Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons has it all. A beautiful fantasy setting, innovative control scheme and heartfelt story. Right? Well, I suppose one could make such claim, but doing so would be ignoring the many issues present in the game. Brothers is yet another game that I refer to as a "charmer". Used much in the same way someone would refer to Spelunky as a Roguelike instead of a 2D Platformer, I would refer to Costume Quest as a charmer instead of a traditional RPG. A charmer is a game that is either mechanically or technically unimpressive that instead relies on a delightful cast of characters, wondrous setting, and many other elements (or combinations of said elements) to improve the quality of the overall experience. Put simply, a charmer is a game that oozes personality.
When I first played Brothers, I was immediately enchanted by it. Being accustomed to one analog stick controlling character movement while the other stick maneuvers the games camera, controlling both characters at once was a challenging experience. However, I never felt frustrated with the game, even as my two characters walked into walls again and again. When an early cutscene revealed how poor the game looked when the camera zoomed in, I was too busy noticing that the characters all speak in a fake language, and wondering why this wasn't used more often in games. As I entered the village in the beginning of the game, I used the context-sensitive action button to have the brothers interact with every object in view. I was charmed by this little experience, but it wouldn't last. As I reached the outskirts of the village, the shine began to wear off. I was left with a clumsy method of moving the characters around, and virtually no challenges to face against. What was just five minutes prior an absolute delight to romp around in was quickly becoming a dull experience.
Gameplay in Brothers consists primarily of following the path (a veritable Golden Brick Road, albeit less cheerful) towards the distant goal. Along the way the two siblings will climb perilous mountains and battle fearsome beasts! While this sentence is technically true, most of the obstacles in the game closely resemble one of the earliest challenges set before our two brave protagonists. Not too far from the opening village the two boys will run across a violent dog. Using the only action button available, one brother can taunt the dog while the other runs farther ahead to safety, where they then switch roles. This procedure is then repeated several times. As stated earlier, this really does represent most of the games challenges. What's needed to overcome each obstacle is almost immediately obvious, making most of the games hurdles feel unnecessary. With the exception of a fifteen to twenty minute period early on in the second half in the game, progressing through Brothers is tiresome to say the least.
Brothers looks great, most of the time. Running around the multitude of environments the player will have plenty of stunning sights to see. In fact, the game even has several benches placed around the game to show off a specific location, whether it be an impressive set of hills and forests in the distance, or a harsh tundra directly in front of the characters. Despite the wealth of gorgeous scenery, Brothers looks downright awful close up. Because of this, I'm incapable of saying that the game is visually stunning without some sort of caveat. Brothers looks spectacular...in optimal conditions.
As for a heartfelt story that captivates its audience, Brothers only succeeds in the final leg of the game. While the character models do display the emotions the developers wanted to convey appropriately, very few scenes managed to connect with me in a meaningful way. Those that did manage to were done with expert precision, however. The very last scene in the very game pulled at a very specific heartstring of mine in a way that only a few stories have ever been able to do. These few scenes prove that Starbreeze has the potential to create truly emotional and personal experiences, but I don't believe they managed to do it quite right this time.
There are many things about Brothers I would be happy to never see again. However, the decision to use a fake language was an intriguing choice that I hope every developer in the industry took note of. Starbreeze crafted a simple story. Its simple enough that the player understands everything that is happening, despite the language barrier. Every sentiment conveyed may as well be broadcasted in your language of choice. A simple story told well is much more powerful than a complicated or intricate story told poorly. Considering how mediocre most writing is in the games industry, this is a lesson I believe Starbreeze has imparted exceptionally well, even if a sizable chunk of their story didn't resonate with me personally. It is also the primary reason I believe that everyone should play this game. If you find yourself as disillusioned with Brothers as I was, I would recommend pushing through to the end regardless. However, you may find yourself hopelessly in love, enraptured with the charm that Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons has coming out of its ears. It really all depends on whether or not you are caught in its spell.