Mundaun is an interesting experimental horror adventure with a pencil-made black and white aesthetic. The game is a fever dream and a surreal journey set in a remote village in the Switzerland Alps, where history, folklore, and horror mix together in an unnerving and deep experience.
The remote village is the true protagonist of the game, an isolated place rich in its own traditions and full of mystery. The protagonist is there to attend the funeral of his grandfather, but the situation will quickly escalate in a sequence of terrifying and surreal situations. The village is not a small place, and the protagonist will soon ride a car around the mountains to discover more mysterious places, till the snowy and empty summits.
Switzerland, its folklore and traditions, are filling every moment of the experience, not only in the surroundings but even for the language. In fact, Mundaun is narrated in Romansh, the least spoken language in Switzerland, heavily influenced by the Italian language. Of course, Swiss folklore is also an influence for the creatures wandering in the mountains.
If you were thinking that Mundaun is only a walking simulator, you were wrong. Especially during night events, the mountain will be swarmed by mysterious creatures. The protagonist can of course avoid them, but also fight back using a pitchfork or a rifle. The interesting thing about the creatures is that many of them are heavily inspired by folkloric carnivals and celebrations in Switzerland. They look more like vicious people hiding inside a costume, at least at first glimpse, masking the bizarre powers that they possess. Because every encounter is as mysterious as different to solve.
In the following article, I will analyse the complete bestiary of Mundaun, focusing not only on the creatures and their powers, but also when possible on their connection with Swiss traditions, costumes, and celebrations.
Straw Man
The first enemy in the game is also one of the most interesting. These creatures will roam in the village and the mountain areas especially during the night, a reminder of how Swiss folklore can be dangerous. The creature is the embodiment of pagan folklore, a being that will fit very well as an additional supernatural threat in the movie the Wicker Man. The body of the creatures is completely made, or wrapped, in tick straws, creating a sort of heavy and robust armour. For this reason, the Straw Men move slowly around, but they have a good vision and are in general very dangerous, even from far. When a Straw Man spots the player, it will start to convey a sort of energy through its open palm. If the player is unable to hide and break out from the visual of the Straw Man, the deadly results can only be described as a “Straw Curse.” The player’s body will be half-covered by straws, which probably erupted from the inside of the body in a painful and damaging way. The straws will also slow down the player and will obscure half of the visual. Of course, fire is the natural enemy of every Straw Man, and it is usually the safest and fastest way to get rid of them. By preparing traps and with a bit of planning, matches can be used to set on fire straws around the mountain, burning also every Straw Man that is unlucky enough to be on the way of the fire path.
The face hidden beneath the straws is the most uneasy and terrifying detail of these figures. Pale and ghostly, the face has often the mouth wide open in a sort of muzzled scream. This detail is also a strong connection to Swiss Carnival since the Straw Men can also be a sort of dead soul wearing a costume. Switzerland is full of incredible pagan carnivals during the wintertime, but probably the one in Evolene is the closest inspiration to this creature. In this town during the winter carnival, strange figures start to invade the streets, including goofy but creepy costumes filled with straw to make them look bigger. These peculiar figures, including the Peluches or the Empaillés, are in charge of fighting away evil spirits during pagan celebrations. The visual connection could be not so straightforward, but for sure, both the masks and the creatures in Mundaun can be definitively categorised as “Straw Men.”
Beekeeper
Bees are useful insects for the ecosystem, which also produce delicious honey. In the Swiss town where Mundaun is set, honey is one of the most important natural products. The bees are bred close to the mountain’s summit, in a gorgeous valley adjacent to a lake. But the beekeepers are not nice to foreigners, acting as guardians to keep people away. They wander around the valley during the day, completely covered and protected by an ancient beekeeper’s armour, with the face fully hidden. The mysterious creatures wander around with a giant beehive in their hands, used as their main weapon. If one of the creatures spots the player, even from far, it will release a swarm of bees to surround the player. The bees will inflict constant damage over time, that can be avoided only in 3 ways. The most obvious and cartoonish way to break the constant damage is by jumping in the water, but later on, wearing the armour of a beekeeper will also temporary protect from damage. The less obvious but most brilliant way to disperse the swarm is by starting to smoke the pipe. For how bizarre this sounds, the smoke will have the almost immediate effect of dispersing the bees.
The most creepy detail about the beekeepers will emerge during the night. In this time, the beekeepers will cease to be aggressive, going to sleep while standing. As creepy monoliths rising around the bucolic valley, the beekeepers sleep standing, and with the head hidden inside the beehive itself, wore as if it was a mask. As a part of the colony, the beekeepers will sleep together with the other bees. Moreover, the beehives scattered around the valley hide a terrible secret. In fact, the beehives are usually built around human bodies, frozen in terror and covered in bees and honey, a terrifying surprise for the fans of the honey living in the valley. It is unclear if these bodies are victims of the bees, or if some of the beekeepers sacrifice themselves in order to physically become the hive of the colony.
Foreigner Soldier
There is not much to say about one of the last enemies in the game. They are dead soldiers of an old and forgotten invasion, buried on the peak of the mountain under a gigantic avalanche. They are still wearing the old and worn uniform and wielding the rifles that used to fight. Switzerland was never a country at the center of huge wars, but these soldiers are somehow part of an invasion, deeply rooted in the plot of Mundaun. The soldiers are now a forgotten relic hidden in the snow, ready to unfroze and attack the intruders. The most aggressive ones are patrolling the peak, shooting from far away to whoever is in their sight. Luckily, their aim is not very accurate, and they will often miss the shot. However, even taking this into account, the sounds of distant shooting will become a nightmare while exploring the peak, always wondering if the next bullet will be the one hitting. Interestingly, some soldiers are still lying frozen in the valley, like statues in huge crowds, a forest of frozen soldiers scattered around the mountain.
Snow Beast
This creature is the most dangerous entity living on the hidden top of the mountain. The snow beast is a solitary being, roaming around the mountain while looking for victims. Such as in the case of the straw men, the creature could look like a human wearing a costume made of fur, a mask, and horns. At first glimpse, it doesn’t look very dangerous, regardless of the sharp nails that it is wearing, but this is the wrong impression. Completely immune to any weapon and damage, avoiding the route of the snow beast is the only way to survive. The unnaturally heavy steps for a human-size creature will provide a hint on when starting to hide. Because if the creature spots the player, its wrath will be completely unexpected. By simply moving the hands and dancing, the snow creature will cause a gigantic avalanche at the player’s position, something practically impossible to avoid. Even worst, this will not be the end for the player. The snow beast will drag the player’s body, wounded but alive, to one of its hideouts, characterised by a dense pattern of stalactites on the ceiling. After a long and unskippable dragging, the Snow Beat will impale the player’s body on the stalactites while still alive, a deranged punishment or maybe just a way to store bodies as “fresh meat.” Luckily, the player has still a chance to survive by shaking the direction buttons, hoping to fall before succumbing to death.
The peculiar and violent death, first by using an avalanche, and then by impaling the helpless player on a stalactite, is also available as a video on the official Surreal and Creepy YouTube channel:
As for the Straw Man, the Snow Beast is also inspired by the masks of a folkloric carnival in Switzerland: the Tschäggättä. This mask is typical of a celebration performed by four villages in canton Valais. During this time, mischievous beasts made of fur and claws wander around the streets to terrorise with pranks and jokes the other inhabitants. As the Snow Beast, they also wear a horned wood mask and a cowbell around the neck. But the difference is that they are not immortal beasts, nor are able to control avalanches. The costume and the mischievous behaviour also resembles the Krampus parade in Austria, where people wear devilish costumes and roam around to whip and push the other villagers.
*Disclaimer: the images of the carnivals were selected from Google for an illustrative purpose. I claim no copyright over them.
Surreal and Creepy 
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