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POSTED
12/1/14
MAX: THE CURSE OF BROTHERHOOD
Microsoft Game Studios
Siblings. Can’t live with them, can’t banish them to some icky
monster-stuffed netherworld with a dodgy moustachioed bloke.
Well, until now.
Arriving home to find his little brother
nerding it up in his room, young Max takes to the interweb, gets his
search on and finds an incantation which spirits his mini-kin into a
vortex doobrie via a bloody big furry hand. Realising instantly that
his parents will bring down hitherto undiscovered worlds of hurt
upon him, Max leaps through said vortex doobrie before it goes
‘PIP!’. He lands in a rather peculiar place, where a granny renders
his magic marker’s titular false advertising void.
A 2D
puzzly-platformer that loves zoominess – one moment the camera will
be in Max’s face, the next he’ll be but a handful of HD pixels in
the distance - we must shamefully don prettiness slut bonnets and
comment upon what this looks like, which is gorgeous – nowadays
computer-animated movie gorgeous. Of course, all the gorgeousness in
the world doesn’t help a game if it sucks sticky cactus pointies
though, does it?
Luckily Max: The Curse of Brotherhood
doesn’t suck sticky cactus pointies, but that isn’t to say it’s
the amazing platformy experience that it could’ve been.
Rayman needn’t plop his dacks
in fear of usurpination yet.
The main issue’s actually that
which sets Max apart from other games of its ilk. That
magic marker starts off with the scribbling of earthy platforms at
predetermined spots to allow progress. Later, it draws branches.
Then vines. Then watery stuff, fire and more. All in the name of
puzzliness. This uses the right stick, but often – especially later,
when juggling several marker markings - requires more accuracy than
can be sanely managed via this input method. Oh for a
controller-based touchpad, hey Microsoft?
It isn’t a game
killer, but gee it gives Max a seriously ouchy nipple cripple.
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