I’m sure I’m not the only video game-playing parent who considers the latest “AAA” game with a mixture of wonder and dread. These titles are created by dozens, if not hundreds of people. They often take a few years to develop and market and frequently boast budgets in the tens of millions. In short, they’re colossal.
But all too often, these big-budget juggernauts lack creativity and innovation.
The reason is simple: with so much money in play (pardon the pun), publishers rarely gamble on that which is unproven. It’s simply too risky to hinge financial success on a single mechanic which hasn’t succeeded before. The result is often a hodgepodge of ideas, huge open worlds, and laundry lists of things to do, to appeal to the broadest possible audience.
Sometimes I enjoy these games. I want to immerse myself in vast worlds. But the time commitment they demand is incongruous with a grumpy dad life. Only the very best in the big-budget space, titles such as God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Breath of the Wild, can hold my attention for their duration.
That is why I have increasingly turned to compact, imaginative indie games bursting with personality for my gaming experiences. Games like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.
To be clear, I have very little to be grumpy about when it comes to Brothers. It’s an exquisite, emotional game with a simple but effective story, beautiful environments, and a stirring soundtrack. In fact, the only thing that really grinds my gears about it is the ridiculous name! There’s just no need for the colon; A Tale of Two Sons is practically redundant.
But be under no illusion: Brothers is a real gem. In the game, you play as the titular brothers, who are called Naia and Naiee. When their father falls ill from an unspecified illness, they decide to embark on a quest to find the Tree of Life and some handy healing stuff. It’s a standard hero’s goal, obviously designed to tug at the heartstrings and provide an excuse for a rollicking adventure. Naia—the older brother—encourages his scarred younger brother across varied landscapes, meeting fantastical residents such as trolls on the way. But it’s Naiee who has the real arc, forced to shed his immature persona and confront his darkest fears.
What is completely unique is how you control Naia and Naiee. Rather than controlling one at a time, having one brother controlled by the AI, or requiring co-op, you control both at the same time on one controller. Each stick controls one brother, and the shoulder buttons are responsible for each brother’s actions. It takes some getting used to. Even towards the end of the adventure, under my control the brothers resembled two drunk students stumbling back to their dormitories to throw up. But I’m sure that’s just my problem. It never seriously hindered my enjoyment of the experience, that’s for sure, and thankfully the game is fairly forgiving.
The novel mechanic is so clever because everything in Brothers revolves around it. Puzzles? Of course. You’ll need both brothers to solve them. Combat? Sure thing. Again, both brothers required. It’s fantastic to see a game so fully commit to its core mechanic and wring every ounce of ingenuity it can out of it over its run time.
Which is why it’s only a good thing that Brothers is approximately three hours long. There are some optional bits and bobs which can extend that slightly. You may come nearer the two-hour mark if you spend less time running into fences than I did. But whichever way you slice it, Brothers is a short game. And that’s great. The director, Josef Fares, has gone on to direct two other multiplayer-centric games: A Way Out and It Takes Two. Consistently rubbish naming aside, Brothers is an altogether different proposition to the other two, in that there is zero padding. (It also doesn’t require playing with another person.) The obsession that so many gamers seem to have with game length over game value, often erroneously thinking the two synonymous, is one thing that really grinds my gears. That, however, is a debate for another time. Perhaps a Grumpy Dad Game Rant…
Anyway, there’s a reason this review is so light on story details. Brothers really is a game that’s worth experiencing for yourself if you haven’t already. It may be a little blatant with its attempts to elicit emotion, with a sob story that wouldn’t be out of place on The X Factor, but Brothers should be commended for being earnest in telling a meaningful story. It’s a tale of overcoming fears, brotherly love, and the agonising reality of loss. The finale is one that I won’t forget in a hurry, for its unwavering commitment not to sugar-coat death, and how it utilises its core mechanic to superlative effect.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons can regularly be picked up for only a handful of coins, and I’d thoroughly recommend doing so. For fellow grumpy dads, or even for those not blessed with such cynicism, it’s a memorable experience that shouldn’t be missed. It thoroughly respects your time, features a story revolving around the most powerful emotion—love—and deeply explores a unique mechanic without staleness creeping in. It also brought a lump to my throat.
N.B. If you missed my first Grumpy Dad Game Review on 12 Minutes, you can find it here.