Brush Burial
- December 1, 2023
- Knife Demon Software
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Get on itch.io Store"Brush Burial" is a lite immersive sim, focusing on atmosphere, exploration, and surreal storytelling. As Fennel, a nimble thief, you must kill the Witch God Yenneloch to free the woods from her influence and earn eternal rest. The game features abstract levels, meaningful environmental interactions, expressive movement, raw combat, and a variety of characters to interact with. The grimy visuals and dark science-fantasy setting add to the overall eerie atmosphere.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features fantastic movement mechanics and a unique combat system that feels satisfying and engaging.
- The aesthetic and audio design are exceptional, creating a captivating atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
- Exploration in the first act is rewarding, with a sense of discovery and freedom that many players find enjoyable.
- The second act shifts focus to puzzles and parkour, which many players found frustrating and less enjoyable compared to the first act.
- Level design can be confusing and lacks clear objectives, leading to moments of aimlessness and frustration.
- The game suffers from technical issues such as poor visibility due to pixelation and a clunky inventory system that hinders gameplay.
- gameplay33 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its engaging movement mechanics and unique stealth elements, particularly in the first act, which offers enjoyable exploration and creative solutions. However, the second act suffers from unclear objectives and inconsistent navigation, leading to repetitive gameplay. While the game features a visually appealing world and solid mechanics, some players found the level design lacking and the tutorial insufficient for mastering the gameplay systems.
“I didn't expect the stealth gameplay, so that was a pleasant surprise, even if it wasn't always consistent.”
“What is important is that I was able to spend well over 2 hours just exploring Act 1's sewers, which got especially fun once I learned how to wall jump, which felt like an intentional secret movement mechanic for people who are experimenting with the movement.”
“I'll keep it short and sweet, this is an absolute treat to play, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of stealth and immersive sims with a really creative spin, a very interesting world, nice soundtrack and audio, and (something I personally really love to see in games) a cool non-human character that you can really feel in the gameplay.”
“I think the biggest issue I had with gameplay was that I didn't realize until way too late that different enemies had armor, and it was confusing me when some of my attacks were doing nothing.”
“All of the navigation mechanics for this section seemed either very inconsistent or broken.”
“I don't mind stylistic/gameplay decisions, but being unable to see a majority of things in the first level and having zero depth perception is not a good idea for a stealth game.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are a mixed bag, featuring a strong and unique aesthetic that many players find enjoyable and full of personality. However, criticisms arise regarding muddy and pixelated visuals that can detract from the overall experience, making gameplay feel disorienting for some. While the art style has its fans, the pixelation effect and low contrast may not appeal to everyone, leading to a polarized reception.
“Fantastic aesthetics and presentation.”
“The art style and overall presentation oozes personality.”
“Excellent graphics, excellent setting, excellent mechanics.”
“The graphics are just muddy and pixelated to hell.”
“The concept of the game is fun and the movement is snappy and responsive, but the pixelation filter, muddy visuals, low contrast, and winding level design make it quite unpleasant and disorienting to play.”
“But my biggest problem is visuals - it's really stylish overall, and I do like it, but it also makes the game actively hard to play.”
- atmosphere13 mentions
- 92 % positive mentions
- 8 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive sound design and unique, intriguing qualities, creating a captivating environment that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the atmospheric sounds, such as water drops, and the well-crafted music that contribute to a lovely and engaging sense of place. Overall, the atmosphere is described as both interesting and deeply immersive, making it a standout feature of the game.
“I can't wait to finish it, it's incredibly unique already, really atmospheric and weird in a way I love.”
“I'm not really equipped with the language skills necessary to articulate just how well-manifested the atmosphere and overall sense of place are in this game.”
“Very atmospheric game and immersive.”
- music12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its energetic and engaging quality, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Players particularly enjoy the shop music and combat tracks, which evoke excitement and immersion during critical moments. However, some users note that certain sound effects and music can be loud and repetitive at times.
“The soundtrack is divine; I didn't expect the music to go as hard as it does, but when an enemy spots you, it makes you feel excited and gets you into 'plan B' mode.”
“This game has an awesome aesthetic with some of the best combat music I’ve heard in a while.”
“The atmosphere is great; I liked the music and environments.”
“Slight audio warning, some of the sound effects and music can be kind of loud and repetitive.”
- story8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The story is criticized for being confusing and directionless, with players feeling lost and lacking clear objectives beyond vague exploration. The motivations for the character are minimal, and the absence of meaningful quests contributes to a sense of aimlessness, leaving players to navigate a disjointed narrative with little engagement. Overall, the storytelling is described as odd and underdeveloped, detracting from the overall experience.
“Just a wonderful little experience, that is if you're okay with a pretty odd, short, almost nonexistent story and not too many levels like other sims.”
“The story is confusing; your motivations for doing anything are just 'you're a spider-devil-girl-thing who likes stealing,' and the path to go is very unclear other than just exploring.”
“As far as the story goes, it seems fairly directionless at the moment.”
“Overall, I felt like I didn't know what was really supposed to be going on and just kind of kept skulking around as a little shanker until I finally did the mcguffin quest and found what secrets I could.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game particularly frustrating in the second act, where unclear objectives and lack of signposting lead to repetitive and tedious gameplay. While the exploration in the first act is praised, the confusion in the latter stages detracts from the overall experience, making it feel unnecessarily drawn out.
“The second act of the game is a bit unclear on what it wants you to do, and I spent a bit of time meandering while trying to figure it out, making the gameplay elements of that act start to get a bit repetitive and tedious.”
“The lack of signposting is just tedious: we don't want handholding, but maybe the door texture shouldn't look 99% like a wall texture - looking at you, ruins lava room, where I found the hidden key way before finding the door.”
“My only caveat is that act two's objectives are grindy and unclear.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's unique character designs, ranging from humans to fantastical creatures, effectively contribute to an emotionally charged atmosphere, evoking tension and a sense of foreboding throughout the experience. Players feel a strong connection to the forest setting, enhancing the overall emotional impact of the game.
“The game evokes a deep emotional response with its unique character designs, ranging from humans to deer-like beings, creating a tense atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.”
“The varied character designs contribute to an immersive emotional journey, making players feel a strong connection to the game's forest-like setting and its underlying themes.”
“The tension created by the game's diverse characters and their interactions truly resonates, leaving a lasting emotional impact on the player.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's stability is marred by significant enemy AI issues, with many foes exhibiting buggy behavior that allows players to exploit mechanics, such as defeating them easily by crouching out of reach.
“Enemies are buggy, and most of them can be easily killed by crouching because they can't reach you.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress.”
“I experienced constant frame drops and stuttering, which ruined the overall experience.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized as short and sweet, with the main character, Fennel, being particularly likable and funny, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience.
“Bottom line: it's short, sweet, and Fennel, the main character, is incredibly likable and funny.”
