Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons originally came out in 2013 for every major platform available at the time and was praised for its simple, innovative approach to the adventure game genre while telling a poignant and memorable story. It may not be fair to call Brothers an indie game since it’s backed by a big publisher, and Starbreeze Studios is not an indie studio, but it seems to generally be thought of as an indie game because of its short length.
Brothers is a game that is very story-driven, and while its gameplay will be talked about in this review, what sets Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons apart is its story. There will be major spoilers later at the end of this review. However, they will be clearly marked. If you have any inkling at all to play Brothers, I will give you the short, spoiler-free version of the story section of the review now:
Brothers is a story of two brothers who go on an adventure trying to find a cure to help their sick father. It’s one of the better and more memorable stories you will see in a video game. It uses essentially no dialog: the characters speak, but they speak in their own language. Although you can’t understand what’s being said, and there are no subtitles, the game does an excellent job of communicating the narrative. It’s well-told and one that you won’t quickly forget. However, its ending felt incomplete.
Not much more can be said without spoilers, so we’ll leave it there for now.
Brothers is a co-op adventure game. The controls are simple. Only the analog sticks and two of the shoulder buttons are used on the controller. The analog sticks move each of the brothers individually, while each of the shoulder buttons acts as an action button for one of the brothers. You can play with another person on the Switch, but if you play by yourself, you control both of the brothers at the same time. It’s a little awkward controlling two characters simultaneously, but the game seems very aware of what it’s asking from you as the player, and is thoughtful about what its demands are. The controls are never an issue.
There is no combat or much exploration. The gameplay is all about solving environmental challenges. The brothers use teamwork to overcome these challenges, and will swing, jump, grab, mantle, hang, and climb their way out of the different situations they find themselves in. Brothers has shades of the classic PlayStation 2 game Ico with some Legend of Zelda in there as well. It’s not doing anything particularly new, but the gameplay is thoughtful, satisfying, and fun while being accompanied with great visuals. The game looks and runs beautifully on the Switch at 60 FPS and has a strong soundtrack.
In spite of my issue with the story that I’ll get into below, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a game that absolutely should be played. It’s a brief experience, but its solid, thought-provoking gameplay, and unique approach to storytelling in a video game, is effective and could be expanded upon in either a longer version of the game or a sequel. However, while Brothers is great for what it offers, it’s too short given how the story ends. It feels incomplete. More meat could’ve easily been added to the bone for a more complete gameplay and narrative experience. Maybe the upcoming remake will provide that.
The rest of the review will contain heavy spoilers.
Very heavy spoilers.
I’m basically going to be talking about the ending to the game, so if you haven’t played ‘Brothers’ yet, click out now!
Here goes, spoilers incoming.
Spoiler time.
Spoilers in three…two…one….
Overall, Brothers has a well-told story, but doesn’t stick the landing. The problem is its ending. More specifically, the ending of the ending. As the player, the last thing you see before the credits roll is the father sobbing uncontrollably because his son is dead, with his younger son trying to console him. It wasn’t a good way to end the game. The father never gets an opportunity to say goodbye to his son, the older brother. The older brother gave his life for his father, and the father never got a chance to say goodbye and thank you. As a result, the very end of the game felt bleak and hopeless. That being said, it’s still very memorable, and if that’s all Starbreeze was going for, then mission accomplished. However, more could’ve been done to give the player a more satisfying ending than leaving them with the incredibly sad image of a bereaved father mourning for his son as the game ends. It felt like an injustice.
A possible alternative ending could’ve been the younger brother taking a trip with his father to the burial site of the older brother. Given how short Brothers is, the game could’ve been expanded and a more complete ending to the story accomplished. Instead of playing as the older brother and the younger brother, you’re now playing as the father and younger brother, or father and son. They could’ve taken their own path back as they go through the process of grieving for the loss of another of their family members (the mother was already dead when the game begins). The father deserved a chance to see his oldest son one last time, even if it was only his burial site. It would’ve given more resolution to the story and given more meaning to the older brother’s death in a game that still had a lot of tread left on the tire with its gameplay.
With so many games today overstaying their welcome with overly long experiences, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons does the opposite. I wanted more, and the story seemed to require that for it to be all it could’ve been. It’s still a good game, but there was more story to tell.
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