Many of the finest narrative-focused games contain an involved plot with carefully developed characters and well-written dialogue to top it all off. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons undoubtedly concentrates on its story; after all, the word “tale” is lies within the title. Yet, the story is a simple one. The characters’ development isn’t exactly a focal point, although some of their personality and past experiences are delved into. And lastly, the game is virtually void of dialogue. What results in all of this is a straightforward journey focused on two brothers through some incredible locations. However, it still manages to be just as emotional and stunning as some of the most highly regarded story-driven games out there of greater magnitude.
Brothers’ premise, as aforementioned, is fairly basic. Two brothers, Naiee and Nyaa, or more easily to refer to as “little brother” and “older brother” respectively, must travel far away to obtain water from this Tree of Life in order to prevent their ailing father from dying. The opening sequence begins with an emotional flashback, setting a somber tone. Despite that, the journey starts out relatively lighthearted, even shortly after seeing the father’s degenerating condition. Mischief and playfulness are commonly seen from the little brother, while the older brother unsurprisingly acts more mature and refrains from bugging innocent village folks. Right off the bat, it’s joyful to watch the interactions between the brothers and observe how they behave. It’s just as two sibling brothers should act with the younger one sometimes behaving like a brat while the older one puts up with his brother’s antics, yet caring deeply for him even though he may get on his nerves at times.
An odd twist to the gameplay is the fact that both brothers are controlled at once throughout the entire game. With a controller, handling the motions and actions of both characters may prove to be troublesome for quite a while. One thumbstick and trigger button moves and prompts actions for one brother, and the other side of the controller does the same for the other. Problematically, the brothers will often end up on separate sides of the screen, thus making the controls more confusing until it’s well established which side of the controller maneuvers which character. Throughout most of the journey, the brothers must make their way past areas consisting either of puzzles or platforming sequences. The little brother and older brother each have interactions specific to them. For instance, the little brother doesn’t have the strength to lift heavier objects, meaning his brother must deal with it, but he can fit through tighter spaces. Since two characters are being controlled at once, all this makes for a unique, albeit occasionally frustrating experience. This is where a co-op mode definitely would have made for a great addition. Nonetheless, in spite of the need to multitask when conquering puzzles or traversing platforms, the game is never too demanding, making for a mostly delightful experience.
Even though Brothers appears to be a charming and playful journey for much of its early going, locations and events become increasingly grim. In a fairly brief time frame, the brothers go from messing with village folks to fending themselves from creatures in a dark forest. Of course, there is no actual combat in the game. Any dangerous soul the brothers come across must be dealt with or avoided, usually by taking advantage of the environment. Sometimes one brother must lure the hostile entity into a trap. Locations themselves become more dangerous and mythical with progression. And instead of interacting with relatively cheerful denizens of a quiet village, the brothers witness possible life and death situations, one of which is particularly horrid, though can end on optimistic note. Many interactions are entirely optional, so it’s unfortunately possible to miss out on some of the game’s finest details. Though, this does act as a great incentive to explore levels more thoroughly or to re-visit them after completing the game.
For being a lower budget game and everything, Brothers has a solid presentation. Much of the splendid presentation can be credited to the incredible locations the quest to find this Tree of Life takes the brothers. Without going into detail and taking away from the unexpectedly awe-inspiring places, just note that it is absolutely worthwhile to take a minute and admire the surroundings. Benches are spread across the levels, some in abnormal spots, probably for this exact reason: to appreciate the scenery for even a few seconds. Fantastic audio complements the tone of each individual setting. Notably, dialogue is nothing but gibberish. Yet, combined with their gestures, it generally isn’t too difficult to decipher the intentions behind the brothers’ interactions. As well, a strong emotional connection can easily be felt between the brothers and even to the brothers despite this practical absence of dialogue.
Nearing the end of its conclusion, Brothers drifts towards the jovial experience it was around the start. Of course, with a story involving some emotional interactions and the bond between two brothers, events are probably going to take a turn for the worse at some point leading up to the end. Simply put, the outcome of this journey is as unforgettable as the preceding three or four hours spent reaching that point. It’s an astonishing ending to say the least, one that can be tough swallow. It may be worth playing through some of the levels again to see or do some things missed out on with the initial playthrough. But aside from that, there isn’t anything new to take in after roughly four hours of playing time. Undoubtedly, those are four hours well spent. Thus, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is an easy recommendation to anyone who welcomes narrative-focused games and doesn’t mind a bit of puzzle solving and platforming. While not your ordinary narrative-focused game, Brothers is still every bit as good as the higher budget games that excel in creating an emotionally stirring story and attachable characters.