Introduction
Max: The curse of brotherhood is a 2.5D platform/puzzle game developed by Press Play and is a sequel to Press Plays’ Max and the Magic Marker which was released on mobile platforms, Windows, Macintosh and the Nintendo DS. Both the Curse of Brotherhood and the Magic Marker are platformers that feature a physics engine that is used heavily in the puzzles of the game.
The Developers – Press Play
Press Play is a game developer that hails from Copenhagen, they have created 20 titles for varying platforms since 2006 including; Max: The Magic Marker, Tentacles: Enter the Mind and the new upcoming Project Totem. Press Play was acquired by Microsoft in 2012 but is still an independent developer who only works on their own products.
Story
The story revolves around Max (the protagonist of Max and the Magic Marker) and his trusty Magic Marker from the first game. Max returns home to find his younger brother Felix, being the classic little brother that he is, smashing Max’s toys, an infuriated Max retaliates with a spell (found on the internet) that will erase his brother from existence ( a bit overkill if you ask me, but still justified ). Upon reciting the spell a portal opens from which a claw emerges and snatches Felix away from their world, Max realises his error and charges in after Felix. This is where the player takes control of Max and helps guide Max through his journey to rescue Felix.
Upon reaching Max’s first ally we find out that the land is controlled by an evil man named Mustacho (who’s most defining feature is as you guessed it … his enormous and ever so slightly disgusting head … and he has a moustache). In the lore of the world Mustacho and the Ally have been locked into a war of control over the world, but due to their age Mustacho has taken the upper hand.
Through the course of the game you will meet monsters and friends, and pass through different landscapes varying between deserts to swamps. All the art done for the game looks fantastic and a great amount of detail has been put into the 2.5D setting.
Gameplay
At the core of Max: The curse of brotherhood you will be using the right analog stick (or mouse button) to draw the different physics objects with the powers you gain through the game.
There are 5 powers in the game which are:
Earth – Earth allows you to build pillars of earth at select locations, these pillars can vary in height and be instantly destroyed by you.
Vines – Max can create vines to swing and climb through the levels. These Vines can also be attached to other physics objects to help keep them within boundaries of the puzzle or to move them around the puzzle.
Branches – Branches can be summoned to help create ledges, boats or blocks for max to stand on, branches will retain the shape they were created in when they are cut from their spawn, they can then be moved around the puzzle.
Water – Water spouts are able to be summoned which move Max and other objects around at a terrifying speed, because of this Max can use them as jump-pads or a means to traverse puzzles with a good degree of accuracy.
Fire- Max gains the ability to utilise fire, upon reaching this ability Max now has a direct ability in which to fight the henchman of Mustacho, rather than just trapping them or allowing them to push each other of cliff sides. This fire can be channelled to branches and then fired from the burning branch, allowing max to have a portable missile platform of deadly purple fire.
All these powers have nodes which they can be built from, which is restrictive but also a part of the puzzle. The game flows well, but sometimes the ability to complete a puzzle is based on how perfectly your draw the object. Vines are the biggest culprit of this problem as a lot of the time you will create a small vine attached to something if you draw straight to the object, so drawing away from the object and trying to tightly attach it to a branch happened to me often, and then sometimes the vine didn’t attach.
The game is also a platformer so expect to be jumping around … a lot … and away from angry things.
Graphics
The graphics in this game are astounding, everything contrasts so well with each other, and there isn’t any over the top effects that you see all the time in games now, so it was a refreshing change. I played Max: The curse of brotherhood on the Xbox 360 so I didn’t expect it to have such great graphics, especially seeing as the game was released on Xbox One as well, but the team really pulled through for the Xbox 360 players and delivered a world that is truly beautiful, even if most of it is trying to kill or consume you.
Sound
In Max: The Curse of Brotherhood the setting changes as your progress through the game, and all the ambient is easily overlooked, which I guess is the purpose of ambient sounds. Through your journey you get hounded by something known only as the beast, whose roar I have to commend the sound team on creating.
There is an issue I found when I played through this game, which revolves around the frequency and pitch of Max’s screams whenever he’s running from something which happens quite regularly. The issue isn’t massive, but it does irritate me how often Max shrieks “NO!” at the top of his lungs with every breath he takes.
Conclusion
In conclusion to my review I enjoyed the game even though I’m not the greatest fan of platformer games, the graphics in the game astounded me because it is only an arcade game for the Xbox 360. That being said the game doesn’t have any replay value unless you like collectables, in which there is a good number for an arcade game worth 5 hours of play time. Max: the curse of brotherhood is a great arcade game, but if you have sensitive ears or hate the sound of children screaming make sure you mute the game when you are getting chased, I certainly did.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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