Sometimes it’s the little ones that make the biggest impact. 2013 was a monolithic year for videogames with the likes of GTA V, Bioshock: Infinite and the Tomb Raider reboot grabbing the spotlight. Underneath the triple A glam however, was a melancholic and deeply affectionate little indie wonder, paint-brushed with a spread of autumnal colours that exquisitely decorated its scenery. This modest little gem was Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, and now eleven years after the original game’s release, a remake has touched down to remind us of its elegance, resulting in a fervent refurbishment befitting of A Tale of Two Sons‘ legacy.
The premise of A Tale of Two Sons is straightforward; you play as two young brothers called Naia, and his petulant counterpart Naiee, who are trying to save their father from death by stretching him to the nearest doctor. Once they arrive at the doctor’s abode, they’re told their father won’t be able to survive unless they procure sacred water from the Tree of Life in a distant idyllic location. This sends the two brothers on a desperate journey to retrieve the life-bolstering elixir, where they encounter a smattering of both friendly and hostile creatures, work in tandem to accomplish platforming goals, and escape perilous situations.
A Tale of Two Sons‘ greatest strengths are seen through its heartfelt and poignant storytelling. You really feel for the two brothers and their plight, while also relishing in their interactions with each other and the characters they meet, such as two troll lovebirds, and a couple of literal lovebirds you can unite in a special and secret way.
The story also echoes themes of growth and maturity. You’ll really sense that you see the game through little Naiee’s young impressionable eyes, and through all of his experiences you really feel a bond with the little guy as he’s internalizing all that he is seeing and doing.
With the pleasantries come moments of desperation, where despair and urgency keeps the drama ticking upwards as you find yourself escaping mutts and engaging in dangerous confrontations with hulking beasts. Expect to be surprised and shocked throughout, as A Tale of Two Sons doesn’t relent when it comes to showing you impactful imagery and engaging storytelling.
One of the most powerful elements of A Tale of Two Sons is how the game eloquently and at times melancholically represents nature, whether that nature involves creatures, the environment or the brothers themselves. The main menu for instance, shows a solemn tree drooping mournfully over a tombstone, a visual that connotes the sobering themes inherent in the game’s story. Your interactions with animals is plentiful too, such as sheep you need to life onto an oversized hamster wheel, bopping white rabbits bounding around a campfire, and buffalos you can take for a ride up a mountain.
A Tale of Two Sons isn’t just an adventure about desperation and saving the ones you love, it’s an all-encompassing trek through sorrowful hardships, cheerful moments of playfulness, and admiring the joys and surroundings of the environment. The rural pastures are lovely to traipse through as well, and through the game’s short runtime, you will visit many stunning landscapes nestled in forests, atop mountains and icy lands, as well as a few more depressing and earnest ones too, like a foreboding castle and unwelcoming caves.
A Tale of Two Sons revels in its beautiful fantasy setting, and asks you to bask in it also, so much so that you can choose to take a pew on a bench and marvel at the gorgeous vistas opened out in front of you.
How A Tale of Two Sons‘ plays has been a sticking point for many as controlling both brothers with a single analog stick each can become rife with frustrations. If you aren’t well co-ordinated, you will likely struggle with how A Tale of Two Sons demands you play, but if you can overcome this hurdle, it’s otherwise a delightful and inventive control system.
Directing where each brother goes may convince you that you may need to rewire your brain, but if you’re careful and patient, duel-movement is quite compelling. Trying to tease hostiles with one brother whilst the other runs to safety is very satisfying when done correctly, as is when you use both brothers to manipulate and trap a foul beast.
Platforming is shown just as much inventiveness. At one point, you’ll need to clamber your way across the side of a wall whilst the brothers are chained to each other, and although your fingers and brain will get a work out, seeing them swing Tarzan-like under each-other pendulum style is quite the performative act to behold.
There is a familiar hang-gliding section for anybody who has played It Takes Two, but it’s apt to say that It Takes Two borrowed this idea from the original Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Controller stick co-ordination in the section is easy enough, but watch out for the rocks – they’re unforgiving if the brothers crash-land onto them.
The cleverness inherent in the controls shows an ingenuity that few games dare approach. For this reason A Tale of Two Sons may incur a divisive response, but pushing the boat out and doing things differently is what makes this glorious adventure one of the best indie experiences out there.
If you don’t feel like putting yourself through thumb gymnastic, there’s a couch co-op option, where A Tale of Two Sons turns into a sombre version of It Takes Two. The experience will likely be preferred by those who’d rather control one brother, but it can be argued that it turns A Tale of Two Sons into an iterative rather than inventive adventure.
As a remake, A Tale of Two Sons is night and day superior to the original game. The characters have greater in-depth facial features, the environments are much crisper and look absolutely stunning, and generally this remake makes the original look like an early Xbox title.
The soundtrack in A Tale of Two Sons is sensational and captivating. There is a rich mixture of serious and foreboding tones that convey the harshness of the brothers’ journey. The arrangements are a little repetitive, but at the same time very coherent and represents the urgency underpinning the game’s story.
Dialogue is told through a bespoke language that demonstrates that you don’t need to understand the words in A Tale of Two Sons, only that the actions are what matter. Even so, it’s heart-warming that Hazelight Studios incorporated its own language for the original release of A Tale of Two Sons, as it gives the game a truly defined identity.
Conclusion
If you haven’t experienced Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, this is the time to do so. This remake rejuvenates a hidden gem with excellent visual and audio refinements that make the original seem decades old despite only being a singular decade old. If you take out the remake’s flourishes you’ll still be privy to one of the absolute best indie experiences around with one of the most emotionally arresting games you’ll ever play. The controls may not be ideal for those with co-ordination issues, and are otherwise quite finnicky at times, but their inventiveness more than makes up for any stodginess. A Tale of Two Sons‘ elegant autumnal sheen has been evolved remarkably, and now is the time for the outliers to lie inside and cozy up to one of the most striking and artistically nourishing hidden delights in modern videogames.
This game was reviewed based on Xbox S|X review code, using an Xbox S|X console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.
