Words Can’t Describe…
Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons was initially released in 2013 by Starbreeze Studios; it was the first game from creator Josef Fares (A Way Out, It Takes Two). Now, Brothers returns with a remake from Italian developer Avantgarden. As someone who missed out on playing the original, I could not wait to see what the fuss was all about.
While I won’t be able to compare this to the original outside of what I have seen and heard, this is something likely to be shared by those who are only just now experiencing this game. Speaking of seeing and hearing, this remake is a solid visual upgrade with much more detail and vibrancy when compared to the 2013 original. The game reminded me of a Netflix animated movie that was very good-looking but not necessarily the best in class. That being said, for a game of this scope, the visuals are fantastic. While there is a lack of voices in the game, its score and sound effects play a massive role, and these elements are superb across the board. From the ambiance in quiet moments to the panic of a boss fight with a troll, the musical score always knew how to hit the emotional moments that the game wanted to deliver to me. This all works in harmony with the visuals to create some truly amazing moments.
Brothers is a story of…you guessed it, two brothers on a quest to find a cure for their dad, who has been taken ill by some mysterious illness. I must say, although there is no speaking, I never once felt like I didn’t know what was going on, and that extends to the gameplay itself.
Functionally, the gameplay is simple: you use the Left Stick to move the big brother and the Right Stick to move the little one, along with the Left Trigger and Right Trigger to make each corresponding brother interact with different items. The core gameplay loop is traversing somewhere, solving a puzzle and maybe a set piece or boss fight but this simplicity makes the gameplay shine. The game never tells you how to traverse different areas or solve any of its puzzles, but the simple controls and intuitive puzzle design make it a delight to see something and go, “I know exactly what to do.” Until you get it wrong! During my playthrough, I came across a person I had to grab to stop them from dying. Unfortunately, I grabbed them with the little brother, who wasn’t strong enough to hold them. That was just one of several optional world puzzles you can come across; another one had me helping turtles back to the sea. I won’t spoil the boss fights here, as there are only a few, but even those have this type of intuitive common sense design that needs no tutorials.
The overall design work here is fantastic, and nothing feels wasted or forced. There is one aspect of the game I wish was improved, however; the camera. The number of times I’d get caught on something in a chase scene almost made me give up. You can move the camera a bit using LB and RB, but when you are concentrating on the already somewhat mind-bending task of using each stick to control a different character, it can be very hard to move the camera simultaneously without messing up your movement. I would love to see an alternative control scheme for accessibility purposes because while these controls are simple, that doesn’t mean that everyone is physically able to use them effectively.
When all is said and done, I loved the four hours I’ve spent with Brothers: Tale Of Two Sons Remake. Unfortunately, I was unable to try out the game’s new co-op feature that allows two players to locally control one brother on their own. Regardless, this fantastic remake tells a perfectly paced story that needs no words and combines it with simplistic controls and cleverly designed puzzles. I wish I could actually describe what this game made me feel, but I can’t quite put it into words. This game is more than the sum of its parts, and if you missed the original previously, this is a great time, which shows that shorter games still work perfectly in 2024.
Developer - Advantgarden. Publisher - 505 Games. Released - February 28th, 2024. Available On - Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Windows. Rated - (T) - Blood, Violence. Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X. Review Access - Review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
I’m Jordan I have a background in game design and am deeply passionate about accessibility in gaming. My favourite games/franchises include Shenmue, Red Dead Redemption 2, Plague Tale: Requiem, Metal Gear Solid 3, Yakuza, Splinter Cell, and Assassin’s Creed.