Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons Title

Geek Errant Recommends: Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons

Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons is one of the most wonderfully clever games I’ve ever played. There’s no hyperbole in that. This is an understated adventure puzzle game that uses gameplay for narrative purposes in the best way.

The player will be guiding the titular two brothers on a journey. Their father is sick you see, and only they can go and retrieve the medicine that will save him. 

To begin, the tale of two sons starts with the following. The older brother is stronger. The younger is not as strong. The older brother is braver. The younger is scared. 

The younger brother can’t swim. The older brother helps him across. 

All of this is controlled through a control scheme that I still marvel at. 

The player controls one brother using one half of a game controller. The player controls the second brother is controlled using the other half. 

It’s shockingly simple. Just a stick each to move the relevant character and a button or two to interact. That’s all it is. 

To start with, the paired movement and puzzle solving is a little like rubbing your head and patting your stomach. After only a short while though, the simplicity wins out and it becomes easy to control. 

That’s pretty much it. The game is short, only lasting a few hours. The player guides the two boys through a quest that takes them through underground holds, over mountains and beyond their limits. 

Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons Fire

With the player guiding them, they’ll face traps and obstacles. None are particularly unfair, mostly just posing a brief challenge or requiring a moment of added thought before attempting.  

The final, and most compelling aspect of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is in the ending though. Particularly in how the mechanics pair with the narrative. The game does not deserve to be spoiled. Experiencing it for the first time is special. It might be a little banal now, but at the time, it was a real breath of fresh air.

It’s something so specific to games that the medium of engagement itself can be used as part of the narrative storytelling. Brothers sets a good example for that. 

Play it. As of now, years after release, the game is available on most platforms, whether PC /Console or even mobile for fairly cheap. Try it with a controller to truly understand what a spectacularly special experience this game is.

(All images sourced from Steam Page for Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons)