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Oh Brother

I finally sat down to play through Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons which, despite the somewhat clunky/innovative controls, was quite a fun experience.

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For those that haven’t seen, Brothers is a sort of single-player coop game, where you control two brothers using an analog stick/trigger combo for each. I takes a while to get used to, and after completing the game in around three hours I felt I was still quite some ways from mastering the technique. However, the game’s concept and controls allowed the team to develop some pretty unique environmental puzzles that left me feeling surprised and even wowed as I played through the duo’s adventure.

The story does not immediately feel like a big component of the game other than defining the overarching goal at the onset, at least in the traditional sense. In fact, there really isn’t any dialogue or text within the game to speak of. That being said, the game had a fairly significant emotional impact on me as I worked towards the goal of saving the life of the brothers’ father while weaving my path with those of numerous other characters in the game. Each location and character met begs me to start wondering where they came from, what they’re doing here, and where they are going. It breathes life into the world without having to really give any answers. Eventually the narrative comes full circle as I return home, my adventure complete, with an unexpected twist of events and an amazing incorporation of them back into the gameplay.

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Brothers is a great example of narrative storytelling through visuals and interaction. The environments are detailed vibrant, using scale, lighting, camerawork, and color to increase immersion and provide constant variety. Though the story is broken into chapters it flows freely, emphasizing the sense of a singular adventure. The epic feel, mirroring the folklore and fantasy references within the game, reaches into every aspect of the experience. I can see this one being a good candidate for my wife to watch me play through, as it has a movie-like quality and excellent storytelling.

And if that still doesn’t do it for you, you can ride goats!

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