That timeless quality is a tricky thing though, because publisher 505 Games has now come out with a remake of the game developed by Avantgarden, one that very faithfully recreates the original. That, of course, means that everything that made the original game great is present and accounted for in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake as well, while some things have even seen minor yet noticeable improvements. At the same time, given how faithfully the remake sticks to the source material, the question is going to be worth asking- is it worth picking up if you own the original game?

"Brothers’ setting, which is one of its strongest points, is brought to life to great effect in the remake. Environments have a vibrant, fairy tale-esque look to them, and with a greater level of detail in the environments and on character models, everything feels just that much more alive and full of personality."

The areas where Brothers Remake makes the most noticeable improvements are, as you might imagine, the visuals. The original was never a graphical behemoth, and neither is the remake, but there’s no doubting that the latter represents quite a step up in terms of pure visual quality. The original, of course, still looks quite pleasant, thanks to the fact that it was always a gone that derived most of its visual strengths from its charming aesthetic and art design rather than any major technical accomplishments, but the technical upgrades that the remake does introduce allow that strong aesthetic to flourish that much more.

Brothers’ setting, which is one of its strongest points, is brought to life to great effect in the remake. Environments have a vibrant, fairy tale-esque look to them, and with a greater level of detail in the environments and on character models, everything feels just that much more alive and full of personality. Whether it’s the more nuanced animations you see on characters’ faces that allow the game’s more impactful narrative moments to have more of an impact, or sequences where the camera zooms out to show larger environments and their mystical, natural beauty, Brothers Remake looks consistently impressive, and is able to do an even job of transporting players to its settings than the original game did. That’s not to say it’s a completely spotless experience – I did occasionally run into some visual bugs, like objects and assets shimmering in the distance, or textures taking a couple extra seconds to load in – but barring some intermittent hiccups, it’s a visually pleasant and charming game.

On the gameplay front, Brothers Remake makes little to no changes to its source material. From the controls to everything that happens throughout the two brothers’ journey, everything that you remember from the original game is here, with the game hitting the same beats and offering up the same puzzles, platforming sequences, environmental interactions, and more. Thankfully, most of it still works as well as it did back in 2013.

"On the gameplay front, Brothers Remake makes little to no changes to its source material. From the controls to everything that happens throughout the two brothers’ journey, everything that you remember from the original game is here, with the game hitting the same beats and offering up the same puzzles, platforming sequences, environmental interactions, and more."

The puzzles are never too elaborate, but they do get increasingly complex and engaging as you’re tasked with simultaneously coordinating the two brothers’ actions in tandem, culminating in some particularly well-designed sequences. A lot of the gameplay also relies on the two brothers simply interacting with mundane things in their surroundings, from objects lying around to animals milling about to people going about their business and more. Seeing how each brother behaves in these entirely optional interactions never gets old, and just as in the original, you’ll be rewarded – narratively, if not mechanically – for constantly seeking out these small but memorable moments.

One issue that I do have – and it was one that many had even with the original back when it first released – is the controls. On paper, Brothers sounds like a very simply game to control- you control the older brother with the left stick and trigger, and the younger brother with the right stick and trigger, and those simple, straightforward inputs govern every single action you take throughout the entirety of your roughly three-hour playthrough. Very quickly, however, you realize that simultaneously controlling two characters can be a bit of an unwieldy experience. Even when you’re simply walking through environments and not doing much else, it’s more than likely that you’re going to be struggling to just get the two brothers to move about like, you know, normal people. It can get pretty frustrating at times, and though these frustrations were easier to forgive in the original game, where the very concept of controlling two characters simultaneously in such a manner was a novel one, here, in this remake, that novelty is gone by default, and in its wake, the frustrations feel a bit more pronounced. Thankfully, Brothers Remake has the option to play the game in co-op, and it does become a much smoother experience that way, even if it loses some of its moment-to-moment uniqueness.

The game is just as faithful of a recreation from a narrative perspective as well- which, considering the fact that the original is still one of the most heartrending and effectively told stories in a game even now, works in its favour. Characters in Brothers’ world do speak, but they don’t do it often, and when they do, they speak in a fictional, made-up language. The vast majority of the story is told through worldless interactions and through the environment, and from its lighthearted moments to the darker and more harrowing sequences that characterize the game’s latter half, it rarely misses the mark. This is a short game, clocking in at just about three hours (or thereabouts), but in that short time, it definitely leaves a lasting impression.

"The controls can get pretty frustrating at times, and though these frustrations were easier to forgive in the original game, where the very concept of controlling two characters simultaneously in such a manner was a novel one, here, in this remake, that novelty is gone by default, and in its wake, the frustrations feel a bit more pronounced."

But again, we come back to our original question- is this a remake worth spending your money on if you already own the original? If you haven’t, the answer is an easy yes, thanks to the excellent storytelling and setting and the straightforward but enjoyable gameplay mechanics. If you have, however, a purchase gets much harder to justify, not only because this is such a conventional and faithful remake, but also because of the fact that the original game is still very easily accessible in modern hardware, and at pretty low prices to boot (not to mention the fact that this is quite a short game). Mileage will vary on whether the visual upgrades are enough to justify that purchase, but there will invariably be caveats to any decision you make here.

On its own merits, the original Brothers was an excellent game, so a remake that faithfully brings all of its strengths forward into an experience that makes noticeable visual upgrades will keeping the experience’s core unchanged is bound to be good. Even if returning fans may not have as much of a reason to double dip here, for those who’ve never played the original, Brothers Remake is the best way to experience one of the most impactful narrative experiences in gaming in years.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

It was first released in August 2013 for Xbox 360 and eventually came to PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and mobile devices. Directed by Josef Fares of A Way Out and It Takes Two fame, it was developed by Starbreeze Studios, better known for the Payday series. It garnered critical acclaim for its emotional story-telling and unorthodox gameplay and would sell over 800,000 units as of 2015, a triumph for a smaller project.

The remake is published by 505 Games and developed by Avantgarden. Though it sticks close to the original, here’s what newcomers and long-time fans can expect.

Story

The story of Brothers revolves around Naiee, the younger sibling, and Naia, the elder sibling. After losing their mother, their father has fallen ill. The only cure lies with the healing waters of the Tree of Life. Thus, the brothers embark on a journey to retrieve it. Their journey takes them across various regions and reveals the fantasy aspects of the title. Unfortunately, like many fairy tales, things take a dark turn, but you’ll need to play for yourself to see what happens.

Overhauled Visuals

The most obvious change with the remake is the visuals. They look more realistic and detailed while maintaining the animated approach, and feature improved lighting and shadows, sharper textures and smoother animation. Clothes now have discernible textures, right down to individual threads. Opinions may be mixed on such wholesale changes, but the atmosphere feels true to the original.

Rebuilt Characters and Landscapes

Along with vastly remade visuals, the characters and landscapes have been rebuilt from the ground up. Naiee and Naia have more well-defined faces, while their animations are night and day from the original, right down to the facial expressions. As for the environments, you see more foliage, better road textures and even a slightly larger sense of scale. Overall, it comes together quite well.

Gameplay

So what do you do in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons? At heart, it’s a puzzle adventure, with each sibling tackling situations in unique ways. Naia can pull levers that won’t ordinarily move for Naiee, while the latter can fit into tight spaces that the former can’t due to his size. It’s also possible for Naia to boost Naiee up to specific areas. Of course, regardless of their strengths and weaknesses, they must work together to survive and progress forward.

Controlling Both Characters

The main hook of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is that you control both characters at the same time, all the time, whether moving or coordinating puzzles. This comes into play in various scenarios, like when using a hang-glider or platforming across pillars with a rope, as one brother holds on and acts as an anchor while the other swings across. Given how it made waves at the time for essentially being a single-player title with co-op mechanics, it should be interesting to see the response to the remake.

Smoother Controls

While the remake doesn’t fundamentally change how the game plays, it focuses on ensuring the controls are smoother. In its development diary, Avantgarden also confirmed that the more fluid and dynamic movements were in line with the animation quality, which has seen many improvements.

Improved Cutscenes

Of course, as the team at Avantgarden noted in their first development diary, the aim was to emphasize the original story without changing too much. That being said, there is a noticeable change to the cutscene direction and cinematography with new camera angles and whatnot. It fits with the team’s goal of maintaining the original’s style but “re-proposing it in a more modern way from a visual point of view.”

Improved Boss Fights

Yes, there are boss fights to be had, but if you ever found them to be annoying in the original, there are improvements in the remake. What those are has yet to be fully detailed; however, the developer feels they’ve improved a lot and should surprise players.

Re-Recorded Soundtrack

The graphics aren’t the only element to receive a massive facelift, as the soundtrack has been re-recorded with a live orchestra. Composed by Gustaf Grefberg, it’s a magical experience and holds up even today. It would be interesting if there’s an option to switch between the original and re-recorded soundtrack, but we’ll need to wait for more details.

Local Co-op

Like the Nintendo Switch version of the original, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons offers local co-op for two players, each controlling one of the brothers. Online co-op isn’t included, which is to be expected since Fares’s other titles don’t offer the same, but shouldn’t stop it from being an enjoyable experience. Even though two people share the burden, Avantgarden maintains that it must be played as if a single person is playing, so coordination is mandatory.

New Secrets

While the remake sticks very closely to the original, right down to its secrets, there is the tease of “new secrets” for players to find. What these are remains unknown, but perhaps they shine more light on the setting or serve as a neat Easter egg. Is it too much to hope for an alternate ending if you fulfill certain conditions? Probably, but we’re looking forward to seeing what they are. Whether it will have the concept art gallery, soundtrack selection, and Director’s Commentary from the Xbox One and PS4 versions is another matter entirely, but it would be nice to see them included.

PC Requirements

The original Brothers ran on Windows XP, required 2 GB of installation space and required DirectX 9. Unsurprisingly, the remake is more demanding on PC.

You’ll need Windows 10 64-bit, 35 GB of installation space and a GPU that supports DirectX 11. Minimum requirements include an Intel Core i7-6700 or AMD Ryzen 5 1500X, 8 GB RAM and an Nvidia GeForce GTX1 650 with 8 GB VRAM. The recommended requirements include an Intel Core i7-10700 or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, 16 GB of RAM and a Geforce RTX 2060 Super 6 GB or Radeon RX 5700 8 GB.

4K Ultra HD on Xbox Series X

Avantgarden hasn’t said anything about the frame rate and resolution of the remake yet. However, the Xbox Store listing indicates support for HDR10 and 4K Ultra HD, so that could be the case for the PS5 version. Though 60 FPS isn’t specified, there may be different graphical modes to ensure the same. As always, time will tell.

Playtime

If you played Fares’s other titles, like A Way Out or It Takes Two, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake won’t be a long experience. HowLongToBeat.com puts the original at 3 to 4.5 hours if playing through the story at a leisurely pace. If you try to complete everything, then it will take about four to 7.5 hours, depending on your preference. It’s the video game form of “long story short” and may appeal to those who want a nice snappy experience.

Their journey spans a fantasy world with various creatures, some helpful and others not, with mountain ranges, icy regions and gorgeous forests. The single-player mode sees players control both brothers, utilizing Naiee to fit through smaller openings while Naia can hoist him up or pull heavy switches.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake also adds local co-op, with players controlling a brother and working together. The visuals have been heavily revamped, with more detailed textures and character models to go with new lighting and shadows. Avantgarden also touts some new secrets for players to discover. The remake is out on February 28th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, so stay tuned for more details.

The original game, which was developed and released by Starbreeze Studios in 2015, was the first game to be directed by Josef Fares, who later went on to direct A Way Out and It Takes Two with his indie team Hazelight Studios. It told the story of two brothers who set out from their village on a perilous journey to find a cure for their dying father.

The announcement trailer for the remake, which is being developed by Avantgarden, showcases updated visuals and familiar puzzle and platforming mechanics. Check it out below.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake will launch for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on February 28, 2024.