Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons is hands down the best game I have played this year; and I would stick my neck out and say that it is possibly the best game to be released in 2013. It is simply in a league of its own.
Why? Simply put, its story is the most engrossing gaming story that I have ever experienced (which involves a pair of brother going on a quest to find a cure for their father’s life-threatening ailment); but that’s not to say that other key elements have been ignored.
Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons boasts vast, detailed, and breath-taking landscapes. From the lofty fantasy village where the boys live, to the blood soaked rivers of the war torn giant’s graveyard, the visuals never fail to impress. It’s just such a pity that the same level of detail did not filter down to the player models.
The musical score is a masterpiece in its own right, adding to the haunting beauty of the game.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Developer Starbreeze have made the relationship between the brothers simple yet necessary. Never do you feel that the older brother is lugging around a smaller annoying sibling. The balance is so well portrayed that you never feel that any of the challenges could have been completed by one strong character.
The control system is a breath of fresh air. The entire game is controlled by the two analogue sticks and the two trigger buttons. That’s it.
Each brother is assigned an analogue stick to move and a trigger to interact. Whilst it does get confusing at times, I found it to be rather elegantly simple and a unique take on adventure game controls.
Fairytale vehicles are at their best in Brothers, giving you the opportunity to scamper up a mountain on the back of a couple mountain goats, fly across a valley clinging to Leonardo Da Vinci’s glider, and even an Owl Griffon.
The defining element of Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons would be the story. It’s gut retching and heartfelt, all without a single word spoken.
A tale of free spirited living, innocence, responsibility, and courage. I don’t recall a game’s story ever before catching me so off-guard. Not even Hideo Kojima (who is probably the most over the top story-teller that I can think of) could have produced an ending to a game that is so hard hitting.
I’m probably going to take a lot of abuse for this, but I simply don’t care – this game deserves a perfect score. Yes, it’s only 3-4 hours long; and yes, its visuals aren’t perfect. But the gameplay balance, musical score, pacing, and storyline are perfect, and for those reasons, download this game today because it is possibly one of, if not the best game that you will ever play.
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