‘Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake’ Review
Developer: Avantgarden (Starbreeze Studios) | Platform: PS5 |
Playtime and Platinum: 3:30
I’m a big fan of Josef Fares’ more recent work at Hazelight Studios, the incredibly emotional A Way Out and the brilliantly fun It Takes Two but I’ve never played his first title – the one he directed at Starbreeze Studios – Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. The announcement and subsequent release meant I held off for this new version. Knowing what I do now, I wish I had played the game many moons ago, back when it first released and the likes of Stephanie Sterling and Total Biscuit were ranting and raving about it.
As I’ve said, I have not played the original game so I can’t talk about how this game stacks up as a remake. Some of the reviews I took a glance at mentioned some art style differences but nothing bothered me while I was playing. Minor gameplay and story spoilers follow, reader discretion advised.
Brothers follows the story of, you guessed it, two brothers – an older and younger. Their mother died out at sea, so the two boys live with their dad. When the dad falls ill, the village doctor tells them that only a potion from the tree of life will save them, so without hesitation they set off. This is all assumed, as there is not a single bit of spoken dialogue in the game, save for the brief interactions of gibberish the characters give each other. In fact, beyond the main and pause menu, there is not any text on screen at any point. Everything is told visually, from the story to character motivations to puzzle solutions - yet, there was never a time I didn’t understand what I was doing.
Unlike Josef’s later games which were co-op, Brothers is a single player game (Although the remake did add an option for Co-op). Each brother is controlled by an analogue stick each, and interacts with the shoulder buttons. The control scheme is simplistic by design, it does take a little getting used to but becomes second nature a little ways in. The two brothers play identically (any movement speed differences I think was my imagination), with the key difference being the younger brother can fit through bars while the older brother has an easier time pushing/lifting/operating switches. This isn’t mentioned, but the player figures it out.
The settings in the game are phenomenal, this was something I really didn’t expect. The game is set in a magical norse like world, starting with villages but going onto castles in the sky and valleys of dead giants. My jaw was on the floor for each and every location, getting more fantastical every time. I would love to explore this world more in a more traditional game, that’s how intriguing it was just from the tiny snippets we see on the brothers journey.
The game isn’t long at all, but feels masterfully paced. I made it from start to credits in about 3 and a half hours and my emotions went through the entire spectrum and back again. The inclusion of a Platinum trophy in the remake is a cherry on top but honestly if I knew the game was this good, I wouldn’t have even cared.
Play this or the original, I really don’t care – just play it. A beautiful work of art through and through, one I thoroughly regret not playing earlier. As close to a perfectly realised masterpiece as you can get. I simply cannot recommend it enough.
