Guide two brothers on an epic fairy tale filled with discovery, loss, adventure, and mystery. With their father suffering from a deadly illness, two brothers must bravely set out to find the “Water of Life,” the one cure that can save him. With no option for failure the brothers must rely on each other using their individual skills to protect one another and overcome the obstacles ahead in this unforgettable journey...

Play as both brothers as you set out on a quest to save your father

We originally reviewed Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons on its 2013 release. It looked beautiful then and was a breath of fresh air in the gaming arena. This 2024 reissue gives the graphics a little polish and changes some of the narrative - most notably (and this isn't spoiling anything) the final boss battle only reveals the character's identity once they have been dispatched.

I only played the game through once on its original release, and playing this remake I doubt I'll play it again. As games go there's little here to challenge you. And it soon becomes evident that it's more of an interactive animated movie with short puzzle elements. The puzzles, however, are not even slightly taxing. Anyone with even a passing familiarity with interactive puzzle games will be able to complete the game in a lazy afternoon. But that's not really a huge issue here, because you'll pretty soon become invested in the characters and environments.

In single player mode you play as both brothers, controlling the older brother with the left analogue stick and the younger brother with the right analogue stick. This is a mechanic that takes a little getting used to. However, once you have the hang of it it soon becomes second nature. In Co-op mode you can play with a friend, with each of you taking control of one of the brothers.

This 2024 reissue gives the graphics a little polish

The game mechanics are interesting, and having to work out what each brother's role is in each of the puzzles, while not challenging, is certainly intuitive.

My main moan, which I'm sure will be fixed in a future patch, is that the sound kept cutting out. This meant that I had to jump back to the last checkpoint in order to kick start the sound effects and vocals. This happened a lot throughout the game, spoiling quite a lot of the immersion.

Overall this is still a great game, offered at a good price. However, it's very unlikely that you'll play it through more than once. The lack of any real challenge might annoy some, but to be fair this is a gaming experience, where becoming invested in the characters and the story takes centre stage. The beautiful locations (which change frequently throughout the game's narrative) also make you stop and take in your surroundings. In fact there are benches dotted around the game for this very reason.

8

Darren Rea