Max: Curse of the Brotherhood

Editor's Notes

Xbox One version reviewed though a Xbox 360 version is expected in the future.

Introduction

Developer Press Play, having recently been acquired by Microsoft, is revitalizing the base mechanic of 'Max and the Magic Marker' for a new, Xbox-exclusive release, 'Max: The Curse of Brotherhood.' Imbued with a new narrative, tighter puzzling design and, of course, a parent company with a sizeable budget, Press Play's latest may be the first step in the Xbox One's reflection of the Xbox 360's arcade success.

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

For fans of the first game, it's important to point out a big gamplay distinction for the new game. Whereas in the first title, which was released for a bevy of platforms, the player could openly draw any shape into the platforming-based stage design, this latest title simultaneously expands what the pen can do while limiting those powers to set points along the path.

'Curse of the Brotherhood' maintains a traditional progression model, starting you off barren of ability, save jumping and running, and piling on one new power after another until the game is intricately weaving puzzles as you intricately unweave them. When you start on your quest to save your little brother, Felix, it might feel a bit like a cross between 'Limbo' and 'Trine,' meshing the horror of instantaneous death with a lush, organic environment and floaty, forgiving platforming mechanics. And while those influences never go away, for the better, as you earn your marker powers and Max is revealed to be the unique little hero he is, this Xbox One exclusive plants itself firmly in the ground as its own game, lush in itself with an increasingly complex realization of a simple, unique mechanic.

Max manipulates the environment with his magic marker. At first, with the pull of the right trigger and an emergence of your marker, you're pulling stone pillars out of the ground, creating stepping stones to cross dangerous gaps and block enemies as you escape. Then you're pulling giant tree branches out of the wall, cutting them down as makeshift weights or platforms. As you progress and the game introduces more abilities, like drawn vines that you can use as ropes, connected to ceilings and even drawn tree branches, it becomes harder and harder for me to describe the puzzles on display in typical platform-puzzler nomenclature. That's a good thing, as the developers behind this game have done a great job digging into the depths of each ability, combining them in intriguing ways, all without stretching any one idea too thin. You're awarded new abilities at fairly quick intervals, the player edified appropriately in their potential use through a minor section just prior to receipt.

It's all done with a very organic, very fluid physics engine that, for better or for worse, tasks players with adjusting for natural-feeling momentum, gravity and player movement amidst the platforming challenges. Max grabs ledges within a fairly forgiving radius, though if, for example, you mistime a leap from a swinging vine, you'll easily find yourself back at your previous checkpoint. Again, those checkpoints are just as forgiving, lending an eased sense while you're playing. Only a few times did I feel the mounting pressure of a checkpoint repeated over and over again, only to find out I had burdened myself with the improper solution to a puzzle. Generally, each area has a set way of progressing, even though the naturalistic elements make it seem like you're the first person to have ever made it past any point in the game. It does feel like Max is on his own personal adventure in the game's unique world, taking on Anotherland as a toddler might approach a playground; a welcome change to the serious, darker tone of past arcade hits like 'Limbo' or 'Braid.'

Much like that toddler stumbling upon a slide, some of the best moments in this little but impactful title find Max, at the end of a level, forced forward by gravity or a pursuing beast in a final showdown of the skills you'd previously learned. The game provides just enough time to draw a vine or branch before Max stumbles to his death. The game will even slow down time, catching Max in midair so he can grab a newly drawn vine to triumphantly fell the fatal gap below. Again, as the game goes on, these moments too become more intricate and, as a result, more rewarding once you finally string it all together after a couple tries.

It's important to note that, despite failing plenty, I never felt like the controls or my drawing abilities were too imprecise. It was always a matter of making the right jump or drawing an object in just the right way, and my lacking in doing so as the cause of my demise. 'The Curse of Brotherhood' is a fair game, as long as you understand the challenge doesn't come from platforming. It comes from completing these puzzles with a precision you might not get right the first time, as getting it right is pretty much the entire point. That and saving your little brother.

Unfortunately for Press Play, another, more narratively-minded title called 'Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons' came out in the past year. While that game goes to great depths to explore the relationship between two brothers, 'Max' strives for much less with its story, only it wouldn't seem that way without context. Press Play, like many developers, used its story as a jumping point for its game and not much more, but the few cutscenes on offer are quite charming and touch on the fundamental 'Curse of Brotherhood,' just as the title suggests. I know the curse well, so maybe it means more to me, but I'm just happy there's a game out there that understands that the duty and burden of having and protecting a little brother are a part of loving him, despite coinciding frustrations. I do wish Press Play made more of an effort, however, to uncover this relationship, rather than just point it out. It doesn't necessarily need to be, but it's no 'Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.'