Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - Named by TotalBiscut as his favorite game of all time

[Kreekakon]

Ok everyone! Fancy seeing you all one year later!

I have finally bought this game and played the whole thing. One of the main reasons I held off buying it for so long was that I heard that the game just wouldn't be the same without a controller, and I didn't have one.

Well a couple days ago I went out and bought myself a controller and this game to go along with it. And here are some of my thoughts below!

(Copy pasted from Steam where I first wrote it)

Intro

I heard about this game a long time ago from TotalBiscut, and recalled him mentioning that the game was amazing. What struck me as very curious though was how he mentioned that the game just plain wouldn't work with a keyboard+mouse and that he didn't mean it in a bad way. He said that it just plain "wouldn't work" with what the game was trying to do.

Fast forward to several months later, and now I've beaten the game for myself. I also bought a controller specifically to see what TotalBiscut meant. I have witnessed...he was right. This game just WON'T work the same without a controller.

Is the game perfect? I'd love to say yes, but I can't. I just isn't.

With that said though...does it live up to the hype? Yes, yes, yes, and yes again. The game is a masterful triumph despite a few shortcomings.

A Sense of Adventure

One of the games strongest suits which I would liken it to would be to its sense of adventuring. The feeling that I got from the game almost constantly was very similar to the sense of emotional wonder I got from several animated movies when I was a kid.

The game takes you on an adventure literally which in turn also translates into a emotional adventure. There are all sorts of feelings which you get from this game. Sadness. Happiness. Joy. Anger. Exhilaration. Triumph. Anger. Helplessness...the list goes on.

A beautiful world with amazing variety, and aesthetic coupled with a great soundtrack only serves to strengthen this aspect.

The point is that even though the two main characters have a duty assigned to them, they can still showcase the road to complete that duty to be filled with awe, and emotional wonder...which also feeds into the player.

Two Brothers, Two Companions

As the title of the video game implies, the two main characters of this game are two brothers: One older, and one younger. The game is played in the format of a "single player co-op game" in which the player controls both brothers, and uses them to progress through the game.

I felt another strong part of the game was how they showcased the two brother's different personalities through various actions they took, and how they each interacted with the same things. The older brother took things more seriously, and went straight to the main point while the younger brother is more innocent, and playful.

It even shines through in the gameplay. The two brothers have their own strengths which they can employ to solves the various puzzles you will encounter in the world. For example where the big brother is strong and lifts huge things, the little brother is small and can get into small places.

Characterization was done wonderfully for these two characters.

Stories, and Small Hiccups

The story is a fairly simple one, but has a strong sense of agency in that you will ALWAYS know what you need to do. This does wonders for the pacing of the game, and is very important for a narrative driven game such as this one.

Something I did dislike though was how the story sometimes likes throwing plot points, happenings, or characters a bit too randomly out at times. Particularly with one very important happening in the end I felt that while it was hardfelt it came a bit too much out of the blue for it to really have its full effect. If the same thing happened but with proper set-up throughout the entire story leading up to it...then it wouldn't feel as much out of nowhere, and would be much more effective.

Another thing I didn't like about the game were its slightly repetitive boss fights. If it was another game I would've forgiven this instantly, but in a game which thrives on evolving on the go, and constantly showcasing its narrative through gameplay...having to do the same thing four times to beat a boss just feels out of place.

A Triumph For Games Everywhere

This is it...this is the very main reason that this game is worth all the hype despite other imperfections: The way through which it tells its story.

Speaking in general for the entire game a lot of it manages to showcase its narrative through keen observation of the player, and actually taking the actions you feel makes sense. You really do feel like two brothers that are working together for their goals

HOWEVER the greatest thing that this game does I would have to say is in its ending act. The ending is the absolute most brilliant thing I have seen in gaming so far. It is likely the best example I have seen so far to so beautifully tell your narrative through the mechnics of the game.

And the player will realize it when it happens. When it happens he WILL know what it is like to be put in the character's shoes...all through the use of the mechanics of the game. That only makes it impossibly more hard-hitting.

I won't even put what I'm talking in spoiler tags since if you haven't experienced this then you deserve to expeirence the proud moment of gaming for yourself.

THIS act is the reason why the game could never work on a keyboard+mouse, and never will since it goes against the whole philosophy of the game's creative design.

It was only a shame I think that they didn't really push this immersive moment of story-telling further since the ending is filled with cutscenes. I fell they really missed an opportunity turn all these cutscenes into gameplay sections to further empower the feeling of these scenes.

Conclusion, and Verdict

So those are basically my entire thoughts on the game. If I was to rate this game traditionally I would probably give it an 8.5-9.0 out of 10 for the couple slip-ups I mentioned in my review above.

However I cannot emphasize enough just how much of an experience this is, and as a fellow gamer to other gamers I say that you all owe it to yourselves to see this marvelous showing.

It really is immensely thought-provoking in that it shows just what games are capable of doing, and the possibilities of doing even more if we fully evolve the medium.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a symbol of that evolution.