Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a game with a couple of rare characteristics. First, it’s a game that is successful both financially and critically. Second, the project was headed by a swedish film director. Third, it is a game that integrates interactivity into the core of what makes it great and beautiful in a way few other games have ever managed to accomplish.

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Brothers is a game about two brothers: Naiee, the youngest, and Naia, the eldest. Their story begins with Naiee mourning the loss of his mother, who drowned at sea. Naia calls his brother, Naiee, to come home for their father whom is being visited by the village doctor. The brothers are told their father will succumb to his illness and die unless they can retrieve some water from the Tree of Life. And so the two set out on their journey, leaving their village far behind as they travel through hills, mountains, a valley of dead giants, a ghost town filled with the frozen corpses of its previous occupants, and more.
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The people in this world speak a fictional language, forcing the player to intuit the brother’s story through action and visual prompts alone. The game’s development team takes the saying, “Action speaks louder than words,” a step farther with their control scheme, which forces the player to control both brothers simultaneously. The left side of the controller (i.e., the left analog stick and triggers) controls one brother, while the right side (i.e., the right analog stick and right triggers) control the other. In doing so, the player begins to understand the challenge of team work the two brother’s face through sheer input alone. As the game progresses, the player begins more and more accustomed to this odd control scheme, eventually managing both brothers with ease as they face various puzzles and dangers that require team work to prevail against.
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During their journey the eldest brother, Naia, is seduced by a mysterious girl the two have saved from ritual sacrifice by a mob. At first, the players are rewarded by receiving the girl’s help to overcome obstacles they might have otherwise been stumped by. This partnership takes a dark turn when the girl seduces Naia and leads the two brothers to a dark cave, where she transforms and reveals herself to be a giant, monstrous spider in disguise. Naiee and Naia ultimately defeat the beast, but not before the spider is able to mortally wound Naia.

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When the two finally reach the Tree of Life, Naia insists that Naiee climbs the tree to collect the water while he sits down to rest, exhausted from his wounds and the long journey. Tragically, when Naiee climbs back down he finds he is unable to awaken his elder brother to drink and receive the healing powers of the water… Naia had finally succumbed to his injuries. Striken with grief, Naiee buries him before the Tree of Life and begins his journey back home once again. When he finally reaches home, his father’s illness is quickly cured by the water, leaving the player with a scene of a father and son mourning the loss of half their family.
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Having played the game with each brother requiring one half of the controller, the player immediately feels the loss of Naia, as they now only have one side to use and only one brother to overcome obstacles with. Much like Naiee, the player is given opportunity to feel like they are missing a part of themselves in a way so few other games are able to accomplish. Each scene is made more powerful and intimate with the lack of narration or text filled boxes, allowing the game to fully capture the player’s attention.

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