PRESENTATION
One of the most important factors surrounding a game's appeal is of the ability to not just tell a worthwhile story, but to be emotionally resonant. Few games these days are capable of that, with most experiences settling for twitch reflexes, score obsessions and banal online competition. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons does something different. While its adventure concept isn't original, its execution is. Telling a emotional story of two brothers thrust into a race against time to save their dying father, the game is a powerful examination of family relationships, maturity, fear and loss. It's very short, and has some frustrating moments courtesy of a unique yet occasionally wobbly control system, but those flaws don't detract from what is otherwise a simply wonderful experience that cannot be missed.
Developed by Starbreeze Studios, notable for prolific shooters Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay and The Darkness, Brothers is a mature, melancholy and surprisingly dark adventure. It surrounds two brothers who find themselves tasked with saving their dying father, as they must traverse a handful of awe-inspiring, dangerous and meticulous environments in order to find what they need. Aside from the sypnosis, nothing in this review will spoil the impact, and nothing will be detailed, as it is something that shouldn't be ruined. Just know that there are some moments that will have you blown away, happy, sad and inspired. These are just a handful of emotions that Brothers exhales, and they are genuine and heartfelt. I haven't played a game that resonated so deeply with me in years.
The art design is something of beauty. Though marred by some screen-tearing and occasional framerate hits, Brothers looks wonderful, displaying mountainous backdrops, ice covens, lush cliffsides and beautiful villages and living, breathing nature. The soundtrack also compliments the game's look and themes superbly, and is achingly beautiful.
GAMEPLAY
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons concentrates on co-operate gameplay between two characters. One is older than the other, thus stronger and more of a leader. The younger brother is more agile and smaller, allowing him to traverse areas with relative ease. The gameplay revolves around puzzle solving that ranges from pulling switches, assisting with ledge climbing and rope swings, and carrying important objects for the benefit of passage to the next area. There are some moments that are more creative, such as riding goats to climb a mountain passage, using a sheep in a hamster wheel-like structure to operate a bridge, and distracting a wild animal while each brother takes turns escaping an open field. The puzzles are brilliant and require precise accuracy, and are satisfying to complete. Other aforementioned situations are even more entertaining, and are a testament to Starbreeze's ability to consistently surprise the player.
The biggest downside to the gameplay, and the experience as a whole, is the fiddly control system. The left and right sticks are used to individually control each brother. This means that both sticks will be used almost all of the time, and this can sometimes lead to one brother running into a wall, or another falling from a ledge. It gets even worse later on when a boat is introduced, or when the brothers must jump across quickly-decaying ledges, both of which almost drove me crazy. Thankfully, these moments are few and far between and, more often than not, the controls work well. The L2 and R2 triggers are used for character-specific actions, like talking to people or interacting with random parts of the environment. These are the game's more upbeat, cheerful moments. Wonderfully designed, these can range from playing the harp to picking up rabbits, stone skimming to spitting in wells, and so on. There are also some tense moments that I won't spoil, but these go hand-in-hand with the powerful relationship between the two brothers.
REPLAYABILITY
It's just a shame that the game is so short. It was so creative, so entertaining and so powerful that I wanted more. Clocking in at just over three to three-and-a-half hours, Brothers isn't heavy on replay value. There are no collectables, no secrets (bar one minor interaction) and no other extras. However, for those who are enticed by emotional adventures, this game is very worthy of being played at least a second time. Despite it's brevity, its an experience that no gamer should miss, and is one of the more emotional, melancholy and intriguingly mature games in a long time.
SUMMARY
Presentation 9.0
Gameplay 8.5
Replayability 6.0
Overall – 9/10