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Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

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Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a unique, story-rich singleplayer adventure where you control two brothers simultaneously. You'll guide them on an emotional journey, solving intricate puzzles and overcoming challenges together. It's a game that relies on atmosphere and a great soundtrack to tell its tale, perfect for players who enjoy a deeply engaging narrative experience.

This guide is here to help you navigate every step of the brothers' unforgettable quest. We'll cover how to master the dual-character controls, solve every environmental puzzle, and ensure you don't miss any of the game's secrets. Whether you're aiming for all the Steam Achievements or just want to experience the full story without getting stuck, we've got you covered.

Part 1

Start your journey in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons! This guide covers the Prologue and Chapter 1, teaching you the unique controls and early puzzles with your two brothers.

Hey there! Ready to dive into Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons? This game is super unique, and it might take a little getting used to, but trust me, it's worth it. Think of it less like a typical action game and more like the classic 'Ico' – it's all about atmosphere and story.

The coolest part? You control both brothers at once! The left analog stick moves the older brother, and the right stick controls the younger one. If you're on PC, it's WASD for the older brother and the arrow keys for the younger. Honestly, I'd recommend tweaking the controls on PC – maybe map the younger brother to the numpad (8456) or just grab a controller if you can. It'll save your hands a lot of pain!

The main challenge, and the fun, comes from coordinating both brothers. It can feel a bit clumsy at first, especially when you accidentally move the brother you're not focused on. My best advice? Try to keep them close together. It makes managing them so much easier. Also, try to set them up so the older brother is on your left and the younger on your right – it matches your controller setup perfectly.

You'll almost always be working together. The older brother is the strong one, perfect for big levers and heavy stuff. The younger brother, being smaller, can squeeze through tight spots. It’s like when the older brother lifts the younger one up a wall – pure teamwork!

If you ever feel stuck, just look around the environment. There are usually objects you can interact with. You rarely need to backtrack, so don't worry about going backward. Both brothers will also subtly point in the direction you need to go. And here's a neat trick: if you sit on any of the benches you find, the camera will pan to your next objective.

Don't stress too much about dying. Most of the game is spent exploring, and the few enemies you do encounter will make their presence known. Getting too close to them is usually what ends the game. But don't worry, checkpoints are super frequent, so you'll just restart nearby if you mess up. Falling off cliffs, however, is a much more common way to meet your end, especially early on when you're still getting the hang of moving and interacting while hanging onto ledges.

Part 2

Complete beginning-to-end walkthrough for Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, including achievement guides. Learn how to control both brothers and progress through the story.

Walkthrough
  1. 1
    Prologue: The game begins with a cutscene of Little Brother mourning his mother. The father is now sick, and Big Brother signals Little Brother to help him cart their father to a doctor. This introduces the core mechanic: controlling both brothers simultaneously using their respective interact buttons (Left Trigger/Spacebar for Big Brother, Right Trigger/Ctrl for Little Brother) and joysticks (WASD/arrow keys) to move the cart. Cart the father down the hill to a wooden bridge with a platform and lever.
  2. 2
    Achievement - Take a Break: Before continuing, stop interacting with the cart. Descend stone steps near the bridge to a small beach. Follow the beach to the far side and interact with a pile of small stones as Little Brother to skip stones and earn the "Take a Break" achievement.
  3. 3
    Bridge Platform: Return to the bridge. As Big Brother, pull the large lever on the platform to move it across the chasm.
  4. 4
    Second Platform: Cart the father onto the new platform and then onto a dirt path leading to another wooden platform. Drop the father off.
  5. 5
    Cliff Ascent: Head down stone steps to the right. You'll see a broken rope ladder and a real rope above. As Big Brother, walk under the broken ladder and hold the interact button to position him to hoist Little Brother. Move Little Brother over and press his interact button to be pushed up.
  6. 6
    Rope Climb: Once up the cliff, Little Brother should grab the rope and drop it down. Big Brother climbs up.
  7. 7
    Dual-Lever Barrel: With both brothers up, walk to the dual-lever barrel. Position both brothers to grab a lever and hold the interact button. Rotate the joysticks (or use WASD/arrow keys) with both brothers to raise the platform with your father on it. A good rotation rhythm can raise it faster.
  8. 8
    Doctor's House: Once the platform reaches the top, move the cart with both brothers to the doctor's house. A cutscene will play, setting up the main quest: obtaining a cure for the father.
  9. 9
    The Bully: Leave the doctor's house and walk down the slope to a small bridge. A man, referred to as the "Bully," blocks the bridge. You must find a way past him.
Tips
  • Practice controlling both brothers' action buttons simultaneously to get accustomed to the unique two-player control scheme.
  • Pay attention to the characters' tone of voice and expressions to understand the story, as they do not speak a discernible language.
  • Achievements are often tied to specific actions or locations and can serve as landmarks within the walkthrough.

Part 3

Navigate Part 3 of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, including how to swim, climb, and enter the town, and get the Wishing Well achievement.

Walkthrough
  1. 1
    Find a small, stone slope south of the bridge and slide down to a small beach.
  2. 2
    After a cutscene (a non-interactive cinematic the game plays automatically) (cinematic event) where Little Brother expresses fear of water, Big Brother assures him, and you enter the water.
  3. 3
    Hold down Little Brother's interact button so he latches onto Big Brother.
  4. 4
    Swim through the water using Big Brother's controls while holding Little Brother.
  5. 5
    Swim under the bridge and find a small beach on the right.
  6. 6
    Head back onto land and climb the dark vines on the cliff by holding the interact button and pressing up.
  7. 7
    Once both brothers are up, the Bully locks the town door. Interact with the door to bang on it, but no one helps.
  8. 8
    To the right of the doors, find a small cliff with small green levels of rock.
  9. 9
    Hold the interact button on the rock, then release it to jump to the next rock. Hold the interact button again when you reach the next green rock level.
  10. 10
    Scale the cliff with both brothers, or go up with one and then the other.
  11. 11
    At the top, walk north and jump across a small chasm.
  12. 12
    Climb up two levels of terrain to reach the wall.
  13. 13
    Grab the plank of wood nailed across the top of the wall and sidle left to reach the rooftop of a house. Do this with both brothers, not necessarily at the same time.
  14. 14
    Slide down the roof into the town.
  15. 15
    Walk to the man sleeping on the bench and use your camera buttons as prompted.
  16. 16
    Ignore the two men arguing below near a well.
  17. 17
    To the right, climb on top of large, circular tan barrels with flat tops with both brothers.
  18. 18
    Drop down into the yard with the rope-ladder.
  19. 19
    Hold the interact button to latch onto the rope-ladder and press up while holding it to climb. Repeat for the other brother.
  20. 20
    Follow the wooden platform to a catwalk on top of a rooftop and high-wire across as both brothers.
  21. 21
    Slide down the rooftop to a yard with a gate. The Bully holds the gate closed.
  22. 22
    Go between the black bars near caged animals as Little Brother.
  23. 23
    Walk to the northern end of the side with the cages and have Little Brother turn the lever.
  24. 24
    A dog is released, chasing the Bully.
  25. 25
    Walk into the town circle to reach a well. North of the well, find the scared Bully across a fence, up on barrels.
  26. 26
    You can laugh at him by pressing the interact button with both brothers.
  27. 27
    To the left of the Bully and dog, follow a stone path across a small bridge.
  28. 28
    Continue on the path to another bridge with a sleeping man.
  29. 29
    As Little Brother, interact with the sleeping man to grab his water bucket and throw it on him, waking him up.
  30. 30
    As Big Brother, interact with the man to show him the map.
  31. 31
    The man pulls a lever, dropping the bridge.
  32. 32
    Cross the bridge to reach a cutscene and the end of the prologue.

Chapter 1 Start:

  1. You begin on a dirt path. To the right is a yard with a stone water well.
  2. An old lady sits in a chair, with a small girl playing with her ball past her.
  3. To receive the "Wishing Well" achievement, grab the ball from the little girl when she bounces it against the wall and toss it in the well.
Tips
  • When swimming, you must hold Little Brother's interact button so he stays latched onto Big Brother. If you let go, he will struggle in the water.
  • To climb vines, hold the interact button and press up.
  • To climb the green rock levels, hold the interact button on the rock, release to jump, and hold again on the next rock.
  • You can scale cliffs with both brothers simultaneously or one after the other.
  • To climb the rope-ladder, hold the interact button to latch on, then press up while holding it.

Part 4

Complete Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Part 4 walkthrough, including how to get past the dog and obtain the Bunny Buddies and Black Sheep achievements.

Walkthrough
  1. 1
    Pick up the boy. Walk back over to the well, which is a bit south of your current position, and release the interact button near the well to throw it in. Note that the little girl puts up her hands for the ball back and even sadly starts to cry when you put it in the well. This is one of the sadder, more sadistic achievements, but an achievement nonetheless.
  2. 2
    After getting the achievement, make your way down the road. You can go on the stone steps for a small shortcut across the dirt path, but it is not that much of a time difference. Soon you will reach a closed gate next to a small house where a man is gardening.
  3. 3
    Position both brothers next to the horizontal white handles on the gate and hold their interact buttons to grab ahold of the gate. Move both brothers forward to open the gate.
  4. 4
    Past the gate, follow the dirt path across the small to a guy drinking away on a cart. Go down the small path to the right of him and past the small pond. You will reach farmland, complete with a barking dog who tries to get you off the property.
  5. 5
    Warning: If you drop down to the ground with the dog, he might bite you and end the game. You need to dodge the dog as you go across the farm. If you end up getting bit, you'll just restart at the beginning of the farm.
  6. 6
    Position the two brothers on the ends of the land, with the dog in the center between them.
  7. 7
    Jump down with Little Brother and run to the three haystacks in front of you. Climb onto the haystacks; the dog won't be able to get you from there.
  8. 8
    When you get on the haystacks, the dog runs after you and starts to bark at you from the ground near the hay.
  9. 9
    Drop down with Big Brother and run over to the land with the rocks in the left part of the area.
  10. 10
    Depending on which Brother the dog is currently focused on, control the *other* Brother and run over to the next higher ground. For Big Brother, it's another elevated piece of land, while for Little Brother, it's another trio of haystacks.
  11. 11
    The dog can get hung up beyond a haystack, which makes it easier to advance. Move each brother to the next position one at a time. As you move them, the dog will refocus his attention and allow you to move the other brother.
  12. 12
    When the haystacks become tan barrels, you are almost there. For the last part, run over to the land as one brother and move over to the far side. This way, the dog moves all the way over to one side, which allows you to easily move the other brother onto the land without worrying about the dog attacking you.
  13. 13
    After juking the dog, follow the path north and slide down the stone slope.
  14. 14
    Go across the river with the little waterfall.
  15. 15
    Grab ahold of the black vines and climb up to reach the top. There is room for both brothers to climb at the same time.
  16. 16
    At the top, jump on the three land platforms to get across the river.
  17. 17
    On the other side of the river, you will see another broken ladder with a rope next to it. As Big Brother, hold the interact button under the broken ladder and then position Little Brother so he gets hoisted up.
  18. 18
    When Little Brother is up top, drop down the rope so that Big Brother can climb up.
  19. 19
    Once both brothers are at the top, you will encounter another familiar sight: a small wall with green rock levels jutting out. Hold onto the lower rocks and jump up to the higher rocks until you reach the top.
  20. 20
    At the top of the wall, follow the linear path northward and you will see a group of bunnies in the level below you. Drop down to the right and run down to the bunny area.
  21. 21
    In the bunny area, you will see all black bunnies and just one white bunny. You will also see a coal pit in the center of the area.
  22. 22
    As Little Brother, grab the white bunny and drop him into the coal. You will receive the achievement "Bunny Buddies" for your effort.
  23. 23
    Head back up the slope and go over to the small drawbridge that is currently up in the air. There is also a wheel next to the drawbridge; you need to use this to put down the bridge.
  24. 24
    Open the bird cage north of the bridge, next to the bench. This is the first part of the "Love Birds" achievement.
  25. 25
    As Little Brother, jump onto the hamster wheel next to the bridge and walk on it to move it.
Tips
  • The well interaction is described as one of the sadder, more sadistic achievements.
  • The stone steps offer a small shortcut across the dirt path, but the time difference is minimal.
  • The dog on the farm might bite you and end the game, but you will restart at the beginning of the farm if this happens.
  • The dog can get hung up beyond a haystack, making it easier to advance.
  • When the haystacks become tan barrels, you are nearing the end of the dog section.
  • Little Brother does not get scared crossing the river.
  • There is room for both brothers to climb the black vines at the same time.
  • Both Brothers automatically jump if you are near the ledge when crossing the river via land platforms.
  • The game has supplied two sets of rocks to climb the wall, allowing both brothers to climb at the same time.
  • The achievement "Black Sheep" requires you to grab one of the sheep across the closed bridge and put it in the coal-pit back at the bunny area.
  • The achievement "Love Birds" is described as the most missed achievement in the game according to Steam.
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