Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - the first game to be directed by Josef Fares, who has, of course, gone on to make A Way Out and last year’s acclaimed It Takes Two - tells the darkly magical story of two siblings on a quest to find a cure for their father’s mysterious affliction. It’s a truly special experience (one of my personal favourites, in fact, and a game I’ll happily revisit once a year), perfectly capturing the sense of wonder and terror inherent in the very best fairy tales. From its innocent beginnings in the relative tranquility of the brothers’ idyllic village, its tone grows steadily more sombre as their quest proceeds, conjuring up a number of truly unforgettable sequences across its relatively scant play time. Brothers’ precise, emotionally rich storytelling is elevated still further by its central mechanical conceit, which tasks a single player with controlling both siblings simultaneously, using each brother’s inherent strength to solve puzzles, overcome obstacles, and push onward to the next memorable location. It’s a system requiring plenty of dexterity and coordination, but one that marries beautifully to the onscreen action, with players’ growing comfort with the unusual controls perfectly reflected in the sibling’s evolving relationship. All of which is to say that Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is an absolutely spellbinding experience that everybody should play at least once - and its appearance as next week’s Epic Store freebie will just make that all the easier for those yet to do so (although, granted, almost a decade into its lifespan, you can regularly pick it up on sale for less than £2). Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons will be free on the Epic Games Store for one week starting next Thursday, 17th February - and, if you haven’t already added it to your library, nautical open-world survival game Windbound is free until then.
