I am not surprised that the demo for Iron Bramble is good. I am still surprised at just how good it is, at least judging by the demo that dropped last night. See, this is a direct sequel to the excellent Rusted Moss, a metroidvania that–until now–played like nothing else, because your main method for getting around was a fully physics-driven bungee grappling hook. It also told an incredibly bleak story of the twilight of mankind, as whimsical but deadly magical Fae creatures returned to the world, and you were on the side of the Fae.

Iron Bramble appears to be set many years later. Humanity is all but forgotten, and that's boring. And so, a Fae duchess heads out to a vast metal megastructure (the titular Iron Bramble) where it's rumored that some remnants of humanity still live. Why? Because it's fun, and humans are entertaining to mess with. Does fairy nobility even need a reason to do anything, really?

As in Rusted Moss, you're armed with a grappling hook with bungee-cord physics, able to fling you high into the air if you catch yourself during a rapid descent. In this case, it takes the form of a magical vine made of blood, the end-point (a rose) hooking onto anything that shows signs of life. If there's moss or grass, you can attach to it, and swing and spring your way to the other side. Also, like Rusted Moss, you'll soon find yourself armed with your first firearm, the recoil from which factors into your overall momentum.

And this all happens within the first few minutes of the demo, as it bombards you with movement challenges to teach you just how far this grappling hook could carry you. See, Rusted Moss was a game by and for Metroid sickos. Its world was very open, very non-linear, and with enough sneaky movement and mastery of the grappling hook, you could sequence-break huge chunks of it. I would be very surprised if Iron Bramble didn't allow the same, especially as the demo ramps up the difficulty of the platforming even faster than its predecessor.

It is also just a fantastic-looking 2D game. While low-resolution, the megastructure is a moodily lit and detailed place, full of incidental detail. The opening cutscene is powerfully evocative, giving you a look at our anti-heroine's thoughts, and the few bits of dialogue in the demo were a mixture of grim and very funny. It really cannot be emphasized enough that you are not playing as a good person here, but rather a dangerous magical creature acting on impulse and whim. And now she has a gun. Oh no.

Iron Bramble won't be out until 2027, but you can play the demo now. That said, I'd recommend starting with Rusted Moss first, which normally costs £16.75/$20, but is 60% off until September 23rd.