Brush Burial

About

Brush Burial is a single player platformer game with fantasy and dark fantasy themes. It was developed by Knife Demon Software and was released on December 1, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

Brush Burial is a lo-fidelity First Person Snatcher. You play as Fennel, a knife-wielding swamp devil with an eye for gold and a penchant for violence. Use your tail to toy with your prey: grab and fling objects, climb impossible heights, and knock your enemies off balance. FEATURES: - a hand-crafted environment with multiple paths to the objective. - meaningful environmental interactions--grab an…

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90%

Audience ScoreBased on 229 reviews

gameplay22 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

Engaging and fluid movement mechanics that provide satisfying exploration and combat experiences.
Strong immersive sim elements with a unique atmosphere, art style, and intriguing worldbuilding.
First act praised for its level design, freedom of approach, and rewarding stealth and combat gameplay.

Second act criticized for confusing, repetitive puzzles and frustrating progression that disrupts game flow.
Inconsistent save system causing enemy and item respawns that can lead to softlocks and repetition.
Lack of clear objectives or guidance and some UI/controls issues (e.g., no key rebinding, clunky inventory) causing player confusion.

gameplay
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
63%
4%
The gameplay is generally praised for its unique movement mechanics, stealth elements, and an immersive sim feel reminiscent of titles like Thief and Dishonored, offering fun and tense combat with innovative controls like a prehensile tail. However, many note a significant drop in quality and clarity during the second act, where puzzles become cryptic and navigation frustrating, disrupting momentum and engagement. Overall, while the first act's gameplay foundation is strong and enjoyable, inconsistent pacing and design choices in later parts leave players hoping for refinement and expansion in future installments.
- “The gameplay is a lot of fun and feels like an in-between of Dishonored and Ultrakill - something I never knew I wanted but now can't go without!”
- “It's definitely an easy game to cheese, but it also means you can really get away with experimenting with some of the different mechanics.”
- “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 a cool non-human character that you can really feel in the gameplay.”
- “Now you are in a temple, there are no enemies to fight, barely any loot to collect and all of the gameplay is replaced with movement challenges where you climb up impossible-looking areas, solve incredibly cryptic puzzles that are absolutely impossible to figure out without using a guide and I just lost all drive to play the game.”
- “Act one was really fun, while I think it was easy to forget the flower thing and end up running around for an hour most mechanics were interesting and with a bit of polish could have been very interesting, act two was the most abysmal and genuinely made my head hurt from how confusing and repetitive it was, and act three was okay if a bit boring.”
- “The style and feel of the game, as well as the exploration in the first act, are top notch, however I feel that 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.”
graphics
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
32%
10%
The graphics receive mixed but generally positive feedback, with many praising the unique, stylized, and immersive art style that enhances worldbuilding and ambiance. However, some users find the pixelation, muddy visuals, and low contrast challenging or off-putting, which can affect gameplay clarity and comfort. Overall, the distinctive aesthetic is a strong point that adds personality, though it may not appeal to everyone.
- “But I think Act 1 makes it worth it; there's clearly a great foundation of worldbuilding, aesthetics, and immersive sim mechanics here.”
- “This is a very interesting and fun game; graphics look a little harsh at first but I got used to it way quicker than I ever anticipated and learned to appreciate it.”
- “I love the overall aesthetic, the art and modeling, and every eccentric detail, like health being shown through the condition of your myriad eyes, or reading out the inner thoughts of your character when thumbing through items.”
- “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.”
atmosphere
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
76%
24%
The game is consistently praised for its strong, immersive atmosphere, characterized by a dark, surreal, and eerie ambiance supported by a fitting soundtrack and unique visual style. Many users highlight its creative world design and evocative soundscapes that enhance the mysterious and tense mood. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout aspect, deeply enriching the gameplay experience.
- “Especially delightful little game, the atmosphere is dark and surreal and is conveyed perfectly through the visual style and soundtrack which varies from eerie ambience to something approaching industrial noise.”
- “Stuffed with atmosphere, the world design is neatly surreal.”
- “Fantastic game, the atmosphere is top notch.”
music
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
37%
13%
The music in the game is widely praised for its fitting, atmospheric quality, blending eerie, tense, and industrial sounds that enhance the dark, surreal vibe. Many highlight the dynamic combat soundtrack that energizes gameplay and memorable ambient sound design, though a few note occasional loud or repetitive elements. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong, integral part of the game's unique style and immersive experience.
- “I could go on about the great sound design, the ambient cavernous humming similar to Thief, the tremendous soundtrack and all the small little touches to the game that speak equally of effort, talent and love that went into the game.”
- “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.”
- “Especially delightful little game, the atmosphere is dark and surreal and is conveyed perfectly through the visual style and soundtrack which varies from eerie ambience to something approaching industrial noise.”
- “Not outstanding music by any means but still fitting for when moving around or in combat.”
- “Slight audio warning: some of the sound effects and music can be loud and repetitive.”
- “The peaking sounds and music kinda added to the vibes.”
story
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
58%
13%
The story is generally minimalistic, vague, and often confusing, with little clear direction or motivation for the player. While some appreciate the intriguing worldbuilding and unique atmosphere, many find the narrative lacking depth, quests, and meaningful progression, making it feel more like an exploratory sandbox than a focused story-driven experience.
- “The story is light, but there's some rich exposition to be had with close examination.”
- “The vibes, the movement, the music, the weird-ass story, I loved all of it and I'm very excited to get my hands on the second game once it's out.”
- “Super unique art style and music, and the story/worldbuilding is interesting.”
- “Honestly, the only reason I say "no" is because the story is hard to follow, and it's generally confusing what's going on the entire time.”
- “I'm not asking for yellow paint slathered all over the environment to guide me, but the game's story is literally written in the store description and doesn't come up much outside of a few comments by the NPCs.”
- “The story is confusing; your motivations for doing anything is just "you're a spider-devil-girl-thing who likes stealing," and the path to go is very unclear other than just exploring.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game becomes tedious and repetitive, particularly in the second act where unclear objectives and poor signposting lead to aimless exploration. This lack of guidance detracts from the experience, making progression feel more like a chore.
- “The style and feel of the game, as well as the exploration in the first act, are top notch; however, I feel that 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.”
- “My only caveat is that act two's objectives are grindy and unclear.”
- “I honestly find this tedious regardless if I can look up what they do in the forums; just wish I could've gone through the rooms one by one.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game is well-optimized and runs smoothly with a surprisingly small file size, but some enemy AI is buggy, allowing players to exploit crouching to easily defeat them.
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is praised for its phenomenal and unique design, showing significant effort and detail despite the game's short length.
- “The character design is phenomenal and unique as well--for such a short game there was clearly a lot of work put into the design of it all.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is marked by its unique and diverse character designs, which effectively create a tense, forest-like atmosphere with an underlying sense of menace. Players feel a strong, immersive vibe that enhances the game's emotional impact.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor is concise and enjoyable, largely driven by the likable and funny main character, Fennel.
- “Bottom line: it's short, sweet, and Fennel, the main character, is incredibly likable and funny.”