Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons cover

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

Critic score16 critics
First release
Aug 07, 2013
Publisher
505 Games
Genres
Indie, Adventure, Puzzle · Drama, Action, Fantasy, Stealth

Brothers is presented from a third-person view overlooking the two brothers. The brothers are moved individually by two thumbsticks on the controller. The controller triggers also cause the respective brother to interact with the game world, such as talking to a non-player character or grabbing onto a ledge or object. The older brother is the stronger of the two and can pull levers or boost his younger brother to higher spaces, while the younger one can pass between narrow bars. The player progresses by manipulating the two brothers at the same time to complete various puzzles, often requiring the player to manipulate both brothers to perform differing functions (such as one distracting a hostile non-player character while the other makes their way around). Should either brother fall from a great height or get injured, the game restarts at a recent checkpoint. All of the in-game dialogue is spoken in a fictional language, thus the story is conveyed through actions, gestures and expressions.

Also known as Brothers, Brothers.exe

Attributes

No Attributes added.

Details

Storyline, release dates, time to beat, age ratings, modes, links, keywords

Storyline
A man, clinging to life. His two sons, desperate to cure their ailing father, are left with but one option. They must set out upon a journey to find and bring back the "Water of Life" as they come to rely on one another to survive. One must be strong where the other is weak, brave where the other is fearful, they must be... Brothers.Read more

A man, clinging to life. His two sons, desperate to cure their ailing father, are left with but one option. They must set out upon a journey to find and bring back the "Water of Life" as they come to rely on one another to survive. One must be strong where the other is weak, brave where the other is fearful, they must be... Brothers.

Release dates
Xbox 360
Aug 07, 2013
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Sep 03, 2013
PlayStation 3
Sep 03, 2013
All 11 release dates
PlayStation 3
Sep 04, 2013
PlayStation 3
Jan 28, 2014
PlayStation 4
Aug 12, 2015
Xbox One
Aug 12, 2015
iOS
Oct 22, 2015
Android
May 24, 2016
Windows Phone
May 26, 2016
Nintendo Switch
May 28, 2019
Time to beatIGDB · recorded
Main Story
3h
Main + Extras
3h
Completionist
6h
Game modes
Co-operative, Single player
Perspective
Third person
Keywords
ghosts, bloody, death, chicken, goat
… All 73, rabbit, flight, multiple protagonists, bird, achievements, traps, dancing, snow, wolf, dog, level selection, dreams, climbing, swimming, phobia, bats, giants, turtle, rituals, darkness, boss fight, sheep, fixed camera, ogres, digital distribution, anthropomorphism, playstation trophies, voice acting, cat, controller recommendation, bow and arrow, non-player character, descendants of other characters, corpse, young protagonist, playstation plus, escort mission, unstable platforms, auto-saving, environmental puzzles, underwater gameplay, a.i. companion, secret area, invisible enemy, betrayal, games with gold, female antagonist, coming of age, catapult, sleeping, suicide, game with chapters, dynamic soundtrack, plot twist, unskippable cutscene, d.i.c.e. awards 2014, flashback, summer of arcade 2013, scripted events, animal petting, dream sequence, camouflage, secret identity, foreshadowing, forced slow walking, gibberish, off-camera death, male protagonist

At a Glance

Critic Score
83
Main Story (IGDB)
3h
Main + Extras (IGDB)
3h
Completionist (IGDB)
6h

Overview

Steam review summary

Steam users rate this Very Positive, 33,753 reviews in all languages, recorded 16 October 2026

Valve's summary of Steam user reviews. Valve counts only reviews from purchases on Steam, not key activations, and leaves out review periods it has marked as off-topic. It isn't part of the CritScore score.

Review summary: SteamSteam data provided via the Steam Web API (opens in a new tab)Not affiliated with Valve →

About storefront and compatibility information

Compatibility, feature and availability information shown on this page is recorded from the storefronts and services named against each fact, on the dates shown. Steam and the Steam logo are trademarks of Valve Corporation; Steam data is provided via the Steam Web API. Other product and service names are trademarks of their respective owners. CritScore is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or certified by Valve Corporation or any other storefront or platform holder, and does not itself test or certify any game.