# Burly Men at Sea — A folktale misadventure.

> Interactive folktale adventure game with branching narrative and unique controls. (iPhone/iPad app by Brain&Brain.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/burly-men-at-sea/id962084488 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Brain&Brain](https://appshunter.io/developer/826990895)
- Category: Games, Books, Adventure, Role Playing
- Price: $4.99
- Rating: 4.40/5 from 218 App Store ratings · 85 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 9+
- Requires: iOS 13.0 · 186 MB
- Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, European Portuguese, Russian, Chinese (Simplified, China) and 3 more
- Released: 2016-09-29
- Data updated: 2026-09-07
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/burly-men-at-sea/id962084488/reviews.md

## What is Burly Men at Sea?

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.

BRANCHING STORY: Play through multiple choice-driven adventures, each designed to be completed in a single sitting.

INNOVATIVE CONTROLS: Shape the narrative through a unique, draggable viewport and your interactions within it.
 
PLAYFUL AESTHETIC: Colorful art style with handcrafted animation, set to a whimsical original soundtrack inspired by folk music of the far north.

No in-app purchases or ads.

…

“The closest thing I’ve played to an interactive fairy-tale.” —The Telegraph

“Artful interplay of visual minimalism, waggish writing and hilarious but also haunting sound effects generated by gorgeous a cappella voices. 5/5” —TIME

“9/10” —Pocket Gamer

…

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

## Key features

- Branching story adventures
- Multiple choice-driven gameplay
- Unique draggable viewport controls
- Handcrafted art style
- Whimsical folk-inspired soundtrack
- Designed for single-sitting play

## What do users think of Burly Men at Sea?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 🎨 Beautiful, minimalist art style and visual design
- 🎵 Excellent soundtrack and creative sound effects
- 📖 Engaging, well-written interactive storytelling
- 🔄 Multiple story paths and endings to discover
- 😌 Relaxing, soothing experience perfect for short sessions
- 🎭 Charming, whimsical characters and humor
- ✨ Unique, original concept unlike typical games
- 🎯 Simple, intuitive controls and interface

**Cons**

- ⏱️ Extremely short gameplay duration (15-30 minutes)
- 💰 Overpriced for the amount of content
- 🐢 Slow pacing and movement animations
- 🎮 Lacks traditional gameplay mechanics and challenges
- 📚 More interactive storybook than actual game
- 🔁 Repetitive content across multiple playthroughs
- ❓ Unclear objectives and limited player direction
- 😴 Boring story and dialogue for some users
- 🎮 No puzzle-solving or meaningful player agency
- 📱 Limited control options (no controller support mentioned)

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Crashes on iPad Air 2
- Crashes during whale sequence
- No sound output on some devices
- Siri remote incompatibility on Apple TV
- Splash screen navigation issues with Siri remote

**Most requested features**

- Longer gameplay duration with more content
- Additional story paths and narrative branches
- Controller/gamepad support for TV play
- Adjustable playback speed for animations
- More interactive gameplay elements and puzzles
- Settings/configuration options
- Sound toggle option
- iPhone X and newer device optimization

## Recent user reviews (10 of 85)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/burly-men-at-sea/id962084488/reviews.md

### 1/5 — tv

*2025-07-05*

I would love to try and play this game – on my tv – but it lacks controller support, and it’s not very intuitive with the Siri remote. I can’t even get past the home/splash screen.

### 5/5 — Juego original y entretenido

*2021-03-06, version 1.4.3*

Juego relajado y divertido, una aventura gráfica original con un montón de finales distintos. 
@Brain&Brain tell me please that you are still working on these kind of Fabulous games and you will publish early!

### 5/5 — Beautiful

*2020-05-06*

This game is very artistic and I really think the same about the style

### 1/5 — This isn’t a game, it’s an enhanced children’s story.

*2020-02-03*

This is absolutely not a game, it’s just cutesy, snail-paced animation and written dialogue. There isn’t a single puzzle/challenge throughout the entire “adventure”. On top of that, the story is boring and the end is pretty unsatisfying. The only thing game-like about this is a race in which your objective is to lose by making the characters sit still. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? Totally bogus. Avoid.

### 1/5 — Burly men at sea

*2020-02-02, version 1.4.2*

Confusing. Too much duplication. No direction.Too hard to figure what to do to open up the tales.

### 1/5 — Waste of money

*2019-05-31*

T  h  i  s   I s  an      Incredibly b  o  r  ing  long winded story. I don’t want to play a game where it takes 10-15 minutes just reading dialogue and uninteresting dialogue at that. F

### 5/5 — Arrrrr

*2019-04-01*

th' game be amazin' anyone who doesn’t play it will be in jail

### 5/5 — Beautiful

*2019-02-05*

Really enjoying this game, a nice execution of the idea 👍🏻 🦀🐳

### 2/5 — Beautiful, but incredibly too short for the price.

*2019-01-26*

It would have taken 10 minutes if you could speed  it up. Beautiful music and graphics but the price is ridiculous for the short experience. I will not be buying from this group again.

**Developer response:** Thanks for the review! There's actually about three hours of content in the game. If you stopped playing at the credits, that's only the beginning: there's a lot more story when you set sail again. Hope you enjoy!

### 2/5 — Too slow

*2019-01-26*

While this game has beautiful graphics the gameplay is just too slow, and in the end moving from scene to scene becomes boring. Not worth the money I’m afraid.

## Frequently asked questions about Burly Men at Sea

### What is Burly Men at Sea?

Burly Men at Sea is an interactive folktale adventure game where players guide three bearded fishermen on a quest for adventure. The gameplay blends elements of visual novels and point-and-click adventures, featuring a branching narrative shaped by player choices.

### What are the key features of Burly Men at Sea?

Key features include a branching story with multiple choice-driven adventures designed for single-sitting play, innovative controls using a draggable viewport, and a playful aesthetic with handcrafted animation and a whimsical soundtrack inspired by northern folk music.

### How much does Burly Men at Sea cost?

The application is a paid game, meaning there is a one-time purchase cost to download and play. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements within the game.

### What kind of stories can I expect?

The game features folktale-inspired stories filled with misadventures and creatures from Scandinavian folklore. Each playthrough offers a custom tale that begins anew after it concludes, encouraging replayability.

### Is this game suitable for casual players?

Yes, the game is designed to be completed in a single sitting, making it ideal for casual players. The innovative controls and engaging narrative offer a unique and accessible interactive experience.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.4.5 — 2024-10-08

• Minor bug fixes
• Localization corrections
• Updated engine

Questions, problems, high-fives? Email us at support@brainandbrain.co.

### 1.4.4 — 2023-07-06

We've rebuilt Burly Men at Sea under the hood to continue running smoothly on the latest iOS devices. Also, we've tweaked the controls of the final scene a bit, for a better experience. Questions, comments, high-fives? Email us at support@brainandbrain.co.

### 1.4.3 — 2020-03-05

We've tweaked fonts and adjusted text placement to keep Burly Men at Sea looking beautiful. Questions, comments, high-fives? Send us an email at support@brainandbrain.co.

### 1.4.2 — 2020-01-21

Small update to the game's description. Questions, comments, high-fives? Contact us at support@brainandbrain.co.

### 1.4.1 — 2020-01-17

Small fix to the credits sequence. Questions, comments, high-fives? Contact us at support@brainandbrain.co.

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## More apps by Brain&Brain

- [Doggins](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/doggins/id826990892)

All apps by Brain&Brain: https://appshunter.io/developer/826990895

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-07.*