The Last 15 Minutes
Of course I can’t say anything about the ending itself, but I just had to mention it in some way on here. The final moments of this game were heartfelt, tearjerking, and satisfying followups to the game before it. As said above, the game has no dialogue, but honestly this game, especially in the last 15 minutes or so, may have the best story in a game I’ve played in quite a while. That’s a very impressive feat for a game that has no actual verbal dialogue that we understand. At the very start of the game, I did not expect to get emotionally invested in the characters of the game, but somehow in the small amount of time you spend with them, it happens. The game itself is fantastic, but these final moments of the game are worth the price of admission alone.
NOT
Game Ends Before You Know It
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a game where you can honestly sit down for a few hours and beat it in one sitting. It’s not very long and the game flows so well that there aren’t any real stopping points where you might happen to stop if you have nothing else to do. With me, I started the game and played for probably 30 minutes my first time and then beat the game in my next gaming session that took a couple hours. However, you get so lost in the game that it doesn’t seem like you received a lack of content. The fact that very little of the game is cutscenes means that almost the entire time you will be playing is actual gameplay. With a game this good, the length of the game is just a nitpick, especially at only $14.99. This game is the definition of short and sweet.
Lack of Cooperative Play
This game is probably the most suited video game I’ve ever seen for two player cooperative gameplay, and yet it isn’t included. Of course the controlling of the brothers, each with an analog stick, worked perfectly, but just imagine how amazing two player co-op would have been as well. I don’t have a brother, but considering the story of the game, I can imagine this being a great experience to share with your brother, or even just a friend if the game offered this option. I know I would have at least tried out that mode with my sister or friends if it was available. Just like the above criticism, this is also just a nitpick. What the game gives you is just fine in its own right, this could have just been a very nice addition.
VERDICT
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons may possibly have surprised me more than any game I’ve played in a long time. Having heard no hype surrounding the game, I did not know what to expect at all. Even with the game’s release on Xbox 360 last month, I did not know anymore about it. However, once I started playing I was immediately entranced by this indie adventure game. The game featured very unique gameplay with a fantastic story, which was even more surprising coming from a game with zero dialogue that we could understand. The character’s personalities shined through allowing you to feel for the two leads. The last 15 minutes or so of the game were extremely powerful and ended up being one of the best endings I’ve seen in a game. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is it a wonderful experience from beginning to end and is well worth your time and money. This game is a hidden gem and I really hope to see it be nominated for some awards that I feel it deserves.
[Editor’s Note: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons was reviewed on the Playstation 3 platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]