In 2021, Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons received an extremely limited edition print run, with only 5,000 copies of the Nintendo Switch port of the game made available. These were quickly snapped up by fans of the haunting indie adventure, a testament to the game’s enduring popularity despite being first released almost a decade ago.
The strong performance of the Starbreeze Studios title, both critically and commercially, is due in part to its inventive gameplay and beautiful graphics. However, its success is also due to Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons’ charming and emotive storyline, where a single button press is used to devastating emotional effect.
Why Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons Was a Hit
First released in 2013 for the PS3 and Xbox 360, Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons received stellar reviews from critics. The game’s minimalist, innovative controls — each of the controller’s analog sticks and trigger buttons are used simultaneously to control the two titular brothers and interact with the world — were highly praised.
The game’s best puzzles, while simple, were considered fun and original, and utilized the game’s core mechanics well. For example, in order to outwit a vicious dog, the player was forced to use one brother to distract the beast while the other progressed to the next safe place, then reverse these roles until the area was successfully navigated.
The game also made ingenious use of visual and environmental storytelling. Despite using a fictional language with no subtitles, Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons was able to imbue both of its central characters with distinct personalities, having them react very differently from each other when interacting with their world. The older brother, Naia, is strong and taciturn, asking townsfolk for help on their quest to find the magical water needed to cure their ailing dad, who is also the boys' only surviving parent. Conversely, the younger brother, Naiee, messes about and plays pranks on the villagers, displaying his immaturity.
These sorts of comedic sequences were starkly juxtaposed with the game’s darker moments, like when the brothers encounter a suicidal man attempting to hang himself. Naia is able to use his strength to hoist the man from the ground, while Naiee loosens the noose to release him. If the player can recover a music box from a nearby burned house and return it to the man, they learn the reason for the man's malaise, and obtain an achievement called "A Sad Tune." This sort of emotionally impactful, wordless storytelling helped to make the game so highly acclaimed.
How Brothers Used a Single Button Press to Make Players Cry
As they progressed through Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons, players realized that the game was more harrowing than the cutesy indie adventure they might have anticipated; but the game was saving its biggest emotional gut-punch for the final act. Naia and Naiee’s search for the restorative water leads them to the Tree of Life, and it is here that the game’s story takes a huge plot twist.
Severely wounded from a disturbing battle with an earlier monster, Naia waits at the bottom of the sprawling tree for his younger sibling to return with the magical waters that will not only heal him, but also their sick father. However, having controlled Naiee to successfully recover the necessary fluid, players were horrified to learn that upon returning to Naia, he had already succumbed to his injuries. Tearful players are forced to bury the dead boy, and return alone to their family home.
The game establishes early on that younger brother Naiee is terrified of water, and that even pressing his "interact" button will not force him to swim. To negotiate rivers, the player must instead use Naia’s interact button, and have Naiee cling to his older brother. The game’s final ingenious twist is to require Naiee, now alone, to swim a river to return to his father and save his life. This challenge required players not to press Naiee’s interact button, but Naia’s instead. That this single button press was able to convey the complexity of a young boy realizing the need for him to mature, and to assume the mantle of the older brother, is a staggering achievement by Starbreeze Studios.
Sadly, the developer’s financial difficulties mean it has had to sell off a number of assets and IPs, and the rights to Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons were offloaded to 505 Games. However, all is not lost, and the new owner may be planning a sequel to Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons in the future. Whether this happens or not, fans of the original game will remember Naia and Naiee, and the emotionally eviscerating end to their story, for a very long time.
Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons is available now for iOS, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.