Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

Played this gem when it came out on Playstation, so I strongly recommend playing with a controller. The game itself has a quite unique artstyle which some may find a little cold and boring but when you look at it more carefully, reveals a love for detail and hidden beauty. But the reason for which I love the game is the story. The characters are speaking a fantasy language so you mostly understand what's going on by interpreting tone and emotion of the (great) voice acting and the gestures of the brothers. Be ready to dive in an emotional roller coaster. I, for myself, was so taken by the story I played in one sitting - which is one of the few "negative" points one can say about the game: It takes under 4-6 hours to play (and sometimes hard jump-passages). Overall, in my opinion, this is one of the best story games of the past years and worth being played. It will leave a mark in your heart.

It's not often that a game will have you weep and cry, witnessing a truly both joyful and heartbreaking story like the one in Brothers, tale of two sons. Some of you might want to play this this when there's nobody around to disturb your play through. The game is short. In maybe one, two or three sessions you will have seen how it ends. If you're the type of person who really loves those stories that have their somber and cheerful moments, like the Neverending Story for example, this would be the game for you. But when you'd rather just play something fun and lighthearted, and don't care so much for story right now, you might not want this game, or hold off on playing it for a while. Anyway, the controls are easy, provided that you are playing this with a gamepad. A modern standard one, with two analog sticks. You play the two brothers, each one is moved around by one of the analog sticks, and LB is the use button of the bigger brother, RB the use button for the younger. And you play them both, controlling them simultaneously. You solve mild puzzles in a breeze. Almost nothing will keep you long, typically. The game is fairly easy. Some puzzles require that one brother gives the other a boost. The younger brother hasn't learned how to swim, so some puzzles require that the older brother will swim as the younger brother holds on tight. There is great variety in those puzzles, and they're well thought out. Scenery and mood will change. Drastically. This is an adventure that should only be seen, not told. Go, play it! It's fantastic!

This game is an experiment of sorts. This is not to say the game is buggy or bad, for it is neither, but this is the first game I've encountered that tells its story without any dialogue whatsoever. "Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons" is the story of two brothers who must venture on a quest to find a cure for their sick father. In order to do so, both brothers must cooperate in order to solve a number of puzzles that will allow them to progress in their quest. The puzzles are not that difficult but the cooperate mechanic may not be easy to assimilate at first. This game was meant to be played with a controller, with each stick/trigger controlling the movements/actions of each brother. Therefore, it can be a bit confusing since it basically requires you to control two separate characters at the same time. Like I've said before, there is no dialogue to be found whatsoever. Characters communicate through gestures and a Sims-like language that surprisingly make the story easy to follow. And this is why I think this game is, or could very well be interpreted as, an experiment. It's an experiment on how a story can be told through action and music alone, and how it manages to convey powerful emotions without the need for dialogue. The appropriate dialogue could make it better, yes, but it is not at all required for you to enjoy this adventure. The game clocks in at around three hours, though it can be a bit longer if you complete all the achievements. If you are the sort of person who enjoys adventure games that take place in beautifully-designed settings and with a score to match, this game is certainly for you.

This is my first review ever. This is a game that you feel the need to share your experience after you have finished the game. But only someone who actually plays and finishes can understand it. So there really is no way to share that experience after all. The only thing left to do is to encourage people who are likely to play the game... In the opening cutscene we learn about the death of the boys' mother and soon after their father becomes ill. The boys take him to a healer who guides them towards a cure. There really are no understable words in the whole game. Instead they speak through gestures, exclamation sounds and parts of an unknown fantasy language. The crucial part of the story is actually conveyed through the gamepad itself and will not be understood by watching a gameplay video. The game mechanic itself is part of the story. It will not have the weight and the feeling that it does unless played with a gamepad. You control two brothers simultaneously through two sticks of the gamepad. Each puzzle and task requires the cooperation of the brothers. Trying out the brother's different take on NPCs and interactable objects in turn is quite fun by itself. The setting is visually breath-taking. There is no perceivable difference between the cutscenes and in-game graphics and this allows a seamless gameplay. It looks like a magical world but do not be mistaken: there are morbid parts, too. GoG version: a- There is an issue with the left stick in PC and you can find the solution in GoG forum. Just do it before starting out. b- There are in-game achievements some of which are fun to do. However, the GoG version does not give you the achievements although you have done them. (Not a problem for me and I cannot imagine someone being so bothered by this after finishing the game and understanding the story that it tells.) Win 10: The game might crash right after the first cutscene. Finding the .exe file and granting it administrator privileges solves the issue.