Man am I grateful for short games during school time!

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PlayStation 4)


Brothers is a story about... brothers. End review~! No, but really, these two brothers lost their mother, and now their father is ill. It's up to our two heroes to embark on a dangerous journey to reach the tree of life and return with his cure. This game has minimal dialogue, and what it does have is a made up language based on Arabic. This means that a lot of your journey will require you to question and use your imagination to understand the story fully.



In Brothers, you will control both brothers, usually simultaneously, using the left and right analogue sticks, and the L2 and R2 buttons. You can also usually rotate the camera with the L1 and R1 buttons. It is very linear and you will be guiding the boys down a set path with a few side paths here and there to explore. By pressing the left analogue stick, you'll move the older brother, and pressing L2 will allow him to "interact" or "act" depending on what's near him. The little brother controls the same but by using the right analogue stick and the R2 buttons.



You'll encounter a few minor puzzles that need solving here and there by learning how to use the brothers in tandem or playing to the strengths of one or the other. Little brother, for example, can fit in smaller spaces, whereas older brother has more strength for moving things. It is a bit awkward to control them both at once at first, but you'll definitely get used to it and it will feel more natural as you progress. You'll learn who to use and when and begin to pick up on the cues around you as to what to do next. And if you don't quite get used to it? No worries. Most of the time you can just try again at the exact spot you weren't successful.



That's pretty much the gist of the game. It's mostly about exploring the world with the brothers as they try to save their father. Their struggles and victories, the people they meet and the obstacles they face. There's not much combat per se, although you will encounter some not friendlies and need to defend yourself. A few of the puzzles might stump you for a bit, but it shouldn't take long to overcome them, and all in all, it's a relaxing, interactive experience instead of a more action-packed type of game.



Overall I loved this game. As I mentioned, it's very short and low stress, so it's nice to play when you just want to decompress with something touching and yet engaging. It's also short enough that replaying it will probably feel like going back to a movie you enjoy, rather than feeling like you have to commit a long period of time to replaying a very linear experience. The environments and sounds are gorgeous and it all fits together cohesively to tell a story and build a world without needing to rely on dialogue. Also, get ready for some feels because there will be much feels of both the good and bad kind. So if you want to try playing a touching little adventure game about the bond between two brothers, absolutely give this a try.

Verdict:
LOVED IT