Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake developed by Avantgarden and published by 505 Games was released on 28th February 2024. Is a remake of the epic fairy tale from Swedish film director, Josef Fares originally released in 2013. Curious about how the remake measures up to the original? Check out our full review.
Launch Trailer
Family, loss and the unbreakable bond between siblings
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons follows the journey of two brothers, Naiee and Naia, as they set out on a quest to find a cure for their ailing father. After losing their mother in a tragic drowning accident, the brothers are determined to prevent another loss in their family. They embark on an adventure through a beautifully crafted fantasy world filled with challenges, puzzles, and mythical creatures.
Stunning environments, a remastered score but uncanny characters
While the artstyle of the original release from 2013 still holds up today, the modern lick of paint has enhanced the experience. Making the world more believable, without overshadowing the somewhat bleak storytelling. On a personal level, it’s reminiscent of Fable, with its skewed sense of proportion.
The additional texture work gives the world a sense of believability and depth but also makes things look a little complicated. This only makes the presentation look more modern, whereby the original looks, at times, like something from a fairy tale. It’s a balancing act, but the remake looks delightful.
What’s somewhat jarring is the presentation of the characters throughout the story. It’s pushing into that uncanny valley territory. While they’re not presented in a hyper realistic fashion, it’s that their facial animations don’t always match the overall presentation and they just stand out too much. It’s almost a complete opposite to the original, where the performances were often quite wooden and lacking expression.
Finding Your Footing: Learning to walk again
Controlling the brothers at first can take a few moments, as both characters are mapped to either the left or right stick. It’s almost like my brain became rewired while getting used to the control scheme, over time you feel a sense of connection with both characters as while exploring and overcoming puzzles.
Overcoming challenges and puzzles is at the heart of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Early on, you need to get around a dog which is guarding farmland. This took me several attempts, as I was having to become accustomed to the control scheme. Up to this point, I was forcing myself to keep the eldest brother on one side of the screen, while the youngest was on the other.
To control one brother, you use the left analogue stick and L2 to interact with the world while the other brother is controlled with the right stick and R2. Using L1/R1 lets you rotate the camera.
Co-Op Redefined
What’s newly introduced with this remake, is the ability to play the game in local co-op. Having the ability to take control of a character each, is somewhat freeing but doesn’t detract from the overall experience.
What’s refreshing with the inclusion of local co-op, is the difficulty. There’s been no tweaks or adjustments to the experience to account for the additional player. The narrative remains at the heart of the experience. It’s just now, you can share with a friend.
Deep and memorable
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons encapsulates themes of family, loss, and the unbreakable bond between siblings as Naiee and Naia embark on a journey to save their father. The game’s stunning environments and remastered score enhance the immersive experience, balancing believability with a touch of fantasy reminiscent of titles like Fable. However, the presentation of characters in the remake veers into the uncanny valley, with facial animations sometimes feeling out of sync with the overall aesthetic.
Navigating the game’s control scheme initially presents a challenge, with players needing to adapt to controlling both brothers simultaneously. Yet, as players become accustomed to the mechanics, a sense of connection with both characters develops, enhancing the experience of exploration and puzzle-solving.
It’s worth noting that if you haven’t experienced the original release, then this is a must play. The narrative is deep, meaningful and will stay with you. This alone makes up for the short length of the title. However, if you have played this before, there isn’t much more on offer.
The introduction of local co-op adds a new dimension to the game, allowing players to share the narrative experience without altering its difficulty or core themes. Overall, “Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons” offers a poignant journey through a beautifully crafted world, underscored by the enduring bond between siblings.