Brush Burial

Have you ever wondered what has eight eyes, a tail, and pierces people in the dark to steal their belongings? You might find out by downloading the demo version of Brush Burial, an immersive retro-style simulator resembling a thief. In this game, you play as a little swamp demon named Fenkel with eight eyes and a tail who pierces people in the dark to steal their belongings.

The developer describes it as a "first-person snatch thief," where "you play as Fenkel, a knife-wielding swamp demon who loves gold and is prone to violence. Use your tail to play with your prey: grab and throw items, climb incredible heights and knock your enemies off balance." Fenkel engages in things like petty theft, befriending "thieves, robbers, and other charming disturbers of the peace," and navigating "handcrafted environments that blur the boundaries between digital, industrial, natural, and spiritual."

It certainly deserves its retro style, full of hand-drawn textures that are then crumpled and imposed on massive pixel models consisting of uneven lines. Look at those ropes in the trailer! They're mostly as thick and rigid as a pencil on my 1440p display. It's glorious. And that description is sublime, isn't it? I'll quote it again: "A handcrafted environment that blurs the boundaries between digital, industrial, natural, and spiritual."

Actually, you can play the demo version of Brush Burial right now, as the developer Tris aka Knife Demon Software is currently collecting donations for it. However, I can't imagine that Fenkel would approve. I think Fenkel would prefer Tris to break into our homes, slaughter us all, and take our belongings. I'm glad Fenkel isn't the main character, I guess.

Anyway, Brush Burial has what I want from an immersive simulator. It has the freedom to explore as you please and figure out how to achieve the objective on your own. It combines this with good movements that allow Fenkel to jump, grab, bounce off walls, and swing smoothly like a mischievous little imp.

At the same time, combat is a simple but varied mix. You can grab and throw items at enemies to stun them, or throw oil lamps at them to start a fire, or just sneak up and hit them. The developer calls it "raw but varied combat," and I agree.

Try the demo of Brush Burial on itch.io (opens in new tab).