Max-The Curse Of Brotherhood
Remember Geometry Wars? It seems like a different era now but that fizzy shoot-’em-up was one of the most important titles for the Xbox 360’s launch. Not just because it provided a real spark of quality at a time when the Xbox 360 didn’t have any truly standout titles (unfortunately we all remember Perfect Dark Zero as well) but also because Geometry Wars heralded the exciting potential of Xbox Live Arcade when most new owners struggled to look past ‘full’ retail titles.
Which is perhaps why Xbox One’s early digital titles have been intriguing and disappointing in equal measure. Even though we’re now fully aware of what digital downloads have to offer, a full launch line-up should have the small titles punching above their weight next to the triple-A blockbusters. PlayStation 4 has Resogun. What does Xbox One have? Peggle 2, which is very much more of the same; and Halo: Spartan Assault, which is too bland to really inspire or engage. Surprisingly, it’s Max: The Curse Of Brotherhood that comes closest to fulfilling the same role that Geometry Wars did all those years ago.
And we say surprisingly because The Curse Of Brotherhood is a 2.5D platformer that’s essentially a re-imagining of a WiiWare title that came out in 2010 called Max & The Magic Marker. You play as Max, leaping and ducking your way through a hazardous dream world of sorts to try to save your brother, who you accidentally placed in peril by wishing he’d be gone forever only to find your wish has actually come true.
It’s fairly rudimentary stuff as far as the plot goes but the point is that you’re in a hostile environment: there’s a huge troll creature chasing you throughout the game and the only method of self-defence you have is a magic marker. This is where the genius of The Curse Of Brotherhood ’s platforming comes into place. Max must use his magic marker to interact with the environment – pulling mud mounds out of the ground, drawing vines, creating branches and so on. You can only interact with marked areas in specific ways but it never feels restrictive, simply because the way in which you have to
combine his powers is rather smart.
For example, you might have to draw a branch in a ‘wheel’ shape, draw another branch underneath to serve as a ramp, then cut the wheel so it bounces off the ramp towards a pressure pad that you need to hit to clear the path ahead. You can combine this with vines, water spouts, balancing platforms and so on – there’s a consistent physics system powering The Curse Of Brotherhood, which is what gives Press Play the ability to push the game’s puzzles in fiendish and difficult ways.
The same goes for the collision detection, as Max often has to scramble up your hastily-drawn branches to proceed higher, or push cut branches along the ground. Even though you should draw branches in a manner that Curse Of Brotherhood understands – sticking to right angles if you want to create stair-shaped branches for Max to climb up, for example – the engine is extremely forgiving and this helps cut down on any frustration. It enables you to focus on the puzzles and getting ahead, rather than having to waste energy fighting against the game engine as you try to get it to recognise what it is you want Max to do.
One of the smartest design decisions made by Press Play is that you don’t fight enemies directly. Max has no ways to directly attack the enemies throughout, so instead he has to evade them, often by quickly drawing new paths to get away from danger as they give chase. Again, this helps cut down on any potential frustration. These are examples of some of sections of The Curse Of Brotherhood where you have to be quick and draw new paths to save Max’s hide, and they also show that the method for moving the marker and drawing isn’t always as accurate as you might like. Contained to these small isolated sections, it’s not too frustrating. If you had to use the marker to directly fight enemies? That could have dealt a fatal blow to this game’s breezy, relaxed pace.
It also gets tough towards the end, so even those who have been brought up with some of the more hardcore 2D platformers of the 8-bit and 16-bit era will find their skills being tested later on, with the final puzzle in particular proving to be a real delight. Press Play deserves a lot of credit here – the puzzles are interesting throughout and serve as the main reason why you would want to push through Brotherhood and see everything it has to offer.
There are some small annoyances that detract from the sheer joy of the platforming. Sometimes it’s hard to tell where the platforms end, which makes some sections needlessly tricky. Combined with the errant checkpoints, you often end up replaying bigger chunks than you’d like, especially for any difficult sections that are preceded by a short but unskippable cutscene.
But those are minor niggles for a game that’s just about long enough and just about smart enough to bump Max: The Curse Of Brotherhood to the top of the ‘must download’ list for Xbox One’s digital offerings. It doesn’t have the score attack replayability of a Geometry Wars or even a Resogun, but in terms of sheer enjoyment, we look forward to seeing what game will top it.
Details
Format: Xbox One
Other Formats: Xbox 360
Origin: Denmark
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Press Play
Release: Out Now
Players: 1
Online Reviewed: N/A
