Through Mud and Monsters | BRAMBLE THE MOUNTAIN KING
“This is what happens when you do not listen to your mother.”
How far would you go to save a sibling? What if monsters stood in your path, or death shadowed your every move? Would you be willing to risk it all? For Olle, it might as well be to the ends of the earth. When his sister Lillemor is taken, he fights his way through challenges both physically and mentally straining – dodges butchers knives, runs from plagues and hides from Ogres. Through fire and sea, light and dark, mud and bramble, he encounters horrors reserved for children’s cautionary tales, the type of myths that scare even the bravest of hunters, legends told around campfires that leave you glancing over your shoulder. Bramble: The Mountain King pulls us into a world steeped in Nordic folklore where all the creatures that haunt your nightmares are real. It is a perfect blend of horror and whimsy, where disgust comes hand in hand with awe.
Screenshot by IceAlice via steamcommunity.com
We meet Olle in his bedroom where he wakes to find his sister Lillemor missing. When he isn’t able to find her, he does the only obvious thing to do in that situation; climb out of his window and search for her in the murky woods behind their house. After witnessing an ogre capture Lillemor, Olle embarks on a dangerous quest to retrieve her, through a whimsical world full of strange beings, most of which do their best to kill him. Surviving enemy after enemy, he finally uncovers the legend that curses the land - an old king who made a deal with a witch to cure his son’s illness, sent into a violent rage when the boy dies anyway. To placate or punish him, the witch curses him to a life bound by bramble, feeding on the people the ogres serve to him. Olle refuses to allow his sister as the king’s next meal, so after a grueling fight, Olle defeats the king, and gives Lillemor a means of releasing herself - a magic knife to cut her way out of the king’s belly.
Scandinavian/Nordic folklore can be rather dark, you need only look at the grim fairy tales that originated from these areas, popularised by the likes of Disney, though morphed into a sickly sweet (very) loose retelling. Many were intended to scare children into good behaviour, some were simply imaginations run wild, spread so far we are left wondering about the truth of them. Besides, folklore is by nature, often extrapolated from real experiences, originating during a time where scientific explanation was as valid as the village drunk rambling tales in the local tavern. Anything was easily believed, and so the most wondrous and fascinating tales unfurled into being, continuing to be grown and morph and blossom, like brambles creeping across the landscape. The creatures that appear in Bramble: the Mountain King, are based upon real stories known in Nordic folklore, the Nackën, Pesta, and the Skogsra to name a few. These tales are not so mainstream as the likes of the Loch Ness Monster or the Kraken or Big Foot but they are no less fascinating to read about. The game even invites you to, with readable storybooks giving context to the sad and terrifying existences of the monsters you face. It almost gives a sort of humanity to these wildly fantastical creatures, a context to the world you traverse. It seems to be cruel to everyone, though some thrive off it more so than others.
Sscreenshot by Alexanray via steamcommunity.com
But let’s put on our hypothetical boots here and wonder a little more about Olle himself and his place within this very strange, very beautiful story. Apart from the obvious observation that this is clearly not set in the real world, there are many questions surrounding Olle’s experience that throw us in the deep end after happily (?) paddling in the shallows. We are led to believe the story is set up as a simple fairy tale, storybooks manifesting into Olle’s journey across the lands. However, there is a deeper layer within that begs the question – just how much of this journey is Olle physically traversing, and how much of it is a battle of the mind? Many times, especially when Olle is unconscious or transitioning between areas, the perspective switches, and we see an almost hallucinogenic counterpart of the world we spend the majority of the time in. We could easily assume these are just odd dreams conjured by the extremely frazzled mind of a very young boy, or we could, as I did, question what really is the truth here. I’m reminded of theories of Alice in Wonderland that I used to willingly dive into rabbit holes about (pun absolutely intended). Was Wonderland truly a mystical and wonderfully whimsical fantasy land, or was it a child’s troubled attempt at escaping the horrors they witnessed in reality – a mutation of painful memories morphed into something more palatable to a child? The same could be said about Olle, although his world is hardly an escape if his experience is arguably MORE horrific than whatever happened in the real world. Instead, perhaps the fantastical elements are a haunted mirroring of his reality rather than a replacement. But of course, I could be reaching too far into a game that is quite simply exactly as it seems. As always, I’m constantly wondering what lies beneath the surface, just in case the developers hid anything there.
Screeshot by Alexanray via steamcommunity.com
I don’t particularly enjoy drawing comparisons to similar games/stories, but I couldn't help but be reminiscent of Little Nightmares as I played. While Bramble is a bit more literal in the way it tells you the story of the world, the uncanny feeling that follows you throughout the game is a similar experience in other horror platformers. The feeling that something is perpetually wrong, that even when you think you’re safe, you must check again. I guess being small in a setting ten times your size may do that, but Bramble was unique in that the edge to the game was truly like a fairy tale. Olle is on a journey towards a happy ending, and the horrors he had to endure actually ended up worth it in the end. So often does a sad story end with more tragedy, leaving you feeling not relieved, not vindicated, but a little worse for wear. A happily ever after is nice for a change, in an industry that thrives off of the tears of its audience.
In a world as fantastical as Bramble: The Mountain King, can we really attempt to dissect the beautiful beasts, the wicked kings and thorny evils? I recommend reading about the original folktales if the taste is not enough to sate you. There are age old legends behind every monster, curious corners of Nordic history not often told about in media. This game makes it easy to sympathise with Olle, as he wanders through these tales, both beauteous and terrifying. We would quite happily step into his wonderland if it means frolicking with fairies, riding on hedgehogs and playing with gnome babies. Because after the horrors of his journey, it’s all worth it in the end.
Right?
Bramble the Mountain King, developed by Dimfrost Studios, is a fantastical horror adventure game steeped in grim Nordic folklore. This is their second game, and judging by their knack for storytelling, I hope to see many more in the future. Play Bramble on steam here.
