| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| Xbox 360 | 6.90 |
| Overall | 6.90 |
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Brothers is an artsy simple puzzle game focused on telling a story a la Ico. This is the kind of game that some will play and feel like it was so moving it instantly jumps to one of their best games of the year lists in spite of its extremely simple gameplay. Well I care about gameplay so even though the game is beautiful and does have a good story it leaves a lot to be desired. The controls of Brothers is rather unique as it has each brother being controlled by one of your analog sticks. This can lead to some initial frustration as it can be difficult to control two different characters but I found that my brain got accustomed to it after a few minutes. I would say its best to keep the right stick brother on the right side of the screen and the left on the left to prevent some headaches where you would control them backwards. The brothers explore a very linear world where they solve simple puzzles to advance. As you can imagine since you control two characters almost all puzzles involve using one brother to activate a switch while another moves an object. It doesn't take much brain power to solve these puzzles, there are no alternatives its always presented right in front of the player, only one action can lead to solving the puzzles. There are maybe 2 or 3 puzzles where actual brain power is required to think about the solution, which is sad cause a two character mechanic system should open up all kinds of interesting puzzle possibilities. For about the first half of the game I was ready to crap all over this game but the second half greatly increases the dramatic tension and takes the player on a beautiful fantasy adventure. The locations you visit are breathtaking taking all the best elements of the most famous fantasy stories. You will visit a troll filled mine, explore a deserted giant's castle on the top of a mountain, and ride a giant river through a winter wonderland. As a fantasy fan this game struck a cord in me, a wanted to keep exploring this world, I wanted a full open world game based on these locations. I became emotionally invested in the adventure the brothers go on not cause of their dilemma, which has their father dying with only a special plant at the edge of the world with the ability to revive him, but because of the fantasy world and its interesting inhabitants. All the dialog is done with a made up gibberish language that somehow works well enough. Emotional moments are very broad which allows for the more mime like acting to be very effective. This game will hit you with all sorts of heartbreaking moments, if are one of those where Journey was a grand emotional experience this kind of game will probably leave you in tears. I am not that guy; still I have to say the story was very well done. There were moments were the gameplay really shined and I was left dumbfounded at why wasn't most of the game like those moments. The best moment to me was where the brothers had to climb a mountain to reach a castle and they tie a rope to each other and basically swing each other from one ledge to another. It was a perfect platforming, timing based gameplay mechanic that felt unique cause of the dual character control. There were also some actually well done boss battles where you must use both brothers to defeat the enemy. The game didn't need to become an action game but more moments where the dual mechanics truly shined would have helped greatly. At a little over two hours at length playing Brothers is almost like playing through a dark fairy tale movie. To me the best aspect was how it captured that sense of adventure and the locations brought back memories of Neverending Story. If you enjoyed Ico or Journey this game is a must play. To those with Plus who can play it for free I say do so, it is absolutely worth a play. If you are looking for a unique kind of game and one where characters and an emotional tale is more important than gameplay mechanics then give Brothers a try. |
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Posted by Dvader Mon, 27 Jan 2014 17:36:01
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gamingeek (27s)
So I own it, I just dont have a PC that can run it.