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Bramble: The Mountain King

When old folklore goes from pleasant and charming to downright unnerving.
Bramble: The Mountain King Game Cover
86%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
grinding, replayability
95% User Score Based on 3,379 reviews
Critic Score 77%Based on 11 reviews

Platforms

PCXbox Game PassPlaystation 5CloudPlaystation 4Xbox OneXbox Cloud GamingXboxSteam DeckWindows
Bramble: The Mountain King Game Cover

About

Bramble: The Mountain King is a single player survival action adventure game with a horror theme. It was developed by Dimfrost Studio and was released on April 27, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

"Bramble: The Mountain King" is a gripping adventure game where you play as Olle, a young boy on a quest to rescue his kidnapped sister from a dreaded troll. Explore a stunning yet dangerous world filled with twisted, mythical creatures from Nordic folklore, and engage in epic-scale boss battles. Utilize the Spark of Courage to defeat enemies and make your way through treacherous terrains, but beware - caution and kindness are just as important as bravery in this beautifully rendered, heart-pounding journey.

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95%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,379 reviews
story857 positive mentions
grinding40 negative mentions

  • Stunning visuals and art design that create a captivating atmosphere.
  • Engaging storytelling that effectively blends dark themes with folklore elements.
  • Memorable boss fights and unique creature designs that enhance the overall experience.
  • Controls can be clunky and imprecise, leading to frustrating gameplay moments.
  • The game is relatively short, which may leave some players wanting more content.
  • Some players may find the camera angles disorienting, affecting platforming sections.
  • story
    1,582 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Bramble: The Mountain King" is a captivating blend of dark folklore and emotional depth, following a young boy named Olle on his quest to rescue his sister from a troll. Players are immersed in a beautifully crafted world that shifts between whimsical and horrifying, with storytelling delivered through stunning visuals and narrated storybooks that enhance the experience. While the narrative is engaging and rich in Scandinavian mythology, some players noted that the gameplay can feel simplistic and the pacing uneven, yet the overall atmosphere and emotional resonance of the story leave a lasting impression.

    • “Bramble: the Mountain King is one of those rare indie titles that immediately captures your attention with its atmosphere and keeps it through a captivating mix of storytelling, sound, and visual artistry.”
    • “The storytelling is remarkable. It unfolds like a bedtime story twisted by tragedy, blending innocence and horror with careful pacing.”
    • “The story is both a playable storybook and a chilling journey through myth and emotion—one that leaves a lasting impression.”
    • “I was also disappointed with the thin storyline.”
    • “The story isn't even noticeable most of the time.”
    • “The plot is pretty simple, so if you're looking for a complex story, this isn't going to scratch that itch, but there is a lot to see and take in through the environmental storytelling.”
  • graphics
    798 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of "Bramble: The Mountain King" have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visuals and unique art style, effectively blending beauty with dark themes inspired by Nordic folklore. Many reviewers highlighted the game's ability to create an immersive atmosphere through detailed environments and captivating cinematography, although some noted occasional graphical glitches and performance issues. Overall, the visuals are considered a standout feature, elevating the game's storytelling and emotional impact.

    • “The graphics are absolutely stunning, with lush landscapes and meticulously crafted environments that draw you in.”
    • “The visuals are stunning—whimsical and grotesque in equal measure—pulling you into a world that feels ancient, magical, and deeply unsettling.”
    • “What this game does perfectly is create ambiance and visuals, the kind of stuff that really makes you feel the emotions in each scene, just as it was meant to be.”
    • “The graphics of our main character and many parts of the environment fall short for a modern game, especially one released only 2 years ago.”
    • “If it wasn't for the graphics and the music, there wouldn't be anything that would make this worthwhile to play.”
    • “I can’t shake the feeling that the developers leaned too heavily into the graphics and neglected the gameplay and controls part of this game a bit.”
  • music
    779 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in "Bramble: The Mountain King" has received widespread acclaim for its haunting beauty and emotional depth, effectively enhancing the game's atmosphere and storytelling. Players noted that the orchestral score, particularly during key moments and boss fights, elevates the experience, creating a captivating blend of tranquility and tension that resonates with the game's dark themes rooted in Nordic folklore. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, with many players expressing a desire to revisit the music long after completing the game.

    • “The orchestral music swells, fades, and shifts with the narrative moments, amplifying tension or tenderness.”
    • “The music in Bramble is both melancholic and epic, often swelling at key narrative moments to underscore the emotional beats of the story.”
    • “The soundtrack is absolutely stellar and will be added to my collection immediately.”
    • “It seems the creator knew so much about how to tell a story, create an atmosphere, the right times to bring in music, but really didn't understand some ways to make gameplay compelling, or at least not be terrible.”
    • “While the game is beautiful and the music is solid, I experienced more annoyance than anything else.”
    • “If it wasn't for the graphics and the music, there wouldn't be anything that would make this worthwhile to play.”
  • gameplay
    701 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Bramble: The Mountain King" is characterized by its simplicity and linearity, often drawing comparisons to titles like "Little Nightmares" and "Inside." While the game features engaging atmospheric elements and unique boss encounters, many players find the mechanics to be clunky and repetitive, with frustrating controls and a lack of depth in gameplay. Overall, it serves more as a narrative-driven experience rather than a challenging game, appealing primarily to those who prioritize story and visuals over intricate gameplay mechanics.

    • “The gameplay feels refreshingly old-school.”
    • “The movement, platforming, and boss encounters evoke the spirit of classic adventure-platformers, where precision and timing matter more than complex mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay experience masterfully blends atmospheric exploration with light platforming and puzzle-solving, punctuated by incredibly tense boss encounters.”
    • “The gameplay is very simple and easy to learn.”
    • “The gameplay is clunky, hard to play on controller for sure.”
    • “The gameplay itself doesn't do anything experimental or unique as it is a classic lite platformer/puzzler that is more focused on the journey and not the moment-to-moment gameplay.”
  • atmosphere
    450 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere in "Bramble: The Mountain King" is widely praised for its captivating blend of dark folklore, stunning visuals, and haunting music, creating an immersive experience that shifts from whimsical to unsettling. Players appreciate the game's ability to evoke strong emotions through its rich storytelling and atmospheric design, despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered its standout feature, making it a must-play for fans of narrative-driven and atmospheric horror games.

    • “Bramble: the Mountain King is one of those rare indie titles that immediately captures your attention with its atmosphere and keeps it through a captivating mix of storytelling, sound, and visual artistry.”
    • “The atmosphere is rich and unsettling in the best way — like a fairytale gone wrong.”
    • “The atmosphere is so dark, sad, and emotional — it made me feel like I was walking through a twisted storybook.”
    • “The atmosphere is incredibly well done, the music and visual storytelling work together to create lingering trauma.”
    • “The juxtaposition of charming aesthetics with grotesque creatures and haunting environments created an atmosphere that was both enchanting and chilling.”
  • emotional
    130 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of "Bramble: The Mountain King" is characterized by its haunting storytelling and striking visuals that evoke a deep connection to the protagonist's journey. Players describe the experience as a rollercoaster of emotions, blending beauty and brutality, with moments that are both heartwarming and heartbreaking, often leaving them in tears. The game's powerful atmosphere, complemented by a poignant soundtrack, enhances its exploration of themes like sibling love, loss, and the darker sides of folklore, making it a memorable and impactful emotional experience.

    • “The story hit me hard — it’s emotional, tragic, and full of symbolism.”
    • “Bramble: the Mountain King is a haunting and visually mesmerizing adventure rooted deeply in Nordic folklore, delivering an emotionally driven experience that mixes beauty and brutality in equal measure.”
    • “The emotional connection to the protagonist's mission to rescue their sister is palpable, ensuring you remain invested in the outcome from start to finish.”
  • grinding
    47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews highlight that the game suffers from significant grinding issues, particularly during boss fights and certain puzzles, which many players found tedious and frustrating. Clunky controls and repetitive mechanics contribute to a sense of boredom, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the gameplay. While the story and visuals are praised, the tedious nature of the gameplay often overshadows these strengths, leading to a mixed reception.

    • “It can be a bit grindy sometimes, but the rewards make it worth it.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding, but the sense of achievement is incredible.”
    • “Grinding can be intense, but it adds depth to the gameplay experience.”
    • “It becomes tedious.”
    • “Once I saw a setting I wanted to move on with the story, not retry 20 times because after the second time there is zero fun and zero new story to be had, just tedious and frustrating repetition.”
    • “The gameplay leaves something to be desired with its tedious mechanics and the frustrating abilities of the main character, but he's a child and this isn't meant to be some crazy action so I think it is definitely acceptable.”
  • replayability
    40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is generally considered low, with many reviewers noting its linear structure and short playtime as significant factors. While some players may find value in achievement hunting or collecting missed items, the consensus is that it lacks substantial replay value beyond a single playthrough. Recommendations often suggest waiting for a sale due to its limited replayability and relatively high price for the experience offered.

    • “Its focus on folklore offers moderate replay value for those wishing to absorb all the details.”
    • “The gameplay is spectacular and incredibly replayable.”
    • “Still, with so many details, hidden easter eggs, and collectibles, there is replay value.”
    • “Replayability: none”
    • “Not much replay value, aside from achievements; this is a very linear game.”
    • “There is virtually no replay value besides snagging achievements you missed on your first run, if you missed any at all.”
  • character development
    31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is generally well-received, with players praising the unique and creative character designs that enhance the overall atmosphere and storytelling. While the game may not focus heavily on dialogue, the protagonist's journey is described as emotionally impactful, with effective pacing and haunting visuals that contribute to character growth. Overall, the combination of beautiful graphics, engaging lore, and strong character design creates a memorable experience, despite some players wishing for deeper interactions and more dialogue.

    • “The journey as Ole was heart-wrenching and an amazing show of pacing and character development through horrific scenes.”
    • “You can tell a lot of love went into character design and some of the hauntingly beautiful scenes in between.”
    • “Good story and great character development; boss fights are fun and the atmosphere the more tense scenes build is great without feeling too stressful to experience.”
    • “This game isn't huge on character development, but the ones that they presented, both good and bad, are well designed.”
    • “It is still good as such, but I would have wanted to hear more of his lines or something to provide more character development.”
    • “I know this appears to be a narrative-driven game, but the real highlights to me were the character designs, directing, level design, and boss battles.”
  • optimization
    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing minor performance hiccups and frame rate drops, particularly on the Steam Deck, while others praised its solid performance and lack of crashes on high-end PCs. Overall, many found the game well-optimized with smooth performance at high settings, though some noted issues with controller optimization and inconsistent performance during specific gameplay moments.

    • “It’s also very well optimized, which, to be honest, I didn’t expect.”
    • “I loved the story and characters and the game is very well optimized with no lag and loading screens taking no longer than 0-1 seconds each.”
    • “From the technical side of things the game is very well optimized at max settings with no shader compilation stutters common to most recent 3D UE4 games.”
    • “My only real complaint about this game is that the optimization is not really there.”
    • “First of all, the game runs like garbage on the Steam Deck, is not optimized at all, and it doesn't support ultrawide resolutions. It does have a fix for that, but it just looks weird and the controls are clunky.”
    • “However, depending on how much performance issues annoy you – stuttering, pop-in, frame rate drops – this is an adventure that might be best played elsewhere.”
  • stability
    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting various bugs, including unresponsive controls, graphical glitches, and issues with camera movement. While some users experienced smooth gameplay without significant problems, others noted frustrating moments, particularly on the Steam Deck, where freezing and checkpoint issues were prevalent. Overall, the game's stability detracts from the experience for many, despite its engaging story and visuals.

    • “The game runs great and I didn't encounter any bugs.”
    • “It runs great as well; on my 1080 Ti, it usually stayed over 80 FPS, always smooth with no hitches.”
    • “The game gets stuck/freezes up and you won't be able to advance beyond the tower that you climb to reach Pestel (towards end game).”
    • “Legit a buggy mess, inconsistent barriers and hit boxes just make the game plain not fun.”
    • “It was buggy in that when I would die and auto restart from the most recent checkpoint, certain features like camera movement with my character or interactive items would not work, so I would have to go to the in-game menu to 'restart from checkpoint' as a kind of hard reset.”
  • humor
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is a mix of absurdity and dark comedy, with players finding amusement in the janky behavior of zombies and the morbidly funny ragdoll physics during deaths. While some moments are laugh-out-loud hilarious, others blend humor with suspense and brutality, creating a unique experience that balances entertainment with a twisted sense of humor. Overall, the game is praised for its well-timed comedic elements that enhance the gameplay.

    • “I was partly glad when I saw how janky the zombies were; due to them being so unrealistic and funny, it made me feel less scared.”
    • “The suspense and humor were on point and well-timed.”
    • “It's a must-play for everyone looking for a fun gaming experience because it's the ideal fusion of strategy, horror, humor, and mystery.”
    • “very entertaining (not funny, but entertaining like a good movie)”
  • monetization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of the game is not explicitly addressed in the provided text, which focuses more on the game's atmosphere and design elements rather than its financial model or in-game purchases. Therefore, no specific insights on monetization can be derived from this review.

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5h Median play time
5h Average play time
4-7h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 30 analyzed playthroughs
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Bramble: The Mountain King is a survival action adventure game with horror theme.

Bramble: The Mountain King is available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and others.

On average players spend around 5 hours playing Bramble: The Mountain King.

Bramble: The Mountain King was released on April 27, 2023.

Bramble: The Mountain King was developed by Dimfrost Studio.

Bramble: The Mountain King has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Bramble: The Mountain King is a single player game.

Similar games include Little Nightmares, Planet of Lana, Little Nightmares 2, A Plague Tale: Innocence, South of Midnight and others.