Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake - Review

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake is an updated version of its 2013 iteration. With the advances in hardware over the last 10 plus years, is the game still worth playing for old fans and new players to the game?

For those who haven’t played the 2013 original game, in a nutshell, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake is a linear interactive puzzle game. Think of it as similar to Limbo or the Little Nightmares series, only that as a single player, you control two characters like Blanc by developer Casus Ludi. The left joystick controls the older brother whereas the right moves the younger sibling. Throughout the cooperative adventure, you’ll need to work through various puzzles by utilising each brother’s distinctiveness, whether it’s to use the smaller size of the younger, or the strength and weight of the older. Not only is the game created for single player, but it has a couch co-op mode as well for those who have a friend or significant other who’d be interested. If not, playing the game solo is fun, though it could be rather tricky at times when you’re trying to move both characters at one time. In theory it may feel simple enough even for the most coordinated person, however your hand and eye coordination will definitely be tested at times.

The narrative itself is basic in that the brothers are set to travel across the lands they reside in to reach what seems to be a type of giant magical tree to retrieve a special elixir to save their father. In doing so, the brothers come across various characters (both friendly and enemies), as well as a variety of thematic areas. It’s also clear from the get-go that this game is set in an alternate universe where the English language isn’t spoken but a fictional one instead can be heard. This leads to reveal its narrative via visual cues and the games musical score whether there’s an intense scene, a sad moment or even a happy and adventurous mood is occurring. Brothers have created an amazing fantasy-esque world for players to experience.

It’s also hard to believe that Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons was originally released about 10 years ago as its gameplay and puzzle mechanics still holds up today. And though its visuals have also had a drastic upgrade due to modern hardware capabilities, it wasn’t one that was needed, but definitely welcomed. The original game’s character and visual design were very stylised with the tools that the developers had at the time, but also clearly shows that the main selling point of the game is its mechanics and puzzles to be solved.

The game has special features such as an Art gallery which shows character designs, level design and all that you would expect from the world they’ve created. And more interestingly, a Video gallery, which has the Writer and Director of Brothers’ (Joseph Fares) comments on a gameplay of the original game. This gives new players an idea of what the original game looked like as well as the design, level and puzzle choices made through the game. Overall, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake is a game that’s 10 years old but it’s game mechanics doesn’t feel as though it’s dated.

In the end, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake might be based off of a game that is 10 years old, but none of the mechanics that it uses feel dated in the slightest. The puzzles are fun, and the interactions the characters have makes for a very fun experience. There are loads of hidden achievements and trophies to unlock by just exploring, something you can still do even though the game is a linear adventure game. The biggest roadblock will be that if you play the game solo, your coordination skills will be tested in ways you may never have thought possible. For those considering picking up this game for the first time, it’s definitely worth it, and is a good example of a game that uses a simple idea can be quite effective at delivering fun, especially when paired with a well thought out narrative. Think of it as an interactive movie with puzzles and adventure.

The Score

8.0

Review code provided by 505 Games

The Pros

Fantastic narrative and world

Visual updates have made the game look as though it’s a new release

Fun puzzles to solve, especially with 2 characters to control

The Cons

Gameplay is a little too short

Not much replayability