Is there really no thread for this gorgeous little game? It deserves to be played just for its atmosphere, but it also has a clever control gimmick, and it almost doesn’t rely on cutscenes to pull its emotional strings (at least not fully). The short duration allows for excellent pacing. Oh, and its sole female character will surely make the feminists reach for their pitchforks.
This phrase made me reach for my pitchfork. Because the normal reaction to something like this is “the sole female character is an offensive stereotype.” Or some alternate phrasing, I haven’t played the game so I don’t know what she’s like. By calling out feminists (that is, humans who believe that women are people) and pitchforks, you’re saying a lot about yourself.
I tried the demo and found the control scheme annoying. I have heard good things and kind of wish I could get past that, but maybe I’ll try again if it goes on sale.
I’m really looking forward to playing this, as I’ve heard so many amazing (and vague) things, particularly Justin McElroy’s review on Polygon. When I hear about the control scheme, all I can think of is Cookie and Cream for the PS2, although I’m sure it’s really different. It’s on Steam now. $15 is too rich for my cheapskate blood, but I’ll either wait for a sale or splurge at the next financial windfall–this is now the top game on my wishlist.
(P.S., I don’t want a thread on this game to get swallowed up by a political discussion, but as a human who thinks words should mean something, I object to your definition of “feminism”–a word that wasn’t even coined until the 19th Century (late?), which means you believe women weren’t considered people before then? I don’t like Nezz’s description either, mainly because it doesn’t really explain to me what the character in question is like and what might be objectionable, AND because it made me give in and put this stupid political footnote in a gaming thread. Dammit. Well, if there’s actually a discussion to be had here, then someone can open a Politics thread. My apologies.)
Sorry what I meant to say in my previous post was that the control scheme made me reach for my pitchfork but then I realized that a) you can’t use a pitchfork as an Xbox controller and b) I don’t own a pitchfork.
This game is astonishingly good. Gorgeous and extremely endearing. A one of a kind game that must be experienced. Seriously.
Controller cloud-yellers need not apply. (Seriously, just buy a goddamn controller already. Were there irrational joystick zealots in the 80s that refused to buy mice as well?)
Not really, no. It’s hard to see now, but women were considered something between valuable property and sub-persons. They were treated legally as less than men in any number of ways - they couldn’t vote, and couldn’t own property or inherit significant sums of money.
Leaving 19th century injustices aside, it’s still a definition that applies today. A person who thinks women shouldn’t have the same rights as men, or is OK with them receiving less money for the same work isn’t treating women as people. Men are the only “people” in that worldview, women are something less.
Penny Arcade did a strip talking about the control scheme, which unfortunately doesn’t seem to be tagged so I couldn’t find it easily in their archive. The gist of what they said was that the annoying control scheme was intentional, to evoke a certain emotional reaction that was somehow linked to fraternal rivalry. It seemed like a pretty far-fetched premise to me, but Tycho often has weird notions like that.
At the very least, this game is Ico’s equal.
That’s the one. The accompanying newspost, with the comment on the controls:
In what respect?
Really? It’s the best game of its generation?
/opinionated
Brothers feels like it took Ico as it’s direct inspiration. Both strive to tell a story without words. Both rely heavily on their mood and setting, in Ico’s case a dreamlike gothic castle, for Brother’s you have a shifting Germanic fairy tale land. Both have game play that consists primarily of traversal and environmental puzzles, thankfully Brother’s is devoid of stick swinging combat.
Also, while the control scheme remains awkward on occasion, it’s absolutely vital to both gameplay and storytelling. It’s really intriguing how control input can be really emotionally charged as it is in Brothers.
Does the Steam version require a controller? If not, how the hell does it work with just keyboard and mouse?
It requires a controller. I don’t see how you could do this with a keyboard and mouse without making a completely different game.
It’s obviously designed for the gamepad, but keyboard control is possible (WASD + cursor keys). It’s functional but awkward.
Holy crap this game does some interesting things as it goes on.
The controls are not just interchangeable, using a keyboard may genuinely detract thematically. I can’t explain without spoiling.
Loved this game! It’s a must play for anyone who’s interested in adventure/puzzle games. It’s beautifully done. Not to judge too early, but it’s weird to think that a large chunk of the team left Starbreeze to form Machinegames, but the former ended up making a much more interesting game. New Order looks really dull.
Between this and Gone Home, I’ve been spoilt when it comes to incredible cheap games.