At first, It seems like Max: The Curse of Brotherhood would be just another generic platforming game about a boy rescuing his younger brother but it's surprisingly a lot more than that. After teleporting to this strange world to rescue his younger brother, who he wished away (not expecting it to work), Max is given a magic marker that allows him to raise stone pillars. And as he progresses through this world, The marker grows in power and allows him to create tree branches, vines, control water and create fireballs. Mind you, This is just a freewheeling thing, There are certain points (mainly during puzzles) that require certain things and each one is uniquely coloured to avoid confusion. It makes for very fun and surprisingly original, yet challenging, gameplay.
The puzzles themselves aren't too overly complicated. Anyone who enjoys a platform should be able to figure it out in no time. But in some cases, A lot of precision (as mentioned in the Gamespot review) is required and leaves little to no room for error. That is a little frustrating at times, especially in some spots, but it's not a deal breaker. It doesn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the game.
I think the biggest flaw of the game is the story. There really isn't much background given at all - You have no idea how the main villain got into this world and you don't figure out until the very end what his plans for your brother are, Even that is rather vague. His motives for doing what he does is a total mystery and that's so frustrating. There's a lot to enjoy with this game but the story, the lore behind it all just doesn't have any substance. If they were to do a sequel, I'd love for them to explore the story more and flesh out the characters, Who are weirdly enjoyable in a way.
Now the game itself is pretty straightforward. There are only 7 chapters, Each varying with the number of chapters and collectables. The collectables don't do anything for you aside from netting you a few achievements. Some chapters are longer than others, Some chapters are almost painfully short. The game does look beautifully done though and is filled with unique looking environments and enemies.
Overall: 8/10
Despite the story flaws and sometimes frustratingly precise puzzle solving in some areas of the game, It's still very fun to play. I thought the developer did a great job adding their own unique take on the platforming genre and making a rather satisfying game.
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