Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake, Did We Need One Tho?

Creating a list of a hundred games that I'd recommend to just about anyone, the 2013 adventure "Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons" would effortlessly secure a spot on that list. The story of two brothers embarking on a quest to find a cure for their ailing father is one of the most poignant narratives in gaming, coupled with gameplay of exquisite simplicity. The narrative is easily understandable even if one doesn't grasp the characters' language, and all game mechanics are executed with a single button press. So do we need a "Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake"? If you have already played the original, check out our review of Terminator 2d: No Fate!

Expanding the gameplay with new elements would be redundant in the remake, and I'm pleased to confirm that the developers of the upcoming rendition seem to concur with this sentiment. The new version of "Brothers" remains identical to the original, with no additions or subtractions in terms of content. It remains a short adventure lasting three hours, with the same amount of animations, story development, locations, characters, and so forth.

New Features of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake

In my view, the term "remake" seems misplaced here, as this version of "Brothers" amounts more to an audiovisual upgrade closer to a remaster. The controls remain the same as before, with the only new feature being the ability to play in co-op mode with two different controllers. Unfortunately, only local multiplayer is included, so you won't find the Friend Pass offer seen in later games by Josef Fares, allowing you to freely share the game with someone you want to play with. There's no way to play "Brothers" cooperatively with someone online except through Steam (Remote Play Together).

Speaking of the unchanged controls, it's both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, the game remains accessible and controllable, suitable even for players who have never held a controller. On the other hand, the developers should have seized the opportunity to improve the controls in the remake. It's still confusing when the character you're controlling with the controller's right stick ends up on the left side of the screen and vice versa. The developers could have given the option to swap the brothers' positions in such cases automatically, but alas, no such refinement is there.

Nothing has changed regarding the puzzles; no assistance system has been added if you get stuck, you can only opt to have the game highlight interactive points. Silhouettes of characters are also shown by default when something obstructs your view of them. That's all the gameplay-related changes this remake offers.

What About Additional Content?

The new version lacks additional content. There's a gallery of conceptual drawings that you'll look at once, and that's it. The more interesting addition is a video commentary by director Joseph Fares on the original game footage. Fares is talkative and passionate, making him a delight to listen to. I must admit that he unexpectedly reveals some personal details in his commentary.

For instance, and we have to have a trigger warning here, he talks about his life experiences that influenced the game, such as his mother having had numerous miscarriages and how he and his sister once buried their unborn brother.

Fares's commentary provides a truly fascinating insight into "Brothers." As far as I could see, it's exclusive to this game, meaning it hasn't been published anywhere on the internet until now. Unfortunately, even this content is handled rather superficially. Firstly, the video commentary lacks any subtitles.

 Furthermore, the commentary lasts almost two hours and lacks chapters, which would have been helpful. If this were a serious remake, Fares's comments would have been integrated into the gameplay, as with all other games, instead of being presented as a video.

The New Look And Feel of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake

The only notable difference between this version and the original is its presentation. The "Brothers" remake is richer in graphical detail, and the music is supplemented with new orchestral compositions, which we enjoyed listening to with our XP-Panther Sky edition headphones.

The game looks beautiful, and there's no doubt which version is more visually pleasing. The most significant changes are seen in the character models, whose facial expressions now more clearly convey their emotional states. The appearance of a specific character is completely different, and I would say for the better.

The music was excellent in the original, but it's even better in this version. While the original had sad melodies from the start, the remake boasts a broader range of different compositions, making the transition from playful notes at the beginning of the adventure to severe tones in the latter half of the game noticeable.

How Does It Run On The PC And Steam Deck?

I played the game in its PC version, and it's more hardware-demanding than it should be. Various effects have been piled on that blur the image, and it would make much more sense not to merge all those options. For example, chromatic aberration is under the quality of post-processing effects, and enabling DLSS also activates Frame Generation technology on newer RTX cards, whether you want it or not. 

I tried the game on the Steam Deck, where it runs barely at 25-30 fps, which is disappointing for a game where you mostly don't even control the camera. The worst frame rate drops occur during cutscenes, which, for some reason, seem to have been intended to run at 30 fps or less it should have been more optimised because my OLED runs far more graphically intensive games, but you know, whacha gonna do, I guess it is not a priority.

I encountered only one part of the game where a character got stuck and didn't experience any crashes. Unfortunately, it's common for textures to load slowly when scenes change, a well-known issue with the Unreal Engine. Sometimes, I wonder if this remake's visual enhancements make sense when delayed texture loading is even more pronounced.

In Conclusion

It's an excellent game with a beautiful message, still special even a decade later. However, I need to see why this remake was necessary and what justifies its existence. Yes, it's good that a cult game now looks and sounds more likeable. Still, hardware has become significantly more demanding without any concrete improvements in gameplay and fan bonuses.

The most banal thing they could have added is some unlocking of alternative costumes for the brothers, perhaps some filters or a photo mode, a gallery to listen to the music..., and things like that. The only actual bonus content here is the director's commentary, which would have been better executed as a video on YouTube – at least it would have subtitles, even if they were automatic bu Google, if nothing else.

The first part costs 15 euros, and I hope they keep it from sale despite the existence of a more lavish edition now. The remake costs 20 euros, offering many nice and shiny things in return.

If someone were to ask me whether it's worth playing "Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons," I'd say absolutely – and if you're going to play that game for the first time, it would be best to choose this newer version today. If, on the other hand, you already own the original from 2013, I'd say you already have what's best about that game.

Brothers, a Tale of Two Sons Remake has an ESRB rating of T, and we wouldn't recommend it to anyone younger than a teen. It contains blood, violence, and adult themes not suited for younger children.

Game Rating: 8.5 / 10

The game remains a powerful and elegantly designed experience. Its emotional storytelling, intuitive one-button mechanics, and inventive puzzles still feel distinctive more than a decade later. The remake’s visual and musical upgrades enhance the atmosphere, yet the absence of meaningful new content and the uneven technical performance prevent it from scoring higher. For first-time players it is close to essential; for veterans, the value is mostly aesthetic.

Recommended age: 13+

The game is suitable for teenagers and older. Although there is minimal explicit gore, it includes scenes of blood, implied violence, themes of death, grief, and family trauma that may be disturbing for younger children. The emotional intensity of certain moments requires a level of maturity to understand and process.

Google AI summary

The remake of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons delivers a clear audiovisual upgrade while leaving the original design almost untouched. Gameplay, story, and puzzles remain identical, with the only notable addition being local co-op support. Despite improved graphics and expanded music, performance issues and a lack of new content raise questions about the necessity of this release, making it most worthwhile for newcomers rather than owners of the 2013 original.