Last night, in a single sitting, I played through one of the most interesting and moving games I have ever encountered. To call it a game does it a disservice, because it isnt quite that. Nor, for that matter, is it an interactive movie. I cant think of a more apt way to describe Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons than to say that it is a remarkable achievement in storytelling. In Brothers, you play two characters simultaneously, using both analogue sticks on your game controller. Through this unique mechanic, you follow the story of two children forced by circumstance to seek the Water of Life in a desperate bid to save their dying father. There is no intelligible language in the story - the brothers, and everyone they meet, communicate in what I assume is a fictitious language, but despite using no intelligible words, the writing of this game is extraordinary. Since no exposition is possible, we are instead simply thrust into an incredibly poignant and nuanced story, and we follow it by living it. Things are being said here that do not require language to convey. I have never experienced anything quite like it. On the surface the game is an elaborate structure of puzzles that you solve through having the brothers cooperate, but there is something much deeper at work. I slowly became aware that the entire game is a metaphor: I was directing their actions in the world, but really, the protagonist is their relationship with each other. The result is a tale as grand as any epic fantasy you could name. It is a story of love and sacrifice, of despair and courage, of perseverance in the face of impossible odds, and the loss of innocence, and it is no less lyrical or magnificent for being told through interactive pixels. https://youtube/watch?v=dTu1J2pFhbA
Posted on: Sun, 29 Jun 2014 09:04:23 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015