Max: The Curse of Brotherhood Reviews
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood has great level design that squanders its puzzles, beautiful artwork that wastes its characters, and gameplay that ranges from boring to being a bit broken. Truth be told, though, it does manage to pull you back in just as you were getting ready to leave. Sadly, it's unlikely anyone will have the patience to see it all the way through, as so much of the game is spent fighting the bad puzzle design and the atrocious platforming.
Good-looking with a nice idea at the forefront, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood's execution leaves a lot to be desired. Clumsy controls, questionable physics and collision detection all ruin an otherwise decent effort.
While Max: The Curse Of Brotherhood does have a good story, it has too many downfalls to forgive. The platforming just isn't up to par, and the checkpoints will have you throwing your controller at a wall in no time.
It's got gorgeous visuals, and it's some fun, occasionally, and it's also got some great level design.
All-around frustrating controls, irregular physics and unfriendly level design make Max: The Curse of Brotherhood another misstep in the Xbox One digital launch library.
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a game that has a lot of potential. The story is intriguing and rather well told, it has a beautiful art style, and the sound design is excellent. It has an interesting mechanic in the use of the magic marker, and the level and puzzle design is rather masterful. Unfortunately, the whole thing falls apart due to floaty, finicky and imprecise controls, and the performance issues are an immense hurdle. The game comes close to greatness, but its problems are too overwhelming for it to reach those heights and as a result you are left with a game that shines at times but offers poor overall value.
Max The Curse of Brotherhood is a mixed bag. It looks fantastic, it can be fun, even exhilarating plus some of the puzzles are totally wicked (in a good way). Sadly though it is unable to be anymore than something reasonably priced to play on your Xbox One over Christmas if you have completed your Xbox One back catalogue from launch day. Platforming/puzzle nuts will easily overlook the issues and the difficulty that these present, and if you are one of them, Max will satisfy.
As a result of its occasionally frustrating gameplay, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a game that sounds better than it truly is. However, those who are willing to look past its shortcomings will find a decent and somewhat charming experience underneath.
I don't think Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is devoid of value, but I certainly don't think it's something to rush right out and buy—unless, as an Xbox One early adopter, you're content with a passable platformer that possesses a handful of quasi-memorable moments to tide you over until Titanfall. And for anyone jonesing for a platformer, Max represents only a quick, short-lived fix.
Much like the sibling rivalry at its core, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a game of extremes. The game can get so frustrating you'll wish it would just go away, but then on the next puzzle everything works as it should and it becomes difficult not to fall for its charms.
It's gorgeous in motion, and can be a satisfying little puzzle-platformer, but prepare yourself for some trial-and-error, garnished with repetition.
Sequel to Max & the Magic Marker is filled with clever conundrums, suffers from trial-and-error action sequences
So many moments in The Curse of Brotherhood are hampered by a sense that a square peg is being shoved into a round hole. All of its great ideas are dwarfed by the fact that it doesn't feel good to play. The game tries to make invoke a sense of creation, but it's more akin to fumbling in the dark.
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is pretty, and pretty decent.
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood has good elements but inconsistent quality
Puzzles require a level of precision that the controls and physics just aren't up to. An inspired last act is buried in a frustrating slog of a game
A solid idea but the implementation, especially on a standard controller, doesn't really work – leaving with you increasingly little incentive to save Max or his brother.
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a beautiful platformer, but its lush graphics only mask the frustrating controls.
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a solid puzzle game with some platforming elements, even if it isn't a particularly great platformer on its own. If you can look past the occasionally clunky controls and its inherent frustrations, you're in for a treat with the great level design.
Ultimately, we can only recommend The Curse of Brotherhood to those with an Xbox One who must have a platforming title on their system. Whether its Braid, Limbo, Fez or Super Meat Boy, there are plenty of other indie platformers out there that excel far beyond The Curse of Brotherhood in terms of everything except its graphics.