Bramble: The Mountain King

Bramble: The Mountain King is a production developed by Dimfrost Studio and published by Merge Games. The game was released in 2023 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Despite its indie nature, Bramble: The Mountain King has gained attention for its incredibly scary and raw sequences, making it recommended for adult audiences.

PLOT

In Bramble: The Mountain King, players take on the role of Olle, a young boy who sets out to find his older sister after waking up in the middle of the night alone. Throughout the game, Olle searches desperately for Lillemor, wandering through the eerie forest landscapes typical of cautionary Scandinavian fairy tales. We’ve been accustomed to associating the term “fairy tale” with something closely resembling Disney’s imagery, where a happy ending is always expected and stories are generally light and accessible. It’s important to note that Bramble: The Mountain King draws inspiration not from these types of tales, but rather from the original versions of works by the Brothers Grimm, for example. If you didn’t know, traditional Nordic folklore fairy tales included themes such as cannibalism, violence, infanticide, torture, and amputations… precisely what we’ll encounter in this daring video game.

CONSIDERATIONS

Bramble: The Mountain King is a game with a simple and linear structure; mainly running and jumping, with a few small exceptions. What stands out the most, besides the particularly detailed visual component, are the narrative twists. Within a minute, we can go from playing hide-and-seek with friendly gnomes to trying not to be abducted by a terrifying troll, hiding among piles of putrescent flesh. Olle, during his adventure, faces situations far too heavy for a child of his age, making it tough for players not to empathize with the protagonist. The emotional management of these moments is made even more challenging by Olle’s postural changes, which communicate his emotional state.

Artistically speaking, this game is a gem; the design of the environments and characters is a feast for the eyes. The same can be said for the sound department, which is also meticulously crafted, and for the undoubtedly well-chosen and impactful directing choices.

IN CONCLUSION

Bramble: The Mountain King is not for everyone. Some moments are very difficult to digest, even for the strongest stomachs. With that said, if you have no digestion problems and you enjoy very dark fairy-tale atmospheres, this game is absolutely for you.
Horror d’Elite souls, do you have the courage to play this title?