Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

 PC
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1607 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,314 out of 1607
  2. Mixed: 191 out of 1607
  3. Negative: 102 out of 1607
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  1. RagingPoet
    Dec 26, 2017
    4
    I really hated my time playing this game and only finished it because it's about 2-3 hours long.
    It felt like playing one big cutscene(not even a good one) where you have to hold few buttons to move forward. You are thrown in this beautiful 3D environment where there is absolutely nothing to do. There is barely any gameplay and gameplay itself is very tedious. No dialogs, no memorable    I really hated my time playing this game and only finished it because it's about 2-3 hours long.
    It felt like playing one big cutscene(not even a good one) where you have to hold few buttons to move forward. You are thrown in this beautiful 3D environment where there is absolutely nothing to do. There is barely any gameplay and gameplay itself is very tedious. No dialogs, no memorable characters, very basic and boring story. I am usually ok with games that have very little gameplay, but this one is just terrible.    … Expand
  2. kch3691
    Apr 16, 2018
    4
    A good looking game with a neat but badly implemented gimmick. Controlling the two brothers never not feels awful. The "story" being the main draw, takes an unexpected dark turn. It's just to jarring and paired with babbling voices and fairy tale aesthetic I didn't feel like Brothers earned it.
  3. Keskin
    Jul 16, 2020
    1
    it is boringit is boringit is boringit is boringit is boringit is boringit is boringit is boringit is boringit is boringit is boringit is boringit is boring
  4. Mr_Robot
    Aug 16, 2020
    0
    Скучная, линейная, глупая слезовыжималка.
  5. GoGSWarriors
    May 25, 2017
    4
    First off I always rate games using a normal distribution which is different than most people with 5-6 being extremely average based on the year it was released and genre and 1s and 10s being reserved for historically bad or good games. I can't give this game more than a 4 using that criteria. Visually the game is a somewhat appealing but nothing mind blowing. The vistas and scenes theFirst off I always rate games using a normal distribution which is different than most people with 5-6 being extremely average based on the year it was released and genre and 1s and 10s being reserved for historically bad or good games. I can't give this game more than a 4 using that criteria. Visually the game is a somewhat appealing but nothing mind blowing. The vistas and scenes the developers made are pretty too look at for a brief moment but honestly I've seen better and the art style is no more better than Fable so its been done before. The game is extremely short clocking in at around 4 hours so for $5-$10 its worth it if have a free afternoon. I think I am the minority when I say I was not impressed by the simplistic story being told. It wasn't the way it was told because I enjoyed the mini cut scenes it was just that the story although heartfelt especially the ending but overall it just didn't pull me in due to the short length. Game play wise the are some serious glitches related to solving puzzles that had me pulling my heart out they were glaringly bad. The controls take some getting used to because you control 2 characters and at times can be extremely confusing and frustating. Over the course of the game you only get slightly more comfortable with the controls never feeling natural. Most of the time I felt I was going to release the wrong key and fall to my death unnecessarily. The puzzles themselves are very simple which didn't bother me but overall fun factor it was a snoozefest. Aside from a few cool puzzle dynamics related to NPC use specifically a giant troll there just weren't enough "wow this is cool" moments to make the experience memorable. Over all I would not recommend this game.… Expand
  6. Maxra
    Dec 2, 2014
    3
    It's "ten points" if you judge its creativity: The landscape is beautiful and very diverse. The world is drafted in detail - wonderful :-)
    HOWEVER, according to my opinion, there are two major flaws in the plot:
    First, the game stays not true to itself. It starts as a childrens' tale with a giggling grandma and similar stuff - and in the second half of the game you suddenfly find    It's "ten points" if you judge its creativity: The landscape is beautiful and very diverse. The world is drafted in detail - wonderful :-)
    HOWEVER, according to my opinion, there are two major flaws in the plot:
    First, the game stays not true to itself. It starts as a childrens' tale with a giggling grandma and similar stuff - and in the second half of the game you suddenfly find yourself on a battlefield with blood all over. While I usually like games with gore, I didn't like it in this game. In fact, it spoiled the experience. How special this game could have been if it simply stayed true to it's fairy tale flair. But no: It has to bring in senseless violence plus a macabre sense of humor (e.g. when you destroy frozen people).
    Second (SPOILER!!!), it's the ending: I am a Game of Thrones fan so I am not shocked anymore when main characters die surprisingly. But in this game, the girl that's supposed to fall in love with the main character turns out to be the villain and, moreover, the main character dies. This simply breaks with the atmosphere. I've seen many people praising this "unconventional" ending, but those are the types of people that always praise if something is different (so you can talk about it and feel good that you like the special thing even though it's stupid). This was a fairy tale and, imo, it should have ended as such. You could have even played it with your children then...
    Therefore: Just a three out of ten. I was REALLY unsatisfied afterwards.    … Expand
  7. GUBBINZ
    Jan 1, 2014
    3
    I feel obligated to leave a review for this game, As it seems to receive almost universal pandering too by magazine critics, If your looking for a game with a deep and meaningful story this is most definitely not for you.

    If you like meaningless melodramatic nonsense with tired cliches and Sims babble for speech, intersected with terrible UN-challenging puzzle mechanics reminiscent of    I feel obligated to leave a review for this game, As it seems to receive almost universal pandering too by magazine critics, If your looking for a game with a deep and meaningful story this is most definitely not for you.

    If you like meaningless melodramatic nonsense with tired cliches and Sims babble for speech, intersected with terrible UN-challenging puzzle mechanics reminiscent of 1990s side scrolling adventure games, Guess its visually quite pretty though. And that appears to be enough to get everyone creaming over it.    … Expand
  8. kotekzot
    May 22, 2014
    4
    Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a culmination of the gameplay-free game trend. The only real obstacle between you and your destination is the unruly control scheme (which adds nothing to the game, as controlling a single character at a time and switching between them would let you do all the things you need to do without all the confusion), as almost all of the "puzzles" have immediatelyBrothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a culmination of the gameplay-free game trend. The only real obstacle between you and your destination is the unruly control scheme (which adds nothing to the game, as controlling a single character at a time and switching between them would let you do all the things you need to do without all the confusion), as almost all of the "puzzles" have immediately obvious solutions (normally the only thing that looks like it can be interacted with). The lack of characterization renders the later portions of the game, which I'm sure were meant to be emotional and hard-hitting, laughable; the fact that the characters express themselves using a made-up language does not help either. The only good thing about the game are the graphics, which are quite pretty indeed, although they do suffer from asset-reuse: I have come across 5 identical broken ladders throughout the game.… Expand
  9. Kydos
    Mar 18, 2014
    4
    I would give this game a 7 or an 8 but it has some fatal flaws which cannot be excused. In terms of positives, it is a unique approach to gameplay having to control the two characters at the same time and there are patches late into the game where you can start to feel a rhythm to it and you don't have to concentrate so hard on what you are doing and that feeling is rewarding. OverallI would give this game a 7 or an 8 but it has some fatal flaws which cannot be excused. In terms of positives, it is a unique approach to gameplay having to control the two characters at the same time and there are patches late into the game where you can start to feel a rhythm to it and you don't have to concentrate so hard on what you are doing and that feeling is rewarding. Overall though, the game itself doesn't feel that rewarding. The puzzles are fairly simple and the execution of them similarly so. What it does have is a fantastic mysterious atmosphere which is maintained by the surreal backdrops and the absence of understandable dialogue. However, to me the game felt a little bit rushed and I am justified by Steam in that claim as it tells me I have 4 hours in the game and that is having completed it once through. So the ending which is supposed to be touching and emotional doesn't quite hit home as I've barely gotten to know the two brothers. It seemed to me like the developers couldn't wait to get to the ending of the game and so the middle feels a little lacking. Where the game really falls down though is in some massive bugs which completely halted the game for me to the point where I had to google the solution to a puzzle only to find out I was doing it right but the game was broken. This was a common problem across forums and happened in two separate parts of the game requiring me to restart and redo some of the level. In a game so short these major flaws are hard to look past. There was also a third issue where I had to switch from using a controller to the keyboard even though the game had a warning saying that it required a controller to play. The reason I had to switch was because a part of the game was literally impossible using an Xbox 360 controller. Again I wasted so much time trying to figure out how to beat the puzzle only to find out I was doing it right but the game wouldn't let me progress. As well as that of course, I had to relearn how to control the game with the keyboard just so I could get past that part of the game, talk about shattering the immersion. So overall, it's a quaint little concept but it was extremely poorly executed and for a game which took around 4 hours to beat including time wasted due to bugs, it's hard to forgive such major issues.… Expand
  10. DTGEthan
    Mar 25, 2016
    2
    To summarize the game it was really boring. Sure there was emotional parts but that doesn't change the fact that I wanted to sleep while playing it. The puzzles were also too easy, but whoa boring game play and emotional stories equal instant masterpiece in this day and age so who am I to complain.
  11. dylee27
    Dec 11, 2013
    3
    They game was beautifully made. Contrary to popular opinion on this site, I don't think the game had much of a story. The 'puzzles' are not really muzzles, but more of mechanical gimmickries, and they do not challenge your mind at all. If you play on PC, the controls can be very frustrating, and in certain parts where you have to control both brothers at the same time, for example to pushThey game was beautifully made. Contrary to popular opinion on this site, I don't think the game had much of a story. The 'puzzles' are not really muzzles, but more of mechanical gimmickries, and they do not challenge your mind at all. If you play on PC, the controls can be very frustrating, and in certain parts where you have to control both brothers at the same time, for example to push a control bar, the key combinations that give you certain movements simply make no logical sense.
    $15 for 3 hours of game play that has virtually no story telling value or challenge is not worth it. Go out to movie theatre and watch a movie or go out and grab a nice dinner or something with that money.    … Expand
  12. squidish0_0
    Feb 2, 2014
    3
    Internet, we've gotta have a talk about this game. Yes, beautiful graphics. Absolutely gorgeous graphics. But the linear gameplay, the boring repetitive "puzzles," the forced/melodramatic story, the flat, sim-like characters, etc. manage to suck all the life out of this thing. I seriously almost ragequit the final cutscene. Just showing characters grieving again and again != emotionalInternet, we've gotta have a talk about this game. Yes, beautiful graphics. Absolutely gorgeous graphics. But the linear gameplay, the boring repetitive "puzzles," the forced/melodramatic story, the flat, sim-like characters, etc. manage to suck all the life out of this thing. I seriously almost ragequit the final cutscene. Just showing characters grieving again and again != emotional depth or storytelling.… Expand
  13. TitaniumDragon
    Jun 4, 2014
    2
    Overall Rating: D+

    Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a fairly original game where you control two brothers simultaneously, one with each joystick on your controller. Given its incredibly high Metacritic rating and uniqueness, one would think this would be a good game. Sadly, it is not. Story The story of this game is supposed to be one of its big draws. It is, essentially, the    Overall Rating: D+

    Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a fairly original game where you control two brothers simultaneously, one with each joystick on your controller. Given its incredibly high Metacritic rating and uniqueness, one would think this would be a good game. Sadly, it is not.

    Story

    The story of this game is supposed to be one of its big draws. It is, essentially, the quintessential sad story. The brothers' mother drowns, their father gets sick, and it falls to the two of them to go through the world, overcoming challenges to get the cure for him. The story, as it were, is very sparse; there's a few moments where the brothers help out each other, such as the big brother diving in to help the younger one throughout one level, and then at the end of the game, when the big brother gets hurt, it is the little brother's turn to help out.
    It ends with the older brother dying just before the cure gets to him, the brother returning home with the cure for his father, and them kneeling before the mother's and brother's graves.
    The characters all speak in simlish, and ultimately communicate via gestures. Unfortunately, the net effect of this was to make me not care about them at all; I understood their personalities to some extent, but I never connected to them as people, and thus I didn't ever really care about them. Indeed, the very nature of the game - using the two brothers as pieces to solve the puzzles - really divorced me from caring about them.

    Gameplay

    This game is interesting by being simultaneously innovative and mediocre. The underlying idea behind the game is clever - you control two characters and you have to use them to overcome various puzzles and challenges. There are times when you have to be moving both characters around at the same time, and times when one character stands there and holds a lever down (or just waits) for the other brother to do stuff.
    The game is at its best when you need to use both brothers at once to do stuff, but unfortunately, while the gameplay mechanic sounds really neat, it actually gets pretty old after a while; most of the puzzles are fundamentally fairly similar, and while you do various actions, none of the puzzles are particularly difficult or challenging. It generally is very obvious what you are supposed to do, which sounds like a good thing until you realize that it means that the game is more or less leading you by the nose throughout its length. There's only a few points at which the mechanics are all that interesting; for much of the rest of the game, after the beginning, you're more or less repeating yourself, with the odd new puzzle added in.
    The game did do something fairly clever at the end, though; after the older brother dies, the younger brother is left on his own. Throughout the rest of the game, the younger brother has been afraid of swimming, having to cling to his older brother for support when in the water. At the very end of the game, he is faced with no choice but to swim, and the controller vibrates as you push up to the edge of the water; only by using the older brother's action button can you swim across it. You also have to summon his strength again to pull down a lever which previously only he could move.
    Unfortunately, while this was clever, it wasn't very deep, and that's the trouble with the whole game - it is very shallow.

    Graphics

    The graphics of the game are okay but not amazing; the characters are all cartoony, but they aren't quite high polygon enough to really look as good as they should. There are some moments in the game where things are very pretty looking, but on the whole, it isn't nearly so nice looking.

    Final Summary

    Brothers has an interesting central mechanic, but unfortunately the overall game is very shallow. It is pretty short - clocking in at about 4 hours in length for 100% completion, less if you don't explore all the areas fully - but even in that time it gets repetitive. It is not worth your time.    … Expand
  14. okamimiyazaki
    Sep 9, 2014
    1
    This game left a bad taste in my mouth, sadly.

    It started out great. The music on the title screen was superb and the graphics were beautiful. The environments throughout the first half of the game were awe-inspiring. The aspect of controlling both brothers at once was annoying at times but not too bothersome. I'm still not a fan of that aspect overall, though. At first, I thought    This game left a bad taste in my mouth, sadly.

    It started out great. The music on the title screen was superb and the graphics were beautiful. The environments throughout the first half of the game were awe-inspiring. The aspect of controlling both brothers at once was annoying at times but not too bothersome. I'm still not a fan of that aspect overall, though.

    At first, I thought "wow, this will be a great game for my nephew, he will love this" until it suddenly turned teen rated (maybe even mature) halfway through, which was unnecessary. Still, I was really enjoying the exploration/journey, it felt so magical. However, the last 1/4 of the game ruined it for me. There was no climax, which I was expecting. I imagined this massive tree that would eventually appear in some grand valley, etc. but that was not the case. The ending just came out of nowhere and was very dull. I did not like the overly dramatic seriousness of it. I actually quit the game out of frustration due to a glitch during the very last cinematic and never went back to watch it again.

    Very disappointing.    … Expand
  15. Argotitan
    Feb 6, 2015
    1
    Brothers is a game you want to like and love, but unfortunately, it just doesn't carry the epic weight you expect it to. It looks nice, it sounds nice, and it feels nice, but the story is short, uncomplicated, and anticlimactic. If you're a 10 year old who suffered from a family that fell apart and you're looking for a coping mechanism to help get over it, this would be a decentBrothers is a game you want to like and love, but unfortunately, it just doesn't carry the epic weight you expect it to. It looks nice, it sounds nice, and it feels nice, but the story is short, uncomplicated, and anticlimactic. If you're a 10 year old who suffered from a family that fell apart and you're looking for a coping mechanism to help get over it, this would be a decent experience, but aside from that, it will leave you empty, vain, and asking for a whole lot more. The game's for free right now in the first half of February on XBox 360's Games with Gold, so download it if you're curious about the hype, but definitely don't buy it.… Expand
  16. starbuck
    May 21, 2015
    3
    This game is wrong on some many aspects, starting from extremely stupid 'puzzles' over 1-dimensional characters to a nonsensical storyholes and the **** with that spiderwoman, well the whole story is complete crap. The only good thing I can say about this game is that it is very short. And WTF is with this retarted fantasy language? The permanent gltiches? The extremely repetiveThis game is wrong on some many aspects, starting from extremely stupid 'puzzles' over 1-dimensional characters to a nonsensical storyholes and the **** with that spiderwoman, well the whole story is complete crap. The only good thing I can say about this game is that it is very short. And WTF is with this retarted fantasy language? The permanent gltiches? The extremely repetive gameplay?The whole thing makes me wanna smack the creators of this load of crap in the face.
    I just wonder how this game got so many positive reviews so far, but then, millions of people are going to McDonalds and do lots of other stupid things to themselves and think they like it. Maybe they don"t know better or they just have a lack of taste and braincells.    … Expand
  17. Swagalf
    Jan 8, 2016
    0
    The hype train took me.. and oooh god, that was awful.

    In fact, I really don't understand why this game have a good review. But.. some games that I don't like I'm just like : "ok.. not my style but it can be cool for some people I guess!". Here .. hmm.. can be cool for somebody who has never play a good game with a good story. The deep story ? Please... there's just nothing. Nothing.    The hype train took me.. and oooh god, that was awful.

    In fact, I really don't understand why this game have a good review. But.. some games that I don't like I'm just like : "ok.. not my style but it can be cool for some people I guess!". Here .. hmm.. can be cool for somebody who has never play a good game with a good story. The deep story ? Please... there's just nothing. Nothing. Really. Please, there's game with real story, real depth... plenty of them. Do them, do them and never go back in brothers : A tale of nope.

    Scene graphism are cool... but you don't know why this is at this place or that thing at another place. With this huge problem, this world seem empty and you just don't feel it at all. This way, graphism are useless. There is no artistic direction, artistic idea. This world wasn't here before you, and will vanish without you. It has no meaning, no story, nothing. Like the game itself in fact.

    Our heroes are just horrible.. it's not the case if you don't talk to any PNJ. But if you interact with only one of them, you will hate your character fors the entire playthrough. Facial expression is absent... and for a game that wanted to be deep, with empathy ... it's really disturbing.

    Gameplaywise there's just nothing. Oh wait... yes there's something... one act, one idea. Over, and over, and over again.. and again... and another act.. and that's a loop. A loop of nothing.

    Please.. please don't play this game. Never, ever play this game. Never.    … Expand
  18. foshpumpa
    Oct 30, 2013
    3
    The reason this game deserves a three is due in part to its excellence: I've so much enjoyed playing through it that i absolutely want more!

    In its current state however, you can easily pummel through the whole thing in about 3 hours!!! I find that to be very dumb and as a matter of fact the developers' lack of dedication. They've had a great idea, only to waste it in such a short,    The reason this game deserves a three is due in part to its excellence: I've so much enjoyed playing through it that i absolutely want more!

    In its current state however, you can easily pummel through the whole thing in about 3 hours!!!
    I find that to be very dumb and as a matter of fact the developers' lack of dedication.
    They've had a great idea, only to waste it in such a short, needle-length episode.

    I'm really glad I got it through a discount on Steam, otherwise I'd downgrade to even a 2.
    So there.    … Expand
  19. Nikshadow92
    Mar 14, 2022
    0
    Supports only FHD
    Troubles with joystick, impossible contol on keyboard
    Missed subtitles

    That sh %t earns 0
  20. chumpwithnoname
    May 8, 2021
    1
    Boring and super repetitive gameplay. I really don't understand what people see in this thing.
  21. tunahan43
    Feb 15, 2022
    1
    overrated bir oyun yakınından geçmeyin .Aynı anda 5 ,6 tuşa basmanız gerekiyor .yanınızda biri olmadığı zaman buda çok zor oluyor .ben bir oyunu kendim oynarkene zorlanacaksam yemişim öyle oyunu.
  22. Demiurge11
    Feb 28, 2022
    2
    A 3D birds-eye-view puzzle/platform game where you control 2 characters with one controller

    The Good: - The graphics are pretty - I got this game free on Epic and so didn't waste any money on it. The Bad: - Characters speak to each other in an off-putting non-language. I would have preferred simple text to whatever *that* is. - Maybe it's just the tutorial section at the    A 3D birds-eye-view puzzle/platform game where you control 2 characters with one controller

    The Good:
    - The graphics are pretty
    - I got this game free on Epic and so didn't waste any money on it.

    The Bad:
    - Characters speak to each other in an off-putting non-language. I would have preferred simple text to whatever *that* is.
    - Maybe it's just the tutorial section at the beginning, but the puzzle interactions are not interesting. The only challenge is in figuring out the weird controls and what on Earth the developers want me to do without any actual instructions. Mind-reading is not fun.
    - Even though you have 2 characters, it is not possible to play with a friend

    The Ugly:
    - Wear a life jacket when boating!
    - When you are infected with a life-threatening disease, wear a face mask, or at least cover your mouth while coughing.    … Expand
  23. Asspull
    Mar 9, 2023
    0
    BIG NAGATIVE . I am not satisfied with the Graphic , it looks like old 3D game . Secondly I played alone , the walkthrough story and playable part is boring . what and I gonna to do with monotonous "WASD" and "SPACE" . It looks very familiar to A Plague Tale which is disappointing and waste my time . I feel like I have strong foreseen that I would easily figure out what's next screen andBIG NAGATIVE . I am not satisfied with the Graphic , it looks like old 3D game . Secondly I played alone , the walkthrough story and playable part is boring . what and I gonna to do with monotonous "WASD" and "SPACE" . It looks very familiar to A Plague Tale which is disappointing and waste my time . I feel like I have strong foreseen that I would easily figure out what's next screen and what the game letting me do next . that really lose my interest .
    but honestly , play with someone maybe totally different experiments .    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best PC Game of 2013
31
#31 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
11
#11 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Riot Pixels
    Oct 31, 2013
    83
    Brothers, unlike many recent indie hits, is very down to earth. It is not rife with intellectual puzzles like Braid, it is not as open to interpretations as Journey. It just makes you think about simple human values.
    Read full review
  2. PC Gamer
    Oct 24, 2013
    85
    A gorgeous world, bursting with personality. Great storytelling makes up for the short length and unchallenging puzzles.
    Read full review
  3. DarkZero
    Oct 11, 2013
    90
    Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a true marriage of gameplay and narrative, and it is frankly a complete triumph.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »