Guess it just didn’t land for you. I was stuck for about a minute and when solution came to me it sent an actual chill through my body even before pushing the button, as I was so certain it was the right answer.
Also used Xbox controller and didn’t have any trigger fatigue FWIW. I did play the game in two sessions so perhaps that helped.
It feels like jsnell is looking at the same game from a totally different angle than I was (I never had trigger fatigue on either my XBox PC controller or PS3, but you definitely have to hold those buttons a lot!) The gameplay wasn’t challenging, but it was interesting to my puzzle brain, so I didn’t miss the challenge at all. It made for a very pleasant romp. (Just played a mobile game called Monument Valley and it’s similar in this way.)
At the payoff, I basically had the same thing happen as Quaro. It didn’t absolve the games sins; it capped off all its virtues (including the totally empathetic slow burial scene). Maybe it’s because I come from a family with only two sons, but I definitely felt they built up the relationship between the two brothers well using very little. The surreal dream sequence(s?) were totally unexpected but memorable and affecting.
I think I can see how once you’ve sorta missed the boat on the early gameplay that it all feels unremarkable or shoddy, but I guess it just was firing on all cylinders for me both times I played it.
Same here. And yes, the big brother didn’t need to hold the button to swim.
I think you might’ve had a better experience if you blindly downloaded & played the game without hearing about it. Hype and/or spoilers kind of ruins these. :( I would’ve enjoyed it a lot less if I had any idea what to expect.
The game would definitely have worked better if treated as a relaxed exploration game rather than whatever I thought it was.
But blaming hype/spoilers for that misunderstanding seems wrong (the chitchat I’d seen was careful to avoid spoilers, and didn’t talk about the gameplay much except for the controls). Instead the wrong expectations were set by the game itself. A central gimmick like that signals something that’s going to be carefully polished, and have interesting gameplay built around it. Here they didn’t do that, and tried to build a single emotional moment around it. That moment missed for me, so to me the control scheme ended up being a net negative. (It seems to have clicked for the vast majority of players, so clearly the developers judged things right).
I think it’s overstating it to say that the whole thing is justified by the “payoff” moment. I would have loved the game even without it: the fabulous environments, the way the plot moved forward, the unexpected moments, many gameplay sequences like when they’re connected by a rope and rescuing the girl from the blood ritual. The payoff (when it works) is just an example of thematic/gameplay integrity that is so rare in games that it really elevated everything else.
(For the record, I also approached the game awhile after release (I think when it was first discounted on Steam) and after reading multiple great reviews including Justin McElroy’s at Polygon.)
Started this up for the first time, I can see the charm, the little things like sitting on a bench together and enjoying the view are a nice touch.
I am just past the mountain troll, I guess about 1/3 of the way done?
You’ve some ways to go yet lordkosc! Savour it, it’s one of my games of the year and definitely one that you need to finish to really appreciate.
Maybe 1/10th. So much more / varied environments to get through.
Wow, what a story. Might be the best 3 hour video game I have ever played.
I forget who mentioned this in the bargain or steam sale thread, but thanks for getting my butt in gear and playing this fantastic game.
I played it a while back. I was playing the first couple chapters, and my kids were watching me play. They wanted to try it, and I said sure, go ahead. I even had them share the controller, each kid controlling one character, which was cute.
Then, after they went to bed, I played farther into the game.
Next time they asked me if they could play it, I said yes, but you are NOT ALLOWED TO PLAY PAST CHAPTER TWO. Man that game gets dark fast.
Yeah you are sure right about Chapter 2 onward, I was not expecting anything with regards to that level of game tone change.
Starbreeze has sold the rights for the Brothers IP to 505 Games.
The sale represents our final transition to the digital strategy. With Brothers we’ve created a strong and critically acclaimed IP, which we now feel can be best nurtured under a new owner. Going forward, we will continue development focused on expansive design, a concept proven with the PAYDAY-franchise. Brothers will continue to generate awe and admiration for the great storytelling standard Josef Fares set under 505 Games watchful eye.” said Bo Andersson Klint, CEO of Starbreeze AB.
Most of the creative team left to found Hazelight so that makes a certain amount of sense. Just not sure what 505 will do with the IP.
I was wondering the same thing. Not sure there is much in the original storyline to continue on from, but it seems like there could be a fascinating world to explore in another installment of some sort.
Maybe a pre-quel of sorts? Build upon some of the ruins you visit in the game?
Maybe involving the death of their Mom?
Or just a different adventure in the world, with different protagonists, even. While I think the brothers’ story is done, the world was stunning beautiful and the game world clearly could be adjusted for further adventures.
That said, I hope they didn’t pay much for the license, since, well, the story of the brothers is done.
$500k cash deal according to what Starbreeze posted.
I hope they got art assets, or something along with the IP. 500K for “um, there’s this world, right? And it has trolls in it. And giants” seems… like a lot.
They got everything according to the post. They even got the rights to the old game going forward.