Xbox 360 PS3

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

PuzzleAdventureIndie

Time to beat: about 3.2 hours

Overview

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a 2013 adventure game developed by Starbreeze Studios and published by 505 Games for Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Nintendo Switch, and Amazon Luna. The narrative takes place in a fantasy world filled with fictitious creatures such as orcs and trolls, where two young brothers set out on a journey to find a cure for their father's illness. The game is often mentioned as an example of artistry in video games due to its heavy narrative. It received positive reviews from critics and had sold over 800,000 units by January 2015.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is presented from a third-person view overlooking the two brothers. The brothers are moved individually by two thumbsticks on the controller. The controller triggers cause the respective brother to interact with the game world, such as talking to a non-player character or grabbing onto a ledge or object. The older brother is the stronger of the two and can pull levers or boost his younger brother to higher spaces, while the younger one can pass between narrow bars. The player progresses by manipulating the two brothers at the same time to complete various puzzles, often requiring the player to manipulate both brothers to perform differing functions (such as one distracting a hostile non-player character while the other makes his way around).

The story begins with a boy named Naiee standing at the tombstone of his dead mother who drowned at sea while he was unable to save her. After the ghost of his mother comforts him, his older brother, Naia, calls him to help their ill father reach the village's doctor who, in turn, tells them the only way to save him is by collecting the water from the Tree of Life. The brothers embark on their journey through the village, hills and mountains while facing challenges such as the local bully, a farmer's aggressive dog, and deadly wolves. They help others along the way, reuniting a troll couple, saving a man attempting suicide, and aiding an inventor.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons was developed by Starbreeze Studios and was the first game to come from the publishing partnership with 505 Games. During development, its working title was P13. The game uses Unreal Engine 3, and was developed in collaboration with Swedish-Lebanese award-winning film director Josef Fares.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, while the PC version received "universal acclaim", on review aggregator website Metacritic.