Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons was a beautiful moment in gaming history. A fairly muted launch for an elegantly designed and unique experience. This lead to a game that gained renown through word of mouth. It’s true that many of the initial reviews were glowing – as was mine at the time – however it’s impossible to understand how carefully constructed each moment of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons until you sit and down and play it from start to finish. Ahead of the Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake next week, I sat down to replay the original.
The game begins as the menu screen pans to a young boy kneeling at a grave. A flashback reveals the tragic death of his mother. Despite the bright colours and joyful exterior, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons isn’t your average run-and-jump through giant mushroom filled lands of exuberance. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is gritty and real at times, but much of your journey does have a lighter tone.
Two Brothers, One Player
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons teaches you its unique mechanic with remarkable flair. The adventure you are about to embark upon is with the intent to save the brothers’ father’s life. In order to do so you must journey far and wide to gather his medicine. These two brothers are your on-screen avatar; not one at a time, but rather both simultaneously.
The right side of the pad controls one brother while the left controls the other. The first task set to pick up the cart your father lays upon, teaching you that the triggers control each brother’s actions. Next, move it along a path, confirming that the analog sticks do indeed control movement. At this point both brothers move as one, but aligning the analog sticks in the same direction will offer a greater speed, thus inferring the correct way to control the characters. It’s a relief as coming into the game fresh could be daunting, but that the eloquence of the control system isn’t hidden behind two hours of fumbling is a wonderful achievement.
Your journey has you exercise these skills through platform and logistical puzzles mainly, though the occasional head-scratcher and boss fight are included for good measure. All of this is set to a wonderful pacing that pulls you through the entire videogame without a second thought. It grabs you and doesn’t let go. And you wouldn’t want it to, as the only true flaw with the game is that it simply doesn’t last long enough.
A Tale as Old as 2013
The world that is created in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is truly remarkable. Pratchett in it’s aesthetic and genuinely loveable in it’s characterisation. For many years gamers have spent many hours discussing titles that stir genuine emotion, and it’s here that Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons certainly takes a leading role. From the relation between the two brothers to the bird-like creature you rescue halfway through the game, the brief hope of finding love – falling foul to lust – and the turn in the final chapter that makes you wonder just how the game can continue. This was – and remains so – genuinely progressive interactive story telling.
The visual quality then, is on par with the gameplay design and character development. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons delivers every inch of it’s relatively short journey with style and grace. It remains unquestionably one of the finest videogames of 2013. There are many games that present unique, interesting mechanics and others that deliver a story that comes close to the best motion-picture productions have produced. Yet there are so very few that manage to do both. Even fewer in such a captivating fashion as Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.
Will the upcoming Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake be able to recapture the magic of the original? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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