Josef Fares’ 2013 Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a fantastic game. An entirely unique experience wherein the player controls two characters simultaneously, the meticulously crafted puzzle-adventure has seen numerous re-releases over the past decade to bring it to near-every format possible. And it stills plays wonderfully on each-and-every one of them. So now, with the recent announcement of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake, a simple question needs to be asked: why?

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons tells the physical and emotional journey of two brothers on quest to obtain medicine for their ill father. Their mother has recently passed, and so it’s these two young boys that must take on the responsibility to protect the family. One brother, a teenager, is thoughtful and logical. The other, much younger than his sibling, is spritely and lacking in self-control. The player plays as both brothers, solving puzzles with their uniqueness as they come together to complete their quest.

The journey is beautiful. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is one of the most heart wrenching games you’ll ever play. It’s though-provoking, challenging, and a joy from start-to-finish. And as stated above, you can play it on every console currently available, and on PC. So, why do we need Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake?

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake screenshot

Lend a Brother a Hand

505 Games has suffered in recent years. Having begun existence as publishing label 505 Game Street in the early 2000’s, the company had a successful string of budget titles. Then came European publishing rights for titles such as Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, Graffiti Kingdom, Magna Carta and Michigan: Report from Hell. Success stories were everywhere, eventually leading to a rebranding and internal development teams.

The breakout hit for the newly crowned 505 Games was Cooking Mama. A Nintendo DS game which followed the teachings of Nintendo to the letter, Cooking Mama was as synonymous with the handheld as Nintendogs and Dr. Kawshima’s Brain Training.

Many readers may have noticed that 505 Games’ early titles are a far cry from what they’re known for today. Crime Boss: Rockay City, Ghostrunner, Miasma Chronicles and Stray Blade are far from the family-friendly, casual gamer titles of years gone by. With that comes a chance for even greater success. But also, with spiraling development budgets, a bigger fall if a single title should fail.

This isn’t to suggest 505 Games has been failing of late. The publisher has made a sweep of acquisitions in recent years. Acquiring both Infinity Plus Two and D3 Go! has brought the intellectual property of the Puzzle Quest games and the development studio in-house. What to does suggest however, is that perhaps the idea of remaking a beloved cult classic is an easy-win.

Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons Remake

As if 505 Games had anticipated this, the press communications for Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake states sharply: “endorsed by Josef Fares, the creative visionary behind the original game.”

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake is billed as a ‘retelling’ of the original game. However, in the debut trailer (below), we struggle to see any elements that weren’t in the 2013 original. Of course, there’s a new graphical sheen to it, but Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons stills stands-up visually today. It’s not a game that needs up-rezed skin textures or hair detail. It’s not a game that would benefit from being built on Unreal Engine 5. This is a game that stands as a moment in game history. It remains just as enjoyable today as it did a decade ago.

The ‘additional bonus’ of allowing the game to be played in co-operative mode, with each player taking control of one brother, was already seen in the 2019 Nintendo Switch edition. And even then, wasn’t really appreciated as it definitely diluted emotional impact of the experience.

The Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons Remake will be released on 28th February, 2024. The game is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox X|S, and PC. Whether or not developer Avantgarden is able to renovate the experience enough to make this remake relevant certainly remains to be seen.

Are you a fan of Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons? Do you think a remake is justified? Let us know in the comments below!

Categories: Games