BROTHERS: A TALE OF TWO SONS

THE BACKGROUND

We first played Brothers when it made its console debut on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 in 2013, but a recent physical Switch release courtesy of Super Rare Games has allowed us to once again revisit this marvellous little game. The origins of Brothers can be traced all the way back to 2011 when its developer Starbreeze Studios revealed it was working on a collaboration with the acclaimed film director Josef Fares. Initially known as P13, Brothers was created using the Unreal Engine 3 and was promising to be quite different from the studio’s other games, which were typically gritty affairs like The Darkness and The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay.

“I see Brothers as a fairy tale, as a book where something new happens all the time,” Josef revealed to IGN in a 2012 interview.

It’s a strong assessment of the game and Josef’s own personal interest in gaming clearly fed into his overall vision, which has a strong focus on story, but never loses sight of the fact that it’s a tactile experience to be enjoyed by the player.

Starbreeze eventually sold Brothers to 505

Games in 2015 for $500,000 and since then it has been released on all contemporary systems, allowing new gamers to discover the delightful tale of Naiee and his older brother Naia.

THE GAME

Brothers begins with tragedy as Naiee recalls his inability to save his mother from drowning due to his own fears of a watery death. Naiee’s father is ill and when the village’s doctor reveals that water from the Tree Of Life is the only way to save him, the youngster sets off on a magical journey alongside his brother Naia. It’s a simple introduction but a powerful one and as the adventure unfolds themes like loss and triumphing over adversity continually crop up as the brothers wander through some sensationallooking locations, including a battleground filled with

fallen giants and quaint Nordic villages that look like they could have sprung from the pages of a Brothers Grimm book.

Both brothers are controlled via analogue sticks and each have their own strengths. Naia, being stronger, can boost his brother to access otherwise inaccessible areas and can use his strength to pull certain levers, while the smaller and nimbler Naiee can squeeze between bars. The brothers’ greatest strength comes from working together however and you’ll continually have to use them to complete many of the simple puzzles that the game throws at you, whether it’s working out how to dislodge a giant’s arm from a path they want to access, distracting an angry dog so they can take it in turns to reach safety, or working out how to reach a flying contraption so they can continue the next step of their journey.

What’s great about Brothers is despite the seriousness of the quest they find themselves on, the two brothers still find time to have fun, whether it’s lobbing balls down wells, laughing at each other as Naia attempts to play a harp or simply sitting down to take a breather and admiring the gorgeous landscapes they’ll soon have to traverse. It grounds the game beautifully and constantly reminds you of the bond the brothers share as well as the invisible bonds that tie you to them.

Brothers even manages to feature some boss fights, but as each brother is unarmed you’ll need to use the environments and your wits in order to best the fantastical creatures that do show up to occasionally challenge you.

Brothers only takes a few hours to complete, but the time absolutely flies by because you’re so engrossed in the lived-in world that the team has created. It’s a magical place filled with fearsome trolls, feats of magic and dangerous spiders, but there are always moments of beauty that punch through the bleakness and as the siblings’ adventure unfolds

Naiee finally finds the strength to overcome his fears and make peace with the loss of his mother.

WHY IT’S A FUTURE CLASSIC

Anyone can relate to Brothers’ themes of loss and regret and the game has lost none of its power to convey those emotions in the last eight years. While it’s not the most spectacular looking of games, its hazy aesthetics, haunting score and cinematic structure nevertheless gives Starbreeze’s game a distinctive look and feel that makes it feel grander than its small budget suggests. And then of course there are the two brothers that drive your journey, two siblings who will do everything they can to help their dying father and are never afraid to come to each other’s aid, no matter how dangerous the peril they find themselves in is.

The brevity of the game also benefits it as it means there’s no real excuse to not give it a try. It may be short, but you’ll be thinking about the tale of Naiee and Naia long after their quest is over.