Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake Preview - Same, But Actually Different

When Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons came out in 2013, it hit gamers like a ton of bricks. The story about two brothers going on an adventure to find a cure for their sick father delighted and moved people, becoming a critical and commercial hit. It was the first game directed by Josef Fares, who would move on to form Hazelight Studios and continue to revolutionize co-op gaming with A Way Out (2018) and It Takes Two (2021).

Now, 11 years later, Brothers is getting a remake. I was able to play the first two chapters of this reimagining and was intrigued to see, how close it sticks to the original in some regards, while also significantly changing some parts of the experience.

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Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake Preview — Still Revolutionary

If you have played the original Brothers, you will immediately recognize how much more graphically opulent the remake is. The new version is absolutely gorgeous and constantly managed to wow me. The environments are much more detailed and colorful, characters look a lot sharper and more defined. Even in 2013, Brothers wasn’t a graphical showcase so the jump in fidelity is definitely impressive.

In terms of gameplay, not much has changed. The game still largely feels the same, and sequences played out in roughly the same way. If you’re familiar with the first version of the game, you will quickly get into the controls and the gameplay design of the remake.

Said controls are still weird and amazing. You control both brothers independently with the same controller: one brother with the left stick and Left Trigger/L2, the other one with the right stick and Right Trigger/R2. You need to use both guys together to solve small puzzles and traverse the tricky environments. This core idea still feels revolutionary, and I can’t think of any game that even tried anything similar.

In that sense, Brothers Remake is a no-brainer recommendation for anyone who hasn’t played the original. It’s still a very clever, beautiful and unique game that needs to be experienced. However, if you already had that original experience, then the remake doesn’t offer you much new. At least nothing that’s necessarily good.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake Preview — Unconvincing Improvements

A few sequences, which were tight and breezy in the original, are extended here, and I’m not sure why. This includes one section where the brothers are chased by an aggressive dog. Whereas this sequence was a small, fun diversion from the rest of the game, here, stretched with new cutscenes and increased difficulty, it became a torturous gauntlet that took me ages to finish.

The chase was definitely too easy in the original, but the changes here feel clumsy and definitely didn’t make this part more fun or interesting. Similar things can be said about some of the visual and artistic changes.

While the game is undoubtedly more visually impressive than the original, the increased fidelity and richness in detail won’t necessarily go down as an improvement for everyone, especially fans of the original. This goes for the character designs/animations, which are much more detailed and exaggerated this time around, as well as for the game’s overall tone.

The 2013 version was more minimalistic in its tone and already convinced with beautiful environments, despite not being that impressive on a technical level. The remake is more striking in its presentation, but ultimately ends up creating a very different vibe. The first game is bleak and minimalistic, barely any music playing while the brothers make their way over arduous mountains and through dark caves, the land covered in gray and muted colors.

The remake is bright, romantic, more boisterous in its tone. All the way through the first chapters, the turned up brightness and a loud, impressive orchestral soundtrack give you the feeling of going on the journey of a lifetime, not necessarily on one that’s a matter of life and death.

And that’s obviously not bad, it’s actually really strong and a lot of fun to experience. But it’s a different story from the original. Anyone who played that game should be aware of these changes in tone and atmosphere. It is a very similar journey, but not quite the same one.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake releases on February 28, 2024, for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S