BROTHER'S: A Tale of Two Sons (2013) is a such an amazing indie game. I first bought and played it after playing the original PS3 demo, when it was first released in 2013 and now here I am again, 2020, playing it on the PS4. I've since played it many times and am continually impressed and moved by it, with its simple yet gorgeous graphics and art design, its beautiful and highly atmospheric music, and the powerfully tragic story of two brothers, (Naiee, the younger, and Naia, the elder) as they go on a quest to save their ill father with an elixir from the Tree of Life.
As for the gameplay itself, there is an interesting aspect of the player controlling each brother, one with the left side and one with the ride side of the controller. Back when this game first came out I hadn't seen this mechanic before, while nowadays there are a few games like this. I'm not sure if Brothers started this mechanic or not, but this is the first game that I played having this specific feature. It is an adventure style game, third-person view (top-down/birds-eye) and there are elements of a puzzle game as well, though never overly challenging to ever detract away from the story. This is definitely a more narrative driven game.
It is a darkly beautiful folklore-inspired tale, one which truly stays with you. The whole game creates such a memorable, emotional experience that gets you straight in the heart. To this day, it's one of the saddest games that I have ever played. However, even though there is tragedy and darkness, there is much beauty and light also, if you look for it. The game is heavily story driven, and the tone changes between being light-hearted and heart-breaking- and yet ever hopeful.
Brothers is a game that should not be missed, but be warned, even though it takes place in a fairy tale world, some elements are for mature audiences and there are multiple grotesque scenes portraying death (decaying corpses), gore/blood, mild alcohol, many scenes can be highly emotional and frightening, etc.
I think GamesMaster's James Nouch said it best in his comment of the game-- "[Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons] is a charming, emotive adventure that flows at its own rather sedate pace" and in their final review GamesMaster gave it a 91/100 writing, "Short but immensely satisfying, it's Ico meets Limbo in Fable's world. In a word: spellbinding."
I completely agree.
STORY: 10/10
GAMEPLAY: 9/10
GRAPHICS: 9/10
ART DESIGN: 10/10
MUSIC: 10/10
OVERALL RATING: 9.5.
