Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (XBLA)

Never in my history as a gamer have I had the privilege to play through a game that was so emotionally thought provoking as this one was. Both 'Josef Fares (A Swedish Film Director)', and the creative team at 'Starbreeze Studios' have put together a grand fairytale that transcends cultures, and language barriers of all kinds. Using love, and it's powerful nature as the main theme the development team behind this mature fairytale of sorts takes you on a visually breathtaking journey like none other you have ever seen before. You'll get to follow along as you guide two brothers who have suffered the terrible loss of their mother, and are in the process of losing yet another loved one. Their journey to find a cure for their ailing father will ultimately take them, and you to various locations of splendor, and even to nightmarish havens where the worst of dreams are realized. As you journey alongside them you'll discover that it is the brothers' undying love for one another that drives them to go against all odds, and will hopefully gain the cure that could ultimately save the life of their father. During your epic adventure with the two brothers your heart will no doubt be ripped asunder with sorrow, and tears may even be shed on their behalf, but in the end you will find reassurance as they both did that love is eternal and will never fade away.

Brothers (as I'm going to refer to it from hence forth) is a game that takes away any complex interactions as well as any sort of control scheme that would hinder the gamers' ability to enjoy the tale that is being told. At the beginning of the game you are introduced to the two brothers' predicament through a short series of flashbacks, and cinematic cutscenes. As with any proper gaming experience you will find that after getting familiarized with the plot you are eased into the core mechanics of the game, and slowly introduced to more difficult puzzles, and elements along the way. None of the puzzles, or dire situations to be found are so over-the-top in difficulty that even the most casual of gamers would have a hard time understanding them enough to get from checkpoint to checkpoint.

As the title suggests you will be taking control of the two brothers involved in the adventure at hand, and will guide them both as they overcome the many obstacles on their way to obtain the water of life. You'll find that one of the brothers happens to be an older lad who is much braver, and outgoing than his younger brother while the younger brother is not without his own unique set of talents as feeble in scale as they may seem. It is this yin, and yang relationship that will help you to help them traverse the lands that could ultimately lead to their father's salvation. Controlling the brothers in any location you happen upon simply requires the use of the right, and left sides of an Xbox 360 controller. To move the older brother, for example you'll simply use the (Left Thumbstick), and to perform his actions you'll have to press (LT). The opposite goes for the younger brother. In order to move him around you'll need to use the (Right Thumbstick), and to perform tasks/actions you'll need to press the (RT) button. Both brothers also have a camera angle button that adjusts the camera view for those harder to see areas. For the older brother you'll press (LB), and for the younger brother you'll simply press (RB) until the camera angle is adjusted to your liking.

As simple as the these controls may sound the puzzles, and tasks ahead of you will require some thinking on your behalf as well as some properly executed object interactions. You'll find that not only will you be climbing, or swimming your way from checkpoint to checkpoint, but that you'll also be having the brothers working together to use certain tools, and objects in the various environments to help them reach the next area of exploration. As I mentioned earlier this is a grand adventure, and it utilizes almost everything that you've ever experienced within the action/adventure gaming genre. Things like stealth gameplay, and 'Assassin's Creed' parkour interactions are not out of the question in this mature fairytale.

As far as creatures, and friends go you will find plenty of NPCs (Non Player Characters) that add to the game's own unique mythology. During your cross country trek you will run into beasts of burden that are not unlike our own. Sure there's the occasional owl-like griffin, and the killer whale that has it's own fantasy appeal, but all in all they are not that indifferent from the creatures we see today. On the more fantastical side of things though there are giant knights, and even a final female boss that you'll have to see to believe. Nothing is out of bounds when it comes to Josef Fares' vision of an undying love, and for that I'm truly grateful. When it comes to person to person interactions in the game they are interesting enough, but are kept short, and sweet as to not take away from the focal point of the two brothers, and their ailing father.

This short yet grand adventure is meant to be taken in slowly, and is not to be rushed. By simply completing the game you will miss all the things that make it so wondrous. It's the type of visual tale that may be short in length, but after experiencing it your mind will not forget the journey assuming you paid attention to the overabundance of details as well as the many emotions invested in the trip. At certain points in each area of the game you'll find a park bench on which the two brothers can rest, and take in the beauty of their surroundings. It is these moments of peace that not only allow us to grasp the brothers' bond, but also allows us as gamers to share the experience as if we were a part of the story. To say that such moments in the game are limited would be an understatement as the developer has made every detail of the game so visually impressive that simply stopping to admire the snow, and water effects can be as monumental in scope as the entire game itself. The overall experience is quite literally like walking through someone else's dream in that respect. You'll find that none of the artistic details applied applied in this man made dream are minor in any form or fashion, and that they all have meaning. The fact that the brothers can interact with almost anything, and everything in their world only makes it that much more expansive, and lifelike in nature. It is best to take it all in as if you were on a sightseeing vacation at one of the seven wonders of the world.

Now on to the verdict ...

I have to say I loved almost everything about this game. The graphics really pushed the limits of this current generation of consoles. Details like the water effects, and even the ground that was tread underneath the two brothers' feet were expertly crafted. Seeing the vastness of the developer's world unfold before my eyes is something I'll likely never forget. I absolutely loved the art style that was incorporated in the tale. The fact that Josef Fares was able to deliver the visual story regardless of language barriers was truly a feat in itself. Every interaction, and every thing that the brothers did gave meaning to the world they were a part of. Even the soundtrack was mesmerizing, and fitting of the tale being told.

The only downside I was able to find (which is knit picking in my opinion) were the sometimes awkward movement controls, and the occasional glitch that would require a restart from the last checkpoint. I will say though that these flawed instances were few, and far between. They in no way took from the pleasure I had of playing the game from start to finish. As far as recommending this game goes I can tell you now that it will definitely take one of my "Top 10" spots at the end of this year. If you haven't bought, or played this game yet I highly suggest you do so. It is not to be missed. Even for 1200msp ($14.99) it is still very much worth it for the experience alone. I hope to see Josef, and Starbreeze Studios to work together on future game releases as they are a truly impressive team!