Whilst playing through my backlog, I've found that so many games struggle to form a narrative using some of the most diverse and interactive artistic tools in this modern age. Admittedly not all are trying to make the next award winning Shawshank Redemption-esqué story, but those that are seem to be very hit and miss, which at times is crushingly disappointing for those players that want to be connected to the characters, story and world in question.
Brothers: A Tale of Two sons is potentially one of the best story driven experiences I have played in my backlog, perhaps in my entire list of completed games; even if it is extremely short and sweet.
I can't talk much about the story without spoiling the details, however the main premise is that you are, you've guessed it, brothers.
Brothers whose father has fallen deathly ill and needs water from a mystic well to save his life. You are both thrown out into the mostly linear world and given one direction to go towards. What follows is a fantastic case of story telling; full of characters who don't have to speak English for you to understand what they are saying, feeling or intend, and a glorious world that asks nothing more of you than to explore, enjoy and experience it; utterly undemanding and ridiculously relaxing.
Source: PCgamer
Just looking out over the game's vistas is enough to evoke an emotional reaction.
Part of this simplicity draws its roots from the control scheme - the older brother's movements is controlled with the left thumb-stick and performs actions with L2, the younger brother's exactly the same, but with the opposite side of the dualshock. Admittedly it did take about 15 minutes to get used to controlling each brother simultaneously, however once you are familiar with this idea of thinking for two people, it becomes a graceful dance through the levels and a joyful way to interface with the game.
The actual gameplay itself revolves around the protagonists navigating through a guided set of levels to reach their ultimate goal. This takes its form in a semi-platforming fashion, the player scaling walls, avoiding occasional enemies, some clever climbing puzzle mechanics and a couple of boss battles that never break the immersion of this world that feels like you're experiencing a story that's being read to you.
This feeling is also expressed through the relaxing music and storybook style art that was obviously carefully chosen to build an atmosphere that dances on the fringes between hope and despair. The title is extremely skillfull at changing the tone of the visual and sound design to fit the scene at hand, which can create some moving moments as you stumble upon some secret scenes along the way and when the game comes to a crescendo.
Source: rockpapershotgun
Could video games learn a lesson from BTTS's direction?
One of the only criticisms that I could possibly find with the game are it's strengths; simplicity, linearity and short length. The whole point of Brothers is that it is a short story that although is deeply and richly detailed, is telling a tale the way that it wants you to experience it. If it were diluted with a spurious amount of collectables, an open world, multiple endings, morality choices etc..., it wouldn't have the same impact that it does; it would be completely unable to form the strong bond that it does with the player by forcing such a close and simple link between story and gameplay.
As a result, one of the biggest things that I took away from Brothers is the poignant question about the industry in general: Do video games need to be restrictive to be good at telling a story?
After getting through the compelling and heart-wrenching story that is Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, I can't help but lean towards the answer of "Yes".
7/10
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