The developer independent developer Bob De Schutter loves his 93-year-old grandmother as well as every story she ever told him. They have inspired Bob so much that he has created his unique horror game with the story of the teenage times of his grandmother. Its name is Brukel, and it's now available on Steam and Itch.io.
Brukel is a very different kind of horror game, as it doesn't feature any supernatural in its story. In fact, you'll experience the fear of the real monsters that have haunted people in the real world!
If you're curious, let's what the gameplay trailer of the game down here for better illustration:
The story of Brukel
Starting with a familiar line that every great horror movie used: "Based on a true story", Brukel tells the story that Bie Verlinden - the grandmother of the developer has experience in her young ages. The word 'Brukel' refers to the farmhouse that she and many of her family members used to live in, which might have more than just ordinary stuff.
To be more specific, you'll take control of the Bie's grandson, sneaking in the abandoned 'Brukel' house that has stuck in your eyes after hearing your grandmother's story for most of your life. You find that story is very intriguing, and in summer, you've decided to head here for some pictures to spread that story with people all over the world.
Your objective is to capture some images of the house and several objects that still left there. However, you might encounter more than you've expected, and the memories of Bie's are not all of the things that she's suffered from. At night, all those stories will live again, haunting you with the most terrifying hardship that she's gone through at her teen ages.
Are you ready?
Gameplay features
Brukel has chosen its unique approach to the genre - as the game won't lead you through the whole story just by walking at the scene. Instead, you'll hear the slow and calm voice of grandma Bie only when you open your phone and capture the right objects with the right angle. It works quite the same as the camera recording of Outlast, but more calming at first.
Using your phone camera is also the main method of exploring the story of Bie in this game. If you success to take a picture of an object and the room the Brukel Farmhouse, the stories related to those objects will begin to re-live and come to your eyes. The entire area will switch to the past of Bie, allow you to see with your own eyes how the soldiers have invaded the house with their guns on.
They're also the main source of horror in this game. I guess that's logical too, since human is the scariest creatures in the planet at this moment, and nothing can compete with the cruelty that human has done to their own kind. All of those stories will be told through the quiet narration of Bie Verlinden - a great effort of the developer and his grandmother to voice for this game. It sounds incredibly unsettling and haunting, which leaves me some goosebump.
In the end, Brukel also delivers a sense of reality, conveying the message that dangers can come from the most ordinary men and women, especially during wartime, and you should precious your peace that our predecessors have to pay for with blood and tears.
Release date and supported platforms
Brukel is available now for PC via Steam and Itch.io. If you're interested in this game, you can purchase it at the cheap price of $9.99.
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