Square Brothers is an environmental puzzle platformer published by Ratalaika Games for $5. With no timer, score, unlockables, leaderboards, or way to die, this puzzle game is simple and reminds me a bit of Lost Vikings.
You control two pickle looking characters. One is tall, skinny, and can jump higher but cannot fit into tight spaces. The other is short, fat, and can fit under small openings, but cannot jump as high. Then, you can use each character as platforms to reach new areas, switching between them at will. Each stage is specifically designed to use the specific attributes of each character to collect the mostly optional items then reach the goal.
It takes about two hours in total to clear all 40 stages but only the first 20 need to be cleared to unlock all the Achievements. The complexity of each stage grows over time and will require trial and error but is a nice sense of progression. By the time I finished the first half of available stages, I was over it due to the repetition. Sure, the puzzles change with each stage, but the overall gameplay remains the same: grab the items, stand on colored switches to unlock a specific door, grab the key, and head to the exit while listening to the same looping 1-track soundtrack. Speaking of audio, the thudding sound effect of both pickle characters makes them sound like they each weigh two tons which can get annoying over time.
Square Brothers is as straightforward as it gets but that doesn’t make it bad, it just isn’t particularly exciting. Without upgrades or unlockables, and being restricted in completing each stage in sequential order with simple presentation values, Square Brothers justifies its asking price in terms of its quality and replay value.
SCORE: 5/10
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
X/Twitter: @ZackGaz
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