My Brother Rabbit

Sometimes you know a game is going to be sad from the opening seconds. That's certainly the case with My Brother Rabbit, a charming new point and click adventure game that deals with a child trying to process a family member's illness. It's an emotional journey that manages to be both captivating and heartwarming, all while introducing us to an imaginative world full of puzzles and mysteries. This is a quest you won't soon forget.

This is the story of a young family dealing with the tragic news that their only daughter has come down with a serious illness and requires immediate care. Powerless, the brother turns to his imagination to help cope with the terrible news, and the result is a delightful new puzzle game where he navigates a strange world in order to help his ailing sister. It's a story about love and overcoming fear in order to be there for the people you care about most.

The adventure is split up into five self-contained chapters and a whole bunch of bite-sized puzzles. The core gameplay can largely be described as a scavenger hunt. We'll be introduced to some sort of puzzle we'll need to solve, but before we can do that, we'll first have to poke around the stages looking for a bunch of items. This can be anything from seashells to crystals to butterflies. Each of these items has a special purpose in the game, so it's important you scour each screen in order to find everything.

In essence, My Brother Rabbit feels like an evolution of Where's Waldo? And I don't mean that in a negative way, because I had a lot of fun studying each and every pixel as I tried to track down all the pieces. The game does a good job of sending you in search of one thing, only to quickly turn things around and want you to collect three more objects. You'll start anticipate some of the objects and memorize where they are for later, though the game can get tricky in the hiding spots.

It helps that the My Brother Rabbit is good about letting you know when you're near an item. Not only are there markers constantly reminding you of what you're looking for, but the icon will turn blue when you're on the same screen as an item. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean you'll be able to get to it, since some collectibles can only be snagged by going through a few steps and using your brain. Once you find all the items, you'll unlock a puzzle you'll need to solve in order to open up a new area or grab a coveted item.

The puzzles themselves aren't especially new or original, but are usually executed well. There's one where you connect colored ropes, assemble a jigsaw puzzle, align a bunch of pipes and use nine gears to get your way. Like I said, there's nothing here you haven't seen before in other puzzle games, but there's a great variety and it's a nice diversion from hunting around the screen for hidden items.

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And that brings me to my main problem with My Brother Rabbit. While I don't necessarily have a problem with the scavenger hunt, I would be lying if I said it didn't become extremely repetitive after a while. There were too many times when I simply moved my cursor around the screen while mashing on the buttons in hopes of finding something I missed, and more times than naught it worked.

Maybe it's because we spend most of our time hunting for hidden objects, but I found a lot of this game to be extremely easy. This is a good entry point for younger gamers looking to get into point and click adventure games, though seasoned veterans of the genre may find the puzzles to be a bit too easy. The only time the game is challenging is when it employs the questionable point and click logic so common with the genre, though it's normally pretty good about making sense.

On a brighter note, I really like the imaginative worlds we explore. The art style reminds me of a children's book, and I love the tiny details they pour into every stage. It also has a great soundtrack. The whole thing has a gentle atmosphere that I found soothing, though I suspect it won't be for everybody. It perfectly fits the subject matter.

My Brother Rabbit is a sweet and emotionally-charged point and click adventure game that looks great and is well executed. It's a little repetitive at times and a bit on the easy side, but it's full of personality and all but guaranteed to warm your heart. My Brother Rabbit is yet another great example of how tragedy can fuel the most memorable adventure games.