Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, the critically acclaimed co-op puzzle adventure game from 505 Games back in 2013, is back with a remake after more than a decade. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.

Brothers A Tale of Two Sons Remake Review Overview

Brothers A Tale of Two Sons Remake Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Visuals Are Noticeably Different Adds Two Player Co-op	Better Visuals Don’t Always Make It Better Co-op Is Not The Intended Way to Play the Game Unskippable Cutscenes Should’ve Been Called a Remaster

Brothers A Tale of Two Sons Remake Overall

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake is a completely upgraded version of the game’s original release in terms of visuals, audio, and gameplay with the inclusion of co-op. However, it never really needed a fresh coat of paint, as the original still does its job. It’s an unnecessary remake, as it doesn't offer much outside of the upgraded visuals and re-recorded soundtrack. It's a masterpiece back in the day that's worth a try if you're experiencing it for the first time, but not really worth the investment for those who have played through this emotional rollercoaster of a journey.

Brothers A Tale of Two Sons Remake Story

The story is unchanged from the original back in 2013. The biggest change would be making its cutscenes "cinematic" but it would also be one of its flaws as the game doesn’t allow you to skip these cutscenes even if you’ve seen them after restarting a checkpoint. There’s not much to say about the story as it’s always been the best aspect of the game, and while it does stand the test of time as a narrative masterpiece, there’s nothing significant to take note of if you've already played the game before.

Brothers A Tale of Two Sons Remake Gameplay

The remake adds a new co-op mode which lets another player control a brother during gameplay. While they did add this avenue of gameplay, the game still warns you that this isn’t the intended way to play and experience the game. It renders one-half of your controller useless as you only control one of the brothers. It’s still a great puzzle adventure game that inspired more games with the same or enhanced formula, but it doesn’t add anything more to the gameplay from the original.

Brothers A Tale of Two Sons Remake Visuals

The move to Unreal Engine is completely noticeable from the moment you start the game, which does make the game look a tad better than how it was back in 2013. Characters, settings, and backgrounds have way more detail in this release. You could tell that this was the focal point of the re-release as the graphical fidelity of every object in the game has improved.

Brothers A Tale of Two Sons Remake Audio

The game’s music has been re-recorded for this re-release and it was actually noticeable to those who were able to play the original game. It already had a great soundtrack back then, but they were able to enhance it further by having a live orchestra instead. It’s a positive aspect that admittedly gets overlooked since the other aspects don’t offer much to warrant a remake.

Brothers A Tale of Two Sons Remake Value for Money

Those who were already able to play the original game back in 2013 aren’t exactly given a reason why they should purchase the game again other than enhanced graphics and a co-op mode that diminishes its own gameplay. Priced at $19.99, this is like purchasing a remastered album of your favorite indie band, despite not releasing anything new for the past decade. However, at this price, those who have yet to experience this game’s emotional and amazing story are in for a great experience.

Brothers A Tale of Two Sons Remake Review | Unneeded Retelling of a Classic

I missed this game a lot, from playing this game back in high school to talking about how it was the prototype for Josef Fares’ successful games with Hazelight Studios namely: A Way Out and It Takes Two. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a modern puzzle adventure classic during the time when the gaming space was flooded with shooters. It was a complete breath of fresh air as I hadn’t been playing anything of that specific genre during that year. That being said, I have to put away the rose-tinted glasses for this review, as even during its initial reveal, I never thought that this game needed a remake.

The remake focused more on the visual aspect and it's noticeably a far cry from its original release. While it does improve on the game’s graphics, I can’t help but miss the older art style as the game’s original look was endearing and dare I say, better for the theme of the game.

In terms of gameplay, I was fortunate enough to try the game out with a partner. Playing the local co-op for the game isn’t my cup of tea as you only use around two to three buttons for your controller. It’s largely the same as I remember it, but with a better-looking exterior.

There aren’t any significant changes to the story, so it’s still the same journey of the two brothers finding the cure for their gravely ill father. The story was easily its strongest selling point, but with this being a remake, maybe they could’ve added an epilogue as to what happened years later after the story concluded. Soundtrack-wise, the remake’s new recorded music is very good, it breathes new life into the decade-old game, and I much prefer the current orchestral versions rather than the original.

Overall, it’s a decade-old modern classic that should be played. But I don’t think it needed a remake since it’s already accessible with almost every gaming platform including mobile phones. It does look and sound better than its original counterpart, but I think they could’ve done more for the game than just improving its graphics and music.

Pros of Brothers A Tale of Two Sons Remake

Things Brothers A Tale of Two Sons Remake Got Right
Visuals Are Noticeably Different Adds Two Player Co-op

Visuals Are Noticeably Different

The move to Unreal Engine is immediately noticeable from the moment you open the game and it definitely looks like a 2024 release if you didn’t tell me otherwise. Character designs and the settings are massively upgraded, especially with the latter as the locales are straight-up gorgeous.

Adds Two Player Co-op

The game adds the option to play the game with another player in the form of a local co-op. This is a wonderful addition for people who would like to convince someone to experience the story of the two sons with them without feeling left out. The game does warn you that this isn’t the intended way to play the game, but it doesn’t really degrade the game’s already stellar storytelling other than making half of your controller useless.

Cons of Brothers A Tale of Two Sons Remake

Things That Brothers A Tale of Two Sons Remake Can Improve
Better Visuals Don’t Always Make It Better Unskippable Cutscenes Should’ve Been Called a Remaster

Better Visuals Don’t Always Make It Better

The price of the added visual fidelity is that some solutions to puzzles or interactable objects are harder to see in the re-release. I had to resort to using the game’s accessibility options to highlight interactable objects for some puzzles. While for some this isn’t a problem, I can imagine some people not wanting to use these to make the game "easier."

Unskippable Cutscenes

With the new addition of cinematic cutscenes in the game, the biggest crime is not being able to skip them. This is apparent when you’re forced to view the same cutscene over and over when you reload from a checkpoint right before that cutscene. This makes failing and retrying puzzles a lot slower than it should be.

Should’ve Been Called a Remaster

With no noticeable changes to the gameplay (other than the addition of co-op) and the story, it may have been better to call this game a remaster than a remake. There’s nothing groundbreaking with the re-release, and calling it a remake does more harm than good in my opinion.

Is Brothers A Tale of Two Sons Remake Worth It?

Worth It for a First-Time Experience, Not So Much For A Re-Release

With the original game being very accessible with its multiple ports over the past decade, it’s definitely hard to justify buying the game even at a cheaper price than most games nowadays. The graphical upgrades, stellar story, and amazing soundtrack make it a worthy investment for those who have yet to experience the tale of the brothers on their quest to save their father. It’s an emotional and gripping story and one that isn’t worth revisiting if you already played through it back in 2013.

Digital Storefronts
Steam		Epic		GoG
Playstation			Xbox
$19.99

Brothers A Tale of Two Sons Remake Overview & Premise

The game follows two brothers on a quest to save their father from a deadly illness by finding the "Water of Life" to cure his affliction. They must rely on each other to overcome the trials ahead and face the dangers to succeed in their mission.

Brothers A Tale of Two Sons Remake FAQ

What are the System Requirements to Play Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake?

The System Requirements are as follows:

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake Product Information

Title	BROTHERS: A TALE OF TWO SONS
Release Date	February 28, 2024
Developer	Avantgarden SRL
Publisher	505 Games
Supported Platforms	PC (Steam, Epic, GOG), PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre	Co-op, Puzzle, Adventure
Number of Players	1-2
ESRB Rating	PEGI 16
Official Website	Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake Website

Michael Gerra-Clarin

Resident fighting game nerd, avid FFXIV fan, and enjoyer of mostly anything gaming. He is currently trying to get farther in the Tekken ranks while waiting for Dawntrail.