Brush Burial

84%
Game Brain Score Based on 86 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • atmosphere
Brush Burial Game Cover
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"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
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

84%
Audience ScoreBased on 86 reviews
gameplay17 positive mentions
story3 negative mentions
  • The movement mechanics are fun and responsive, allowing for agile traversal and combat.
  • The game has a unique atmosphere and aesthetic, reminiscent of classic immersive sims like Thief.
  • There are interesting gameplay elements and mechanics that encourage exploration and experimentation.
  • The level design is often confusing and lacks clear objectives, making navigation tedious.
  • Combat can feel trivial due to weak enemy AI and an abundance of resources, diminishing the stealth aspect.
  • The pixelation filter and visual style can be disorienting, making it hard to see and navigate the environment.
  • gameplay41 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by fun movement mechanics and unique interactions, such as using a tail to fling or stun enemies, which contribute to an engaging experience. However, players note issues with level design and restrictions on movement, making navigation challenging, particularly in stealth scenarios. While the core mechanics show promise, many feel the game is too short and lacks depth, leaving room for potential expansion in future content.

    • “You don't get a ton of different moves, but using your tail to attach/fling to surfaces or to stun/throw stuff at enemies makes for some fun gameplay.”
    • “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 a cool non-human character that you can really feel in the gameplay.”
    • “I didn’t really find myself using the throw mechanic as the binding was a bit too awkward to use mid-combat, but the devs have already said that they’re unlikely to implement this feature, so I guess I’m just speaking into the void.”
    • “I don't mind stylistic/gameplay decisions, but being unable to see a majority of things in the first level and having 0 depth perception is not a good idea for a stealth game.”
    • “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.”
  • graphics15 mentions

    The game's graphics are praised for their stylish aesthetic and excellent setting, contributing to an engaging overall experience. However, the pixelation effect, muddy visuals, and low contrast have been criticized for making gameplay disorienting and challenging. While many appreciate the artistic direction, some find it detracts from the overall playability.

    • “Excellent graphics, excellent setting, excellent mechanics.”
    • “I think the most important part, though, is probably the amazing aesthetic thread that ties it all together.”
    • “This game has an awesome aesthetic with some of the best combat music I’ve heard in a while.”
    • “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 the visuals - it's really stylish overall, and I do like it, but it also makes the game actively hard to play.”
  • atmosphere12 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its immersive qualities, particularly through the use of atmospheric sounds like water drops during non-combat moments. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to create a compelling sense of place, contributing to an overall engaging experience.

    • “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.”
    • “A very interesting little immersive sim with an interesting atmosphere.”
    • “Interesting little game with great atmosphere.”
  • story9 mentions

    The story is criticized for being confusing and lacking depth, with players feeling that the motivations are unclear and the narrative is almost nonexistent. While there are some trials and a final boss fight, the overall experience is described as odd and short, with a desire for more impactful quests and better mission design.

    • “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 explore.”
    • “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.”
    • “This would be an unremarkable issue, but then the level design/mission design is an abject failure.”
  • music9 mentions

    The game's music is praised for its interesting and engaging soundtrack, particularly the combat music, which enhances the overall aesthetic. However, some players note that certain sound effects and music can be overly loud and repetitive. Overall, the music contributes positively to the immersive experience, making it a highlight for fans of the genre.

    • “This game has an awesome aesthetic with some of the best combat music I've heard in a while.”
    • “Also, the music is amazing.”
    • “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.”
    • “Slight audio warning: some of the sound effects and music can be quite loud and repetitive.”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly in Act Two, where objectives are unclear and lack proper signposting. The frustration is compounded by poorly designed environments that make navigation and progression feel unnecessarily difficult. Overall, the grinding experience detracts from the enjoyment of exploring the game.

    • “The lack of signposting is just tedious: okay, 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 damn door.”
    • “I honestly find this tedious regardless of whether I can look up what they do in the forums; I just wish I could've gone through the rooms one by one.”
    • “My only caveat is that Act Two's objectives are grindy and unclear.”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game's stability is marred by significant enemy AI bugs, allowing players to exploit mechanics such as crouching to easily defeat foes that are unable to reach them. This issue detracts from the overall gameplay experience.

    • “Enemies are buggy, and most of them you can just kill by crouching because they can't reach you.”
  • humor2 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.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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