I ended up picking Brothers as my favorite game this year. It's been tough to explain why but in terms of the story and subject matter I think Drew Dixon from GameChurch said it far better than I ever could in a short blurb he wrote in a recent article of theirs, you can find that here it's the first game they mention in the article: 2013 games of the year.
I thought the Brother's controls were going to be a gimmick at first but as I played I realized the controls are an integral part of the story and the experience breaks without them, and that becomes especially clear late in the game. It's the first time in a long time (maybe ever) that I've ever felt like the gameplay in a particular experience really mattered and helped deliver the story and some pretty intimate emotions to the player in a way I haven't seen before. It opened up my mind to the kinds of subject matter and emotions games can convey and offer.
Everything about Brothers suprised me because it not only told its story in unconventional ways but it managed to be very successful. The dialogue is spoken in gibberish so the way you absorb and interpret the emotions is through the tones of voices, body language via the animation, the music, and most of all the mechanics. I can't talk about my best examples since it'll spoil the game. As early as 15 minutes into the game it managed to get me fully invested into both brothers, and as you interact with the world you can quickly start understanding the nuances of the personalities of each. One example I can safely use is the first time the little brother holds onto the big brother as he swims through the river. That sequence of animations and how they get his fear of water across as well as the feelings of both physical and moral support from his big brother really hooked me into them. Once that foundation was successfully built it was a rollercoaster ride of emotion through to the end, and I found it endearing, heartbreaking, and satisfying.
Another suprise about this game was how every moment felt necessary, there wasn't a single bit of fat on the game. It's a 3 hour experience and by the end it feels like it's been no longer than it needed to be. Whenever they introduce a new mechanic, like when the brothers tie a rope between themselves, you only use it long enough for it to make its impact. Just before that mechanic would become repetitive or unwelcome the game moves on without wasting your time. They fit a very intimate and affecting story into that 3 hours and the mechanics, visuals, music, VO work, and pacing all worked in concert to make that story what it was, and give the player what they needed to give.
I won't try to say it was the most fun game of the year, mechanically I had a lot more "fun" in Bioshock, and I also won't try to say it's the best story of the year either, but for me it was still my favorite game of the year overall. I spent 3 hours, $15, and what Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons gave me back in return was quite profound.
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