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PUZZLED
Brothers is built to be the perfect co-op game, but actually only requires one person to play. You simultaneously control two young brothers and you are required to guide them across land and water to try and help them save their desperately ill father. Trekking across the game world is a fairly simple task but you’ll find yourself constantly presented with puzzles, most being rather simplistic in the beginning, but they do become more challenging. The brothers will both always be visible at any given time, and while you sometimes need to work together, they are some areas you can both reach at the same time without any help.
LOVE & LOSS
Storytelling is the key point in Brothers, and Starbreeze has done an absolutely exquisite job at telling this tale. The game features virtually no dialogue, yet the overwhelming sense of commitment to one another is so apparent. If one brother is in a dangerous situation, you can actually feel the emotion rise and you feel the other brothers’ concern. Early on in the game, you learn that the younger brother cannot swim, but the old brother will carry him on his shoulders and traverse the rivers and creeks, in the name of love. The story focuses on death as well as love, and the game offers some borderline shocking moments where you’ll encounter certain scenarios that you simply wouldn’t expect in what seems like such a lighthearted adventure early on.
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BREATHTAKING BEAUTY
While a good chunk of the beauty in Brothers comes from the storytelling and general style of gameplay, some of course has to come from the majestic world the game takes place in. Farms, mountainside villages, caves, and waterfalls are just a few of the things you’ll come across in your adventure. Each location that you visit becomes more and more impressive and it’s truly a magical experience and it feels like it’s straight out a storybook. Brothers doesn’t go for a realistic look, but it pulls of the fantasy style incredibly well.
MAGNIFICENT MUSIC
As I mentioned earlier, the young brothers don’t speak any identifiable languages, but they speak in terms similar to The Sims, gibberish if you were to define it. Because of that, the mood set by the game’s world is accompanied by its resplendent soundtrack which ranges from soft flute and pipe tunes to the more apparent drum tunes. Combined with the breathtaking design of the world, this really enhances the overall experience in Brothers.
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SHORT & SWEET
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is nothing short of sensational and it offers an experience quite unlike anything else on Xbox LIVE, or any other platform based on what I’ve personally played. The overwhelming sense of commitment and feeling of gratification as you progress the world put Brothers in a category of its own. The game clocks in at around three hours long, and while it may be short, it’s a truly marvelous experience from beginning to end.
Rating Description 10 Gameplay
Fun puzzles, simple but extremely enjoyable world exploration, and fun co-op aspects put it at the top.9.5 Graphics
Majestic locales, breathtaking views from a bench, but it leaves you wanting even more sights.9.0 Sound
A usually mellow but occasionally triumphant soundtrack accompany the stellar gameplay.9.5 Final Score
