While I had looked up very little of this game because it is easy enough that this isn't really necessary, I could tell by the way that things were evolving in the game and how fast-paced and somewhat difficult it was getting that I was pretty close to finished. I had been trudging along for a while because I thought this game was amazing only to get stuck on a boss and then do what I often do-do in games like this and I walked away for weeks and every time I thought about booting it back up I thought "oh that's going to be even harder now that I don't know the buttons!"
I managed to defeat the boss that was giving me such trouble on the 3rd or 4th try, which was surprising. I guess I was just in the correct mindset.
The area leading up to that boss doesn't really have a name as far as I know, but it was one of my favorite parts of the game because it is action packed, a nice mix of puzzles and platforming (sort of) and you also get some nice lore mixed in there was well.
I found this game to be excellent and would say that it is worth up to $10. I got it for free though if you consider a PS-Plus game to be "free." I am paying for the membership after all.
In the level just before the "Rake Lady" boss we are introduced to an old trope that at least in this game up to this point, seemed a bit out of place.
Zombies!
The cinematic that leads you to this village is pretty great because you are actually charged with walking forward and if you want to get a closer look at the creepy things around you that is your call. Or if you are like me you can hold down the run button and if that doesn't work you just keep jumping since the way the game is designed jumping makes you move faster, which is dumb but whatever!
Everything seems "par for the course" until you get to these creatures who if they see you will rush you as a zombie would making zombie sounds and they kill you immediately if they get a hold of you. This isn't really that out of place compared to most of the baddies you have encountered up to this point since almost everything kills you immediately and the name of the game in Bramble is to avoid things as much as possible.
Thankfully, they are idiots and if you just stop moving in the grass and stay crouched, they lose sight of you even if they saw you jump into the grass right where you are.
There's some claustrophobic moments inside the buildings you encounter where zombies are in there as well. you'll die a few times like I did and then probably by accident start to realize as I did, that the zombies will not approach your position if your light is out. You just need to flash the light to get a lay of the land and then walk in that direction. You can do almost anything other than basically throw yourself into the zombie arms and they are not going to know you are there at all.
most people will make it through all of this in just a few tries because I believe the game is easy by design. For a casual gamer like me this is perfect. The lore as it turns out is mostly based on real Nordic folklore and Scandinavian fairy tales that were designed in the past to make children behave themselves or something.
The imagery is pretty grown-up though and the eerie churches with dead bodies all around are something that I found mixed with the incredible soundtrack this game features so perfectly.
it isn't exactly super easy, but it certainly isn't hard. Almost everything you encounter in this game is something that you can figure out just by realizing that you are doing it wrong and then trying something else. There are not many situation where pinpoint accuracy on button presses is going to be at all necessary and for me, I love this. I like harder games as well from time-to-time but for the most part I don't have enough time in my life to dedicate to playing super-difficult games where reaction time is completely necessary to advance.
When you do eventually advance, you will be treated to things that are trippy, that maybe mean something to someone that is familiar with the lore. For me, this is the first time I am hearing about any of this stuff and that's just fine too.
This entire chapter is all about a very sexy woman that would lure villagers to their death and the zombie filled village is apparently the aftermath of that. Well, check the booty on that lady, it's understandable why the men (and probably some of the women) would follow that into the woods to their own demise.
My position on this game has been solidified by coming back to the game after probably around a month and being immediately capable of jumping back in. I don't think this is possible with most modern games seeing as how the controls are pretty complex. In this game you only use around 4 of the buttons and the sticks are the standard walk/camera control and I think everyone has a grasp of that.
It's free on PS-Plus Extra, and is likely heavily discounted everywhere else. It's available on all consoles as well as PC, so why not have a look and see if you can get it for free or near free as well?
