Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake - 'breathing life and depth' into a cult classic

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake is going to bring back a lot of emotions for many players. While video game remasters and remakes tend to focus on resurrecting blockbuster releases of yesteryear on the best games consoles available now, it's rare to find a niche, narrative game getting the full remake treatment.

Developer Avantgarden Studios has taken the bold decision to remake this inventive game from 2013 using Unreal Engine 5. What's fast become a go-to workhorse platform for teams of all sizes, UE5 is being utilised here to not just give the ageing game a renewed lick of digital paint but improve on the narrative beats.

Avantgarden Studios' lead game designer Ivan D. Casari tells me the game still has "an emotional and compelling narrative" that deserves to be experienced by new players as well as rediscovered by anyone who fell for its compelling story and unique controls – you guide to brothers simultaneously, growing a genuine bond over the course of the game.

Making use of Unreal Engine 5

"The main goal of the enhancements made in the remake, which include general improvements to the visuals and gameplay, the introduction of facial animations, a remastered soundtrack and more, is to overcome the expressive boundaries set by the technologies used in the original game," says Ivan. "In this way, we tried to further increase the emotional atmosphere of the narrative, making a deeper and more engaging overall experience."

The original won a BAFTA Game Award for its innovations, and this remake is aiming to renew the best aspects of its emotional, dual-character setup by using Unreal Engine 5. Ivan tells me how "Unreal Engine 5 played a pivotal role in breathing life and depth into the world of Brothers," explaining how the team "meticulously implemented realistic visuals, enhancing details and modelling new assets" while constantly referring to the original game as a reference point. "Nanite proved invaluable in this process, allowing us to create highly detailed models without sacrificing performances," he adds.

Using such a new and advanced technology, that's capable of photo real results, could have overshadowed the subtle and emotional connection players had and could have with the game's titular two brothers.

"With the robust capabilities of Unreal Engine 5, there's a risk of blindly adding details to a scene, potentially resulting in visual noise and impacting the game's readability," says Ivan, honestly. "To counteract this, we placed a greater emphasis on redesigning lighting and colour palettes to maintain a cohesive visual experience. Lumen played a crucial role in these efforts, facilitating the achievement of our desired aesthetic and atmosphere."

A big part of bringing back Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake is to improve the responsiveness and fluidity in the gameplay without overshadowing the spirit of the original. Ivan says, "we've meticulously preserved the original spirit of the game, seamlessly integrating improvements like enriched environments and streamlined mechanics".

The developer shares how the AI Behavior Trees within Unreal Engine 5 have empowered the team to "craft more intuitive and dynamic enemies, providing players with a more satisfying challenge".

The technology a game is created on can affect the look of its assets and models, and even the overall art style. Ivan points out the original Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons was made using Unreal Engine 3, and in many ways this game was "already pushing the engine's capabilities to its limits". The original developer, Starbreeze, managed to match high visual standards to a solid performance, "As a result the art style is charming and somewhat cartoonish," says Ivan.

Balancing the original game's caricatured style with what can be achieved using Unreal Engine 5 has been the real act of artistry in creating this remake. Ivan tells me, "Now, with Unreal Engine 5, available after 10 years, we could further elevate the quality of details in the entire game world. From the tiniest assets to the characters' faces, we can achieve unprecedented levels of detail. This opens up possibilities for greater emotional depth in scenes, particularly in portraying the protagonists' facial expressions."

He reflects on the original game's visual design that "aimed for timelessness" and which presented a challenge in approaching its remake. "We spent significant efforts in studying the concepts behind each scene, including lighting and colour palette choices, which were integral to crafting the narrative. Starting from these assessments, we developed new, original concept art for every aspect of the game: characters, environments, and props. As a result, the game has become richer, deeper, and more vibrant than ever before."

Using Unreal Engine can, perhaps, feel a little at odds with the kind of game Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake is; after all this a platform usually used for first-person shooters, but Ivan reflects on how Epic Games' software has "demonstrated remarkable versatility across various genres" and is now ideal for any kind of game genre. "Such versatility makes Unreal Engine 5 the perfect fit for a game like Brothers, where a seamless blend of engaging gameplay, breathtaking environments, and emotionally charged cinematic cutscenes is essential."

Crafting a game remake

Technology aside, when it comes to the art of making a remake Ivan explains how this kind of game development has its own challenges. "At each stage, we must carefully weigh what enhancements will elevate the player's experience while remaining faithful to the essence of the original version," he explains. "We've explored various new mechanics through prototypes, although not every concept made it into the final product. Evaluating how these changes could impact the game's original pacing was imperative."

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake has a unique control setup and approach to puzzles and narrative that could be unsettled by too many changes. Each brother is controlled on a different shoulder button and thumbstick, and at times you need to move the two together, or apart, adding to how puzzles are solved but also in how the narrative evolves - you quite literally become attached to how the two brothers work as a pair.

"For us, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons goes beyond simply playing a game," reflects Ivan, stating, "it's an emotional odyssey for players". The team's focus was on enhancing the game's presentation, refining controls, and completely revamping all animations. The goal was to strengthen what was already in place.

Ivan tells me: "Meticulous attention has gone into revamping all cutscenes, introducing new sequences that amplify the narrative's emotional impact, and fine-tuning mechanics and puzzles, incorporating interactions throughout all levels."

He continues: "Throughout the remake's development, we remained faithful to the original game's essence while incorporating enhancements. The extra effort in bringing the world to life serves as a potent means of immersing players further into the story. We're confident that the heightened visuals and meticulous attention to detail will have a deep impact, even on players who are already familiar with the story."

This gets to the nub of video game remakes, the art of finding the balance between refreshing and revamping the visuals, controls, audio and even the game's design, without distracting from the original game. As retro gaming and the release of retro game consoles is on the rise, gamers are seeking more ways to play on classics, and remakes are becoming an expressionate way to draw on nostalgia for a loved game.

As the games industry matures, it's not surprising more remakes and remasters aren't being made (and recently NVIDIA launched AI tools to make this easier). Ivan tells me, "As the gaming industry evolves, remakes become a valuable means of preserving and celebrating the legacy of influential titles. They not only capitalise on nostalgia but also serve as a connection between different generations of gamers. It's exciting to see the potential for these games to find new audiences and continue influencing the creative direction of game development."

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake launches on 28 February for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC priced $19.99 / £15.99.