Steam Next Fest has done its job: it’s introduced me to a game I’d only ever seen glimpses of and have now become completely obsessed with. You’ve also proba𓆏bly seen snippets of that moment from Bramble: The Mountain King, a scene depicting a monster emerging from the depths of a pond to chase down a very small little dude. Seeജn in its full context with the slow build-up, the music, the atmosphere, and the environmental storytelling, this moment, among others, has put this indie right up there with my most anticipated games of 2023.
Developed by Dimfrost Studio and set to release on April 27, Bramble: The Mountain King is self-🎀described as showcasing a bunch of “Nordic folktales”, most of which, if you aren’t aware, are absolutely f***ing terrifying. I’m talking real horrible stuff, the kind of stories we aren’t allowed to read to children anymore. The original Grimm’s fairy tales are brutal - Hansel and Gretel is all about a witch who wants to eat children but has to fatten them up first. Even💫tually the kids dump the witch in the oven and roast her alive.
If Bramble: The Mountain King is just Grimm’s fairy tales in video game form, I’m already sold. It looks beautiful, and the music is doubly so, really driving the story forward as we learn about Nacken, a lovelorn monster who is absolutely terrible at playing the violin. So bad, in fact, that he was beaten savagely by his fellow villagers until he lost his mind and began to play the demonic tunes that made his lover dance herself to death. Gnarly. There is so much potential here thr𒐪oughout the canon of messed-up medieval fairy tales.
I want Dimfrost to do these stories justice though, because my initial taste of the game presents a wonderful formula with so much potential. The environmental storytelling is yummy and scrumptious. There are statues that come to life, these weird little gnome dudes with big hats, and of course, your main character, who appears to be some sort of forest sprite. Edvard Grieg’s “In The Hall Of The Mountain King” is really based on quite a wild story of a giant troll king who lives in a mountain, and surrounds himself with these very small children. Is that what you are? Honestly, I haven’t the 🤡foggiest, and I love it.
Gameplay elements like platforming and puzzles aꦓre passable, but nothing too complicated. It’s quite well-balanced given that I was really only playing to see what was going to happen next: for the next set piece, the next sheet of music. The game moves swiftly between settings and emotive cues—dark and unsettling caves, a little contextual exposition done here and there fitting neatly into the environment, and a fast-paced action scene right at the end. There were one or two moments where I stopped in my tracks to admire a musical note, or a scene unfolding in the blurry background far beyond my character’s sight.
The story is initially framed as a protagonist searching for their lost sister, a creepy-looking girl that appears before you in a hazy vision. That’s a pretty classic trope as far as storytelling goes, but it’s nice to know that alongside wandering through various disgusting fairy tales, we’ve also got a bit of narrative direction to keep us going. In practice, the game feels like a graphically-advanced Limbo, as the world is dark 🅺and mysterious, and๊ your playable character is entirely silent. Any sort of comparison to that classic is high praise.
Bramble: The Mountain King releases later this year. You can pick up and play the demo for♌ free until February 13, the end of the Steam Next Fest.