Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake Preview

Remakes and remasters are all the rage at the moment, with a whole host of classic games getting a new lease of life. Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons turned 10 years old in 2023, so a decade on, this cult classic is seeing a brand new version released. I played the first two sections of the game for this preview. 

The first thing that I noticed right from the outset was a dramatic change in visual style from the first game. I hadn’t played that original version, but I knew from trailers and gameplay videos that it was almost cartoon-like in aesthetics. This remake has a much more realistic and slightly darker look to it. There were a few odd glitches in the preview version, like one of the protagonists losing their eyelashes inside their cheeks during the cutscenes, but in the main, I really thought the new engine did a great job. The brothers felt like they were out of something like TinTin in the original, but now they seem more like characters in a Squaresoft RPG.

The gameplay works very much like it did originally. For the uninitiated, this means that you control both brothers simultaneously, one with the left stick and one with the right. The final version is set to have couch co-op as well, but I haven’t been able to play with that just yet. Just like the 2013 release, this control method takes some getting used to. If the brothers are in the correct left-right order, then it’s pretty intuitive, but every time they crossed over when going 'round a corner or similar, my brain would break, and it would take a few moments to realise that I’m controlling the character on the left with my right thumbstick and vice versa. I do think that, eventually, you would get used to it, but it’s still a little clunky. 

That said, the game is designed in such a way as to accommodate that aforementioned clunkiness: there are very few puzzles that need lightning-quick reactions, and as such, you can take your time to figure everything out, reorient the camera and so on, without being at risk of missing out on important stuff because you weren’t quick enough. In fact, the whole game runs at a sedate pace, with a very cosy feel to it, even in sections of great danger; it always feels like a steady and careful pace is the best option rather than jumping in with both feet. As someone who often has rather slow information-processing skills, this really appeals to me. It’s not a high-octane title, but it’s not meant to be.

After playing the remake, I went back to compare it to the original and I found that everything is largely the same, but a few puzzles are very slightly different due to the new engine. Early on, there’s a section where you have to dodge an angry guard dog, and I found this a bit tricky in the remake. In contrast, when I played the same section in the classic version, I found the timing to be much more forgiving and got through it first time. Other than that, though, I didn’t spot any real differences at all. This might limit the value it has for anyone who already completed it back in the day, but that can be said of most remakes. 

Something that Brothers -A Tale of Two Sons Remake has in spades, just like its predecessor, is a huge amount of heart and emotion conveyed. The characters don’t speak any earth language, instead talking in a Simlish-esque chatter. This means that everything from facial expressions to body language needs to come into play in order to convey emotion. It was great in the original release, but this new engine enhances that even further, with warm smiles, worrisome frowns, and hearty laughter. It’s a joy to behold, and whilst I loved the colourful world from 2013, this remake turns things up to 11 on the emotional front, if not the vividity. The lilting soundtrack seemed to be largely the same; perhaps a case of not fixing a thing that isn’t broken. 

As previously mentioned, this preview build of Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons Remake was just the first couple of sections. This equated to about an hour and a half of gameplay, and that was enough to show how nicely it’s turning out. The full version is due out on the 28th of February, and I can’t wait to get a chance to see how it all finishes, as this charming little game has already made me feel for the plight of the titular siblings.