Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons was originally released over 2 years ago in August 2013 when it came to the Xbox 360 before moving on to PC and PS3. Now it has become another in what is now a very long list of games to be given the re-release treatment for current gen consoles. There are plenty of games that I could happily do without playing on my Xbox One, but Brothers is one that I missed out on first time around. I always looked at the positive reviews, but never took the plunge to buy the game. But now, having been given an opportunity to review on the Xbox One, I couldn’t wait to get stuck in.
Brothers, is an adventure game from Starbreeze Studios that features unique control system, which I’ll talk a bit more about shortly. It is a game that focuses on its story, but features no understandable voice work (bar the names of the characters you control Naiee – younger brother and Naia – older brother). So it is a testament to the game design that it is all straightforward to understand. You start off with Naiee by the tombstone of his mother, who he was helpless to save from drowning at some point in the past, and has now led to a fear of water. You’re then with the older sibling Naia helping transport a dying father (these poor lads have terrible luck with parents eh?) across the area to a healer. It is here you start to get to grips with the controls of the game and how to navigate sections of the environment using each brother’s different abilities. Once you get to the healer he sets you on your epic quest to find what appears to be a ‘Tree of Life’ to save the father’s life. Take a look below at the first 8 minutes of the game.
Now, controlling can at times be a little fiddly. Not because the controls aren’t intuitive, but because it can be a bit like the gaming version of trying to rub your belly and tap your head at the same time. You know you can do it; it just takes a bit of concentration. The older brother takes up the left side of the controller, and the younger the right. Their movement is dictated by each individual analogue stick and their actions by corresponding triggers. It’s a really interesting way to address playing two characters, whereas in other games I’ve switched between characters to control them individually, the ability to use both at the same time presents a fun new gameplay style, and one with unique puzzles and actions to take as you progress.
Now, I mentioned that you’ll be heading out to find the Tree of Life (that’s what I’m calling it anyway), and that premise alone, along with the way you play the game probably would have led to a solid game. But the real story here is the chemistry the brothers have, and the progress they make in their relationship. Their reliance on each other throughout and the bond that grows between them is clear to see. And it is a fantastic achievement when you consider there is no real narrative, just situations that the brothers are put in to overcome. The world you travel through is pure fantasy, featuring giants, trolls, giant turtles, dancing old men, griffins, cults and more. And none of it is really explained, just features and set pieces in the world that you’re travelling through on the way to your goal. And it doesn’t really matter that they aren’t explained either, I just accepted that this was the world I was in, and these sort of things inhabit it. I just wanted to continue the adventure and solve the puzzles in continuously interesting ways.
I’m a big fan of the art styles used in Brothers. Everything is kept simple, but a consistently beautiful world through the adventure really brings the game into its own. I didn’t even mind that it only lasts around 4 hours, because I enjoyed myself in the world of Brothers so much. The story of the brothers and the obstacles they need to overcome both emotionally and in the world kept me hooked from start to finish. And the unique control system constantly had me concentrating on what I was doing. If, like myself, you missed out on this on the 360, and enjoy adventure games. This is an absolute must buy.
**Thanks to the XCN for the opportunity to review this game**