Developer/Publisher: Starbreeze Studios/505 Games Released: August 2013

Played on: PS3 (also available on 360 & Windows)

Brothers attempts something that not enough videogames attempt by making the control scheme instrumental to the game’s story and ultimate emotional impact. It all seems very simple at first, the left stick & trigger control the older brother, and the right stick & trigger control the younger brother. While this seemingly simple control scheme is tricky to get used to at first, you’ll soon be exploring and solving puzzles naturally. You build an essential association with each half of your controller and the unique characters on screen, and it is not until the end of the game that you realise how significant and tangible a bond this simple mechanic creates between you and the game.

You control two brothers who embark on a journey across the land to acquire a special water from a particular tree that could save their dying father’s life. The game might only last 3 hours but the distance the brothers cover is substantial, traveling from the simple village to cross mountains, navigate dungeons, cling onto soaring eagles and brave the desolated plains of the land of the giants, littered with the enormous remains of a recent war. The journey feels epic and the camera, which you can’t control, mostly hangs back and lets you get on with the game, but occasionally swoops around cinematically showing off the environments. There are multiple spots throughout the game where the two brothers can sit on a bench and enjoy the view, and I found myself indulging in this for minutes on end. While not all of the art-direction in the game is unique or inspiring, the overall presentation of the game is excellent and either comforting or terrifying to soak in.

The older brother, the left half of the controller, while still approaching adulthood is mature and responsible, treating other game characters with respect and making sure he never strays too far from his younger sibling (also a good narrative justification for ensuring the two controllable characters never get separated). The older brother stares intently down a well and converses politely with an old man in the village. The younger brother, the right half of the controller, is much shorter and more mischievous than his older counterpart, approaching their journey with naive optimism and enthusiasm. He spits down the well and cheekily smacks the old man in the village on the bum.

The bond between the brothers is wonderfully realised through their interactions throughout the game. The majority of the game is spent solving environmental puzzles together, almost all of them requiring the brothers to work in unison. The puzzles are never too difficult, but the game’s pace ensures they never get too repetitive. When they get through a particularly tight scrape, the brothers share their relief through the tone of their nonsensical language and their not-so-subtle animations. The brief moments of delight the brothers find on their journey, like the bit where they jump on a couple of mountain goats and ride them gleefully up the hill, make us feel happy for that the boys can enjoy their time together, but also anxious about what might be around the next corner.

All the characters in Brothers talk in a Sims-like nonsense language, but their intent is made clear by their tone and actions. While the overall story in the game is a simple one, the developers make a real effort to emphasise the overall themes of partnership and loss that permeate the game. The game sees you reuniting two trolls who had been separated, or happening upon a grieving widow in one of the game’s more harrowing and memorable sequences. Brothers is quite linear, but there are a lot of details and discoverables within the game, all of which are thematically related or part of the world-building.

Brothers remains a focussed game, funnelling the player through a carefully crafted experience with one of the most heart-wrenching endings I’ve ever experienced in a video game. Seriously, I cried like a baby.

Verdict: A touching, unique and fun adventure game. The story is told beautifully through strongly defined characters, glorious environments and an indispensable control scheme that makes for a uniquely visceral emotional journey.

Should Bradley play this: Yes.