Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons is coming to Switch with a co-op mode (which kind of defeats the purpose)

May 28, $15

Switch is about to get one of the finest indie hits from the last generation of consoles. Josef Fares’ video game debut Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons is bringing its familial bonding to Switch on May 28 for $15.

The most unexpected addition to the Switch version is maybe also the most obvious. Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons is getting two-player cooperative play. It’s a double-edged sword. There’s a thematic harmony about it in that it’s now possible to navigate through this sorrowful story with someone who’s close to you — maybe a partner, a friend, a parent, or, yes, even a brother.

But, Brothers‘ hook is that one player controls both siblings, one on the left analog stick and one on the right. It’s supposed to represent the bond between the brothers. They’re independent but unified. I never thought the system worked particularly well, but I respect what it stands for. Without that — with someone only manning a single brother — that emotional attachment is gone. There’s an attachment to the person you’re playing with, but that’s not really the same thing. Free from the dual-stick control scheme, Brothers seems like it’d be just another cooperative puzzle adventure game.

Destructoid Bonus Fact: Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons was the first review I ever wrote here, nearly six years ago now. It’s still getting re-released all these years later. And I’m still writing here! Time is a flat circle.