Max: The Curse of Brotherhood (PlayStation 4) – Review

Siblings have a special kind of connection that you often can’t find somewhere else. One moment you hate one another, but the next you’re willing to risk your life to save that member of your family, simply because you love them so much, even if you won’t always admit it. Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is such a story that came out in 2013 but has now only recently hit the stores in a physical edition. Max, who wishes his brother would simply go away, finds himself in the midst of a fantastic rescue mission to get his little brother back out of the clutches of an evil wizard named Mustacho. We were curious to dive into this adventure that has been out for quite some time.

Story

The story of this game is pretty much like a fairytale adventure in which it’s all about brotherly love. You will play as Max, a young boy who catches his brother Felix, playing with Max’s toys, and demolishing them in the process. As Max is sick of this, he then finds a spell to make his brother vanish, but the moment he utters the words, he instantly regrets it when Felix is sucked through a portal and is carried off by a big and scary monster. Max immediately dives into the portal as well, trying to save his brother from the big ogre, but as expected, things don’t go according to plan. Felix is then carried off by a bird-like monster, who delivers him to Mustacho, the evil overlord of this fantasy land. While you are all alone, you soon discover a lovely old lady who grants you new powers to create and/or destroy items by using a magic marker. From here on out your journey through the wild begins.

From start to finish the story remains relatively simple, as it’s all about getting your brother back, before Mustacho steals Felix’s youth. Nonetheless, it’s the environments and the overall atmosphere of the game that create a fairytale-like vibe that makes it a lot of fun to press on.

Graphics

Even though the game has been out for four years on other platforms, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood looks extremely appealing and pleasant to the eyes. You’ll be thrown into a fantasy world, where each chapter will take you on a voyage through a new not-so-friendly environment, teaching you new powers to rely on to communicate with your environments. The colorful visuals are something right out of a storybook, and the characters, while there may not be many of them, look like fun comical critters that are perfectly suited for this bizarre universe. There aren’t that many graphical glitches and the overall atmosphere is simply enjoyable.

Sound

The music in this game is more ambient in nature and thus you won’t be bothered by it too much, as it just sets the tone. It does increase in volume and tempo when you’re going through a more exciting bit of the game, but most of the time you’ll barely notice it. The voice acting is nice, and very akin to a Disney movie or another quality children’s movie, presenting you once more with the fairytale vibe like the rest of the game.

Gameplay

Max: The Curse of the Brotherhood is for the most part a puzzle platformer with a few action sequences hither and thither. You’ll be wading through a handful of different areas, always trying to reach the next points by using the magic marker you’ve received. Said marker is able to make the ground rise, grow branches, make vines appear out of thin air, and so on. Keep in mind that you can’t use your powers everywhere, as you can only use them on specific marked points, with the element that’s predetermined by the game. You won’t be able to use your powers without limit either, as you’re limited to the amount of ink in your marker. You’ll get the ink back, per point you can activate, when you destroy what you have created, allowing you to try and create a different shape if the situation desires for it. The only annoying part about the marker is, that you can make something grow, but can’t make it shrink if you overextend a bit. You’ll have to destroy it and retry again, making some creations a bit tedious.

The mechanics and controls of the game are extremely simple and intuitive, which makes the game very accessible. All you can do is jump and use your marker, the latter being controlled with the R2 button, in combination with moving your stick and the X or square button, either creating or destroying something. The platforming portions are fairly easy, but there are some bugs present in the game that sometimes make you fly all over the place, or force you to complete otherwise impossible jumps by spamming the jump button. The puzzles are easy, and while some may require a bit more thought, they never become painstakingly annoying. Overall the game will take you between three and five hours to finish.

Conclusion

Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a magical puzzle adventure that might become one of those very timeless games that keeps its charm over the years. You’ll be treated to solid platforming, fun action sequences and very manageable puzzles that still offer enough challenge to remain entertaining. If you’re into old school platformers, with fun puzzle mechanics and beautiful visuals in a fairytale setting, this tale about brotherly love will certainly entertain you.

ThaMofo

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