Description

Burly Men at Sea is a folktale about a trio of large, bearded fishermen who step away from the ordinary to seek adventure.

With gameplay halfway between a visual novel and a point-and-click adventure, the branching story carries its ungainly heroes into waters where lurk creatures from Scandinavian folklore and other misadventures. You play as storyteller and wayfinder, shaping a custom tale that begins again where it ends.

Background

Burly Men at Sea is the second game from married duo Brain&Brain, developed during their own adventures as nomads and erstwhile farmhands.

Pre-production began in the months following the release of their first game in 2014, with Brooke initially working solo. David left his job at Pixar in the fall to join full-time.

In October 2015, Brain&Brain set out as nomads, briefly working as part-time farmhands to support the game’s development. After receiving backing by Indie Fund, they returned to full-time development while continuing to travel for a total of eighteen months. The game was completed on the road.

Burly Men at Sea was released simultaneously for PC and mobile in 2016, and later ported to consoles. A hardcover book tie-in was released in early 2017.

Select Press

• “Burly Men at Sea is instantly recognizable, thanks to its distinct color palette and simple illustrations…We need more short-and-sweet games like this on Switch.”
  Polygon
• “It’s whimsical and charming; a real breath of fresh air.”
  Paste Magazine
• “We're totally charmed by this eclectic adventure.”
  App Store Editor's Notes
• “It’s a tiny-but-then-not-tiny, lovely thing with so much character and a wonderful sense of adventure.”
  Rock, Paper, Shotgun
• “…Artful interplay of visual minimalism, waggish writing and hilarious but also haunting sound effects generated by gorgeous a cappella voices. 5/5”
  TIME
• “Burly Men at Sea demands to be played. 9/10”
  Pocket Gamer
• “Underneath its unabashedly indie exterior, Burly Men at Sea is a modern, minimalist folktale that does almost everything right.”
  Adventure Gamers
• “You had me at 'large, bearded fishermen,' Burly Men at Sea, then you reeled me in with your talk of a branching narrative, and your lovely art.”
  PC Gamer
• “Delightful.”
  The Guardian
• “Burly Men at Sea is as charming as it is beautiful.”
  IGN
• “A freaking delight…This game was thoroughly charming and beautifully animated.”
  Pixelkin
• “The most pleasant surprise for me from the entire convention…The simplistic controls along with crisp art style and luscious soundtrack help lend to a story that I'm ready to get lost in!”
  Crunchyroll

Lists

• The 10 Best Games at E3 2017
  Paste (2017)
• Top 10 Art Direction of 2016
  Paste (2016)
• Best Story Game of 2016
  Rock, Paper, Shotgun (2016)
• Top 10 Video Games of 2016
  TIME (2016)
• 10 Most Beautiful Video Games of 2016
  TIME (2016)
• Best 50 Apps of the Year
  TIME (2016)
• New Games We Love
  Apple (2016)
• Top 10 of EGX Rezzed
  Red Bull (2016)
• Top 12 of EGX Rezzed
  The Guardian (2016)

Boilerplate

Brain&Brain is married duo David and Brooke Condolora: best known for folktale adventure Burly Men at Sea, which they developed during an eighteen-month stint as nomads. They’ve since continued to create games and other work, managed by their indomitable cairn terrier, Oliver Doggins, who inspired their first game and accompanies them on all dog-friendly escapades.

team@brainandbrain.co