Brush Burial

78%
Game Brain Score Based on 44 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.

  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

78%
Audience ScoreBased on 44 reviews
gameplay9 positive mentions
story3 negative mentions
  • The movement mechanics are highly praised, providing a fluid and enjoyable experience as players navigate the environment.
  • The game features a unique aesthetic and atmosphere that many players find intriguing and immersive.
  • Act 1 offers a satisfying exploration experience with secrets and optional areas, making it a highlight of the game.
  • Act 2 is criticized for its confusing and tedious puzzle mechanics, which detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
  • The level design is often described as disorienting and lacking coherence, making navigation frustrating for players.
  • Combat is seen as overly simplistic and trivial, reducing the effectiveness of stealth mechanics and making encounters less engaging.
  • gameplay21 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by engaging movement mechanics and some fun emergent interactions, though it suffers from a non-functional core loop and restrictive mechanics that hinder full enjoyment. While the exploration and unique mechanics are praised, issues like awkward controls and poor level design detract from the overall experience. Despite these flaws, many players express a desire for more content that builds on the promising elements introduced in the game.

    • “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 (something I personally really love to see in games) 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 zero depth perception is not a good idea for a stealth game.”
    • “Overall, I really want the dev to make a game that expands more on act 1 of the game, and I would gladly pay for either a DLC or just another game that expands upon the gameplay and world of act 1.”
  • graphics8 mentions

    The game's graphics are praised for their strong aesthetic and thematic coherence, particularly in the temple setting of the second act. However, some players find the pixelation effect, muddy visuals, and low contrast to be distracting and detrimental to gameplay, making it challenging to navigate. Overall, while the visuals are stylish and well-designed, they can also hinder the gaming experience for some users.

    • “Excellent graphics, excellent setting, excellent mechanics.”
    • “I think the most important part, though, is probably the amazing aesthetic thread that ties it all together.”
    • “I really liked the whole temple aesthetic of the 2nd act and wish we had some sort of dungeon/temple to explore.”
    • “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.”
  • atmosphere6 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive qualities, particularly through 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.

    • “You'll mostly be immersed with atmospheric sounds like water drops when out of combat.”
    • “A very interesting little immersive sim with an interesting atmosphere.”
    • “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.”
  • story5 mentions

    The story is criticized for being confusing and lacking clear motivations, with players feeling directionless as they navigate the game. The narrative is described as odd and minimal, with few impactful quests, leading to an overall unsatisfactory experience. Additionally, the level and mission design are deemed inadequate, further detracting from the storytelling.

    • “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.”
    • “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.”
    • “I'd also like some kind of quests to do in the map that have impacts, because right now there's just the prisoner who wants mead.”
  • music5 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and aesthetic appeal, particularly the combat tracks, which stand out as some of the best in recent memory. However, some users noted that certain sound effects and music can be overly loud and repetitive. Overall, the soundtrack contributes positively to the immersive experience, enhancing the game's unique atmosphere.

    • “The music of the game is pretty interesting.”
    • “This game has an awesome aesthetic with some of the best combat music I've heard in a while.”
    • “A very interesting world, nice soundtrack and audio.”
    • “The audio levels are inconsistent; some sound effects and music can be quite loud and repetitive.”
    • “The music gets old quickly and lacks variety, making it feel monotonous.”
    • “There are moments when the soundtrack feels out of place and doesn't match the game's atmosphere.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to unclear objectives and poor signposting, which can lead to frustration when navigating environments. The lack of distinct visual cues makes it difficult to progress smoothly, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “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 if 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.”
  • stability1 mentions

    The game's stability is marred by significant enemy AI issues, with many foes exhibiting buggy behavior that allows players to exploit their weaknesses, such as being able to defeat 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

    The humor in the game is characterized as short and sweet, with the main character, Fennel, being particularly likable and funny, contributing to an 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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