to make you feel bad for defending yourself.
Last but not least, The shrinking (Or not shrinking) that happens in the start of the game is never explained and it's extremely confusing! Because at first, you're super tiny. Like, Blade of grass tiny, crushed by an apple tiny. But suddenly, you're the height of other humans that you see around, and then you're back to being super small again!
The witch that you meet is at first the same size as you, a 9 year old boy, which is strange, but i digress. Then later on when she's dead you can go next to her and she looks massive in comparison. Yet you both fit through the same doors. It's extremely confusing how inconsistent your height and size is.
But, i think all these things are rather minor and don't expect the average person who isn't a massive Norse folklore nerd, to know most of these things!
Conclusion
Bramble The Mountain king is a fantastic game for any adult and despite a few issues that only some Norse folklore nerds will notice, it's a fantastic game with astounding visuals and an aesthetic that will blow you away!