Info about Bramble: The Mountain King:

Official game description:
Bramble The Mountain King takes you on a gripping and unsettling journey through stunning environments. Take on the role of Olle, a young boy setting off to rescue his sister, kidnapped by a dreaded troll.
Not everything in Bramble is exactly how it seems - in this strange land with creatures big and small, you must be careful when to approach and when to hide. Many hungry and spiteful beasts lurk in these forests and caves. Watch your step....
Call upon the Spark of Courage, an enchanted fragment granting the gifts you need to endure the pitfalls and trials in your path. Defeat the horrid creatures you encounter in different and unique ways. Be warned, courage without kindness can take you down a dark path.
*   Adventure as Olle, a brave boy who sets off to rescue his sister.
*   A beautiful yet dangerous world to explore.
*   Encounter twisted, mythical creatures from Nordic folklore for epic-scale boss battles.
*   Tense, heart-pounding moments with hi-end visuals to match.

Release date: Apr 27, 2023

Categories: Action-Adventure, Platformer, Puzzle Solving, Atmospheric Horror, Story-driven Gameplay, Exploration, Nordic Folklore, Dark Fantasy

Feature scans:
- Proton/Linux: score 55; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The game has mixed reviews regarding its compatibility and performance on Linux and Steam Deck. While some users report a smooth and enjoyable experience, others encounter significant issues such as cutscene rendering problems and performance drops. The use of GE-Proton is recommended to fix some of these issues, indicating that the game may require some tweaking to run optimally on Linux-based systems.
- Steam Deck: score 85; verdict: Broken; summary: Bramble: The Mountain King faces significant issues on the Steam Deck, including game completion problems, performance issues, bugs, and control issues. Users have reported that the game is difficult to finish due to various technical barriers, and performance is often subpar even on the lowest settings. Workarounds are frequently required to achieve better performance, and control issues further detract from the overall experience.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $6.00 - $10.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence consistently suggests that the community finds the base price of $30 to be too high for the amount of content provided, which is approximately 5 hours of gameplay. Many users recommend purchasing the game only when it is on sale, often mentioning a sale price around $6 to $10 as more reasonable. This indicates that the community perceives the fair price range to be significantly lower than the current base price.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 5.0h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provided includes multiple references to the playtime of 'Bramble: The Mountain King.' Several reviews mention that it took around 5 hours to complete the game. One review specifically states, 'Across the 5 hours it took to roll credits,' indicating the total playtime for game completion. Another review mentions, 'At 5 hours for £25,' which also supports the 5-hour playtime for completing the game. Additionally, there are mentions of the game being short and taking a few hours to complete, which aligns with the 5-hour playtime. However, there is no specific evidence provided for the story completion time, session length, or endgame content separately.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game initially engages players with its story and visuals but becomes less enjoyable due to repetitive and frustrating gameplay mechanics, particularly in puzzles and boss fights.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Completion of the initial narrative setup
  - Time to anchor: 1h 0m
  - Friction: awkward controls; annoying camera angles; repetitive puzzles; tedious boss fights; slow pacing
  - Unlock drivers: strong narrative; visual appeal
  - Conditions: short play sessions; appreciation for story-driven games; tolerance for repetitive gameplay
- Player Archetypes:
  - Atmospheric Puzzle-Platformer Fan (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of atmospheric puzzle-platformers with dark storytelling.
    - Playstyle: Explores the game environment, solves puzzles, and immerses themselves in the story.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: fan of Little Nightmares; fan of Limbo; fan of Inside
    - Reference games: Little Nightmares; Limbo; Inside
  - Horror and Mythology Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Appreciation of horror and mythology in gaming.
    - Playstyle: Immerses themselves in the game's atmosphere, enjoys the horror elements, and explores the mythological aspects.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: horror fan; mythology enthusiast
    - Reference games: Ico; Sanitarium
  - Story-Driven Explorer (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of immersive storytelling and atmospheric exploration.
    - Playstyle: Explores the game world, enjoys the narrative and music, and appreciates the visual design.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: story-driven gamer; explorer
    - Reference games: Unravel; Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
  - Completionist (sale)
    - Motivation: Achieving 100% completion and all in-game accomplishments.
    - Playstyle: Focuses on completing all aspects of the game, including difficult achievements.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: completionist; achievement hunter
    - Reference games: Devil May Cry 5


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Stunning Visual Design (weight 0.97): The game features visually magnificent and captivating environments with a unique visual style. Players consistently praise the high-quality visuals, atmospheric details, and the overall beauty of the game world.
- Rich Scandinavian Folklore (weight 0.86): The game is deeply rooted in Scandinavian and Nordic folklore, featuring creatures and stories from these mythologies. This unique presentation of folklore adds depth and interest to the game's narrative and world.
- Engaging and Emotional Storytelling (weight 0.74): The game offers an immersive and engaging narrative experience. The storytelling is captivating, emotional, and often dark, leaving a lasting impression on players.
- Fairy Tale and Horror Atmosphere (weight 0.73): The game combines elements of fairy tales and horror, creating a dark and enchanting atmosphere. This mix draws players into a world that is both beautiful and terrifying, inspired by Scandinavian folklore.
- Excellent Music and Sound Design (weight 0.55): The game features a beautiful and powerful soundtrack that complements the visuals and atmosphere. The music and sound design are highly praised for their quality and integration with the game world.
- Simple but Effective Gameplay (weight 0.53): While the gameplay mechanics are relatively simple and straightforward, they are well-designed and serve the game's atmosphere and narrative effectively. Puzzles and boss fights are generally easy but engaging.
- Unique and Enjoyable Experience (weight 0.37): The game offers a unique and enjoyable experience, blending elements of horror, fairy tales, and Scandinavian folklore. Players find the game to be creative, original, and worth their time.
- Well-Designed Characters and Scenarios (weight 0.15): The game features well-developed characters and masterfully designed scenarios. Each character is wonderfully crafted, adding depth and interest to the game's world and story.

Common complaints:
- Controls need improvement (weight 0.44): Many players have reported issues with the game's controls, describing them as imprecise, sluggish, clunky, and awkward. These issues are prevalent across different platforms, including controllers and keyboard/mouse setups.
- Game is boring (weight 0.26): Several reviews mention that the game is boring, with uninteresting puzzles and a lack of action. The short length and underwhelming ending also contribute to this sentiment.
- Camera angles are problematic (weight 0.26): The cinematic camera angles have been described as frustrating and inconvenient, often making it difficult to see enemies or judge jumps. This issue significantly impacts the gameplay experience.
- Puzzles are simplistic (weight 0.17): Players have found the puzzles to be simple, lacking challenge, and repetitive. Some puzzles are also reported to be frustrating and unnatural.
- Boss battles are not enjoyable (weight 0.14): Boss battles have been described as not fun, simplistic, and stupid. Some players find them frustrating and tedious.
- Game is too short (weight 0.12): The game's length has been criticized for being too short, with a playtime of around 3-5 hours. This, combined with a lack of replayability, makes the game feel not worth the full price.
- Character movement issues (weight 0.12): Character movements are described as stiff and clunky, with some animations also being stiff. This affects the overall smoothness of the gameplay.
- Frequent bugs (weight 0.12): Players have encountered various bugs, ranging from minor image bugs to issues with achievements. These bugs can detract from the overall gaming experience.
- Game is extremely linear (weight 0.09): The game is criticized for being too linear, with little to no exploration. This linear design limits the player's freedom and can make the game feel restrictive.
- Inconsistent pacing (weight 0.09): The game's pacing has been noted as inconsistent, with issues in maintaining a cohesive story. This can lead to a disjointed gaming experience.
- Dark themes and scenes (weight 0.07): The game features dark scenes and themes that may not be suitable for all audiences. The excessive use of dark scenes can be off-putting for some players.
- No-death achievement is difficult (weight 0.07): The achievement for completing the game without dying is reported as extremely difficult and sometimes impossible due to clunky camera and controls.
- Not recommended at full price (weight 0.07): Players suggest that the game is not worth the full price due to its short length and lack of replayability. It is often recommended to purchase the game only when it is on sale.
- Game freezing on Steam Deck (weight 0.07): There are reports of the game freezing and becoming unplayable on the Steam Deck. This issue can significantly impact the gaming experience on this platform.
- Cheap and pointless deaths (weight 0.06): The game features deaths that are described as cheap and pointless, which can be frustrating for players.
- Frustrating platforming sections (weight 0.06): Platforming sections are reported as frustrating and difficult. Some players find these segments particularly challenging and less enjoyable.
- Platforming feels floaty (weight 0.06): The platforming mechanics are described as feeling floaty and could benefit from more polishing to improve the overall gameplay experience.
- Game is not optimized for keyboard and mouse (weight 0.06): The game is primarily designed for controllers, making it difficult and problematic to play with a keyboard and mouse. The movement and combat sequences are particularly challenging with this setup.
- Game is too difficult and unfair (weight 0.06): The game's difficulty level is described as excessively high and unfair to the player. This can make the gameplay feel more like hard work than an enjoyable experience.

Gameplay feedback:
- Platforming and adventure elements (weight 0.44): The game features a significant amount of platforming elements, combined with adventure mechanics. Players can expect to engage in jump and run mechanics, as well as solving puzzles.
- Challenging and unique boss fights (weight 0.29): The game includes boss fights that are challenging and require learning attack patterns. These bosses have unique designs and backstories, adding depth to the gameplay.
- Horror and dark fairy tale atmosphere (weight 0.25): The game incorporates horror elements and a dark fairy tale setting, creating a unique and atmospheric experience. It draws heavily from Scandinavian folklore.
- Puzzle-solving mechanics (weight 0.23): Puzzles are a core part of the gameplay, though they are generally not particularly complex. Players will solve puzzles involving keys and other mechanics.
- Accessible and story-driven gameplay (weight 0.18): The game offers accessible and story-driven gameplay, making it suitable for a wide range of players. The narrative is a significant focus, with a semi-relaxed pace.
- Exploration and interaction (weight 0.17): Players can explore the game world and interact with various elements. While primarily a walking sim, there are secrets to discover and environments to engage with.
- Trial-and-error mechanics (weight 0.08): The game employs trial-and-error mechanics, requiring players to learn from their mistakes and adapt their strategies.
- Linear gameplay with mini-stories (weight 0.07): The game features linear gameplay with mini-stories, providing a structured narrative experience without extensive exploration.
- Fixed and dynamic camera angles (weight 0.07): The game uses a combination of fixed and dynamic camera angles, adding to the cinematic feel and gameplay experience.
- Similar to Little Nightmares (weight 0.07): The gameplay and atmosphere are reminiscent of Little Nightmares, offering a similar experience for fans of that game.

Performance notes:
- Mixed feedback on performance (weight 0.2): While some players reported smooth performance and good optimization, others experienced various performance issues.
- Camera control issues (weight 0.11): Many players found the camera controls to be annoying and difficult to manage, affecting gameplay.
- Control and aiming problems (weight 0.11): Some players experienced issues with controls being unresponsive and aiming problems, particularly during boss fights.
- Game crashes and stability (weight 0.09): The game has been reported to crash frequently, leading to a disrupted gaming experience.
- Graphical and texture bugs (weight 0.06): Several users encountered graphical defects and texture bugs, affecting the visual experience of the game.
- Loading screens and teleportation issues (weight 0.06): Players have noted long loading screens and issues with teleportation in certain areas of the game.
- Battery drain on Steam Deck (weight 0.04): Players using the Steam Deck noted a significant drain on the battery life while playing the game.
- Switch version performance (weight 0.04): The Switch version of the game has noted performance issues.
- Linux compatibility issues (weight 0.03): There are reported issues with the game's compatibility on Linux systems.

Recommendations:
- Ideal for fans of atmospheric horror (weight 0.41): This game is highly recommended for players who enjoy atmospheric adventure games with horror elements and mythic storytelling. It is particularly suited for fans of games like Little Nightmares, Inside, and Limbo.
- Highly recommended experience (weight 0.3): Many reviewers highly recommend the game for its unique experience and emotional impact. It is praised for its atmosphere, art direction, and narrative immersion.
- Worth the price on sale (weight 0.29): The game is considered worth the price, especially when purchased on sale. Some reviewers suggest waiting for a discount before buying.
- Mixed recommendations (weight 0.16): While many reviewers recommend the game, some do not. It is suggested to try the game if you enjoy similar genres or specific elements like cottage core and horror media.
- Lovers of Scandinavian myths (weight 0.13): The game is recommended for those who enjoy Scandinavian myths and Nordic folklore. It offers a unique experience rooted in these mythologies.
- Specific audience recommendations (weight 0.11): The game is recommended for specific audiences, such as fans of Kena: Bridge of Spirits and those who enjoy emotionally discomforting games.
- Unique and immersive storytelling (weight 0.08): The game is recommended for its immersive and detailed storytelling. It offers a unique experience that draws players into its world.
- Technical considerations (weight 0.07): Some technical considerations include using better hardware for handheld play and using GE-Proton to fix cutscene issues. Avoid playing on Steam Deck.
- Not for action or horror seekers (weight 0.06): The game is recommended for those new to cinematic action and horror but may not be suitable for players seeking intense action or horror experiences.
- Replay value (weight 0.05): Some reviewers mention that the game is worth replaying, indicating a good replay value and enjoyable experience.

Other player notes:
- Hedgehog water crossing mechanic (weight 0.04): The game features a unique mechanic where a hedgehog is used as a means of crossing water, which players found notable.
- Artbook praised for beauty (weight 0.04): Players appreciate the artbook, stating it is as beautiful as the game itself.
- Automatic refunds processed (weight 0.03): Some players reported that their money was returned automatically, indicating a possible issue with transactions or satisfaction.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.12): Players are frustrated primarily due to difficult boss fights, clunky controls, and camera issues. Technical problems such as game freezing, performance issues on Steam Deck, and unplayable conditions on certain platforms also contribute significantly to this frustration.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.12): Players enjoy the game's atmosphere, story, and visuals, which are often described as beautiful and engaging. The music, graphics, and overall aesthetic create an immersive experience that many find enjoyable despite some difficulties.
- Joy (weight 0.1): The overall positive experience with the game brings joy to players, who appreciate the unique story, atmosphere, and beautiful scenes. The game's ability to blend Scandinavian folklore with fairytale elements creates a memorable and joyful experience.
- Excitement (weight 0.09): Players are excited by the game's unique atmosphere, engaging story, and folklore elements. The visceral combat, challenging gameplay, and comparison to popular games like Little Nightmares also contribute to this excitement.
- Admiration (weight 0.07): Players admire the game's narrative, visual style, and music, which are praised for their uniqueness and beauty. The detailed storytelling, character designs, and overall atmosphere are highly appreciated.
- Disappointment (weight 0.06): Disappointment stems from the game's lack of innovation, repetitive gameplay, and underwhelming ending. Some players also express disappointment with the visuals, gameplay mechanics, and the game's length.
- Love (weight 0.06): Players love the game for its music, overall experience, and storytelling. The dark and emotional story, along with the stunning graphics and atmosphere, creates a deeply engaging and lovable experience.
- Fear (weight 0.04): The game's dark and scary atmosphere, along with horror elements and tense moments, instills fear in players. The realistic and eerie atmosphere, combined with scary creatures, contributes to this emotion.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.04): Players feel satisfied with the game's challenging but fair gameplay, solid narrative, and boss battles. The well-placed puzzles and enjoyable gameplay mechanics also contribute to this satisfaction.
- Appreciation (weight 0.04): Players appreciate the game's artistic visual effects, horror atmosphere, and unique elements. The lore, characters, and overall narrative style are highly valued.
- Awe (weight 0.04): The game's visually stunning environments, phenomenal atmosphere, and emotional impact create a sense of awe. The beautiful landscapes, music, and overall visual quality contribute to this feeling.
- Happy (weight 0.02): Players are happy with the game's enjoyable atmosphere, music, and story. The amazing story and art style, along with the lighthearted and humorous elements, bring joy and happiness.
- Engaged (weight 0.02): The detailed narrative, immersive atmosphere, and interesting story keep players engaged. The beautiful visuals, music, and emotional story elements contribute to this engagement.
- Excited (weight 0.02): Players are excited about the game's balance of tension, immersion, and chase sequences. The story, atmosphere, and boss fights, along with the excellent music and visual design, create a thrilling experience.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): The game's dark themes, disturbing content, and unexpected gameplay elements surprise players. The unique storytelling and the game's ability to evoke various emotions contribute to this surprise.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): The game's mix of horror and sadness, along with emotionally heavy themes, evokes sadness in players. The strong emotions and tragic story elements contribute to this feeling.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.01): The game's storytelling creates a strong sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of old fairy tales and legends. The late PS2 and early PS3 games feel, along with the adult fairy tale theme, brings back nostalgic memories.
- Fascination (weight 0.01): Players are fascinated by the mix of fairy tale and horror elements, dark tones, and blood and violence. The atmosphere and folklore elements create a captivating experience.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): The gameplay, story, puzzles, and beautiful story elements keep players engaged. The game's atmosphere and folklore elements contribute to this engagement.}