Brothers

Blood is thicker than water, the old saying goes. And in the case of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, it’s a fitting analogy for the entire game. Most games these days have you controlling just one protagonist, but this little gem has you splitting your grey matter between siblings on an epic quest to save their father. And that makes this game infuriatingly addictive.

It’s a simple tale that is told here. Two brothers, each with their own quirks and skills set off on a journey with which to retrieve some life-giving water that’ll cure what ails their dear dad, a quest which takes them from the sunny hills of their hometown, through mountain mines and a frozen city that is devoid of life.

Brothers (1)

It’s kind of like an adventure game of old, as Brothers tasks players with using the two siblings to navigate their way through obstacles and challenges, with the odd boss battle thrown here and there throughout the three to four hour journey.

He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother

And to really drive home the fact that you’re controlling a family duo, the game splits the controls between the two of them. Each stick controls a brother, while their actions are mapped to a single trigger. Throw in the shoulder buttons to help you turn the camera around, and that’s the entire control scheme right there.

Brothers (6)

It’s deceptively simple, a setup where the game both shines and fails at. When you’re in the zone, controlling the two brothers is an intuitive and fluid setup.If you happen to have mental capacities that are about as organised as the Zimbabwean economy, much like my mind is, when that camera shifts angles then the entire concept gets thrown for a loop.

But when it works, boy does it work. There are plenty of puzzles here, such as the brothers climbing up an old castle while tethered to one another, that shows just how well this concept can work. A little bit of extra polish, or a quick snap-to button to re-orientate the brothers could have been something that would have really worked for this game.

Brothers (2)

Likewise with the actions needed to be performed by holding in triggers, this wears thin quickly. It would have been far simpler to make just pushing the triggers once a default action that automatically throws the brothers into their respective tasks, instead of having to force players to constantly hold them in.

With that being said, these gripes about the game don’t exactly diminish it in any way. Brothers is still fun to play, and most of the time, you won’t even realise that you’re playing a game. Hell, you’re watching a journey unfold and while this would be detrimental in other games, it works beautifully here and is something to be proud of actually.

Brothers (3)

What really works here, is just how accessible the game is. There may be plenty of puzzles present, but they’re constructed in a way that makes solving them feel natural and part of the game, instead of having to force players to backtrack and find item A to shove into slot A. It’s a game that always moves forward, and never looks back. And I appreciate that.

And as clichéd as it sounds, it’s the journey, not the destination, that counts in the end. Developer Starbreeze has created a beautiful world here, one that exists in a fantasy realm that doesn’t go too overboard, and the environments themselves play just as a big a role in the quest.

Brothers (4)

For a game that has minimal vocals or exposition, it tells a fantastic story, that may leave you slightly broken at the end as the two brothers emote their way through the story. The story takes a dark turn as you get further into it, and it’s a narrative focus that is reflected by the world around the two brothers. But through that contrast, there’s a great game sitting at the core of this tale, and one that is well worth playing. There’s a bit at the end that has some truly fantastic and subtle gameplay design, but I’m not going to spoil it here.

Brothers (5)

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is at the very least, a surprising game. At it’s best, it’s a great example of doing something different with something familiar, crafting a game that could have easily been average into something memorable. It may not be perfect, but the pros far outweigh the cons in this title.

 

Last Updated: August 13, 2013

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
If you’re looking for something a little bit different, and that can be easily and quickly consumed over two or three days, then Brothers A Tale of Two Sons might be one of the biggest and most pleasant surprises of the gaming year so far.
8.0
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons was reviewed on Xbox 360
86 / 100

13 Comments

  1. Only one category?

    Reply

    • Major Commodore 64 Darryn B

      August 13, 2013 at 15:41

      Downloadable and smaller games such as this only need the one category. We’re ahead of the curve, like that.

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief Zombie Slayer

        August 13, 2013 at 15:43

        *reads LAZY*
        😛

        Reply

        • Major Commodore 64 Darryn B

          August 13, 2013 at 15:50

          SHURRUP!

          Reply

          • Admiral Chief Zombie Slayer

            August 13, 2013 at 15:58

            NO YOU SHURRUP!

          • Rock789

            August 13, 2013 at 16:41

            Now ladies… Pistols at dawn? 😉

          • Admiral Chief Zombie Slayer

            August 14, 2013 at 08:30

            YOU SHURRUP!

            😛

          • Skoobaz

            August 14, 2013 at 12:08

            Handbags at 10 paces!

  2. Hesperus Phosphorus

    August 13, 2013 at 15:35

    Queued this the other night. Looking forward!

    Reply

  3. DarthofZA

    August 13, 2013 at 15:53

    Finished this last night. This year has seen the release of my 2 Arcade games yet, this and BattleBlock Theater. Loved it. I would of given it a 9.

    Reply

  4. Convinced

    August 13, 2013 at 16:01

    I’m constantly amazed at how the graphics on the X360 keeps getting better.

    Reply

    • Brian Murphy

      August 13, 2013 at 16:17

      You really shouldn’t be, I mean it’s cool that you are. But you should expect this kind of evolution. It happens across all consoles as their lifecycles progress. Remember what the first PS2 game looked like? And then the last? 🙂

      Reply

  5. Anon Amous

    August 13, 2013 at 16:50

    Kind of reminds me of one of my favourite games of all time – The Lost Vikings.

    Reply

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