Max: The Curse of Brotherhood

Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a beautiful platformer, but its lush graphics only mask the frustrating controls.

Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is pretty, and pretty decent.

But there is no denying the sense of accomplishment when you solve a puzzle, arranging the branches, vines and spouts of water in the correct way and then successfully manoeuvring Max across them and safely into the next screen. It's a game that makes you feel smart and, unlike Limbo, never surprises you with unforeseeable traps: there is always an opportunity to stand back, assess and, finally, execute. It's a somewhat short, enjoyable and inoffensive game that delivers on the potential of its mechanical promise, if not its narrative premise.

Max: The Curse of Brotherhood has good elements but inconsistent quality

With gorgeous visuals, inventive puzzles, and a fresh creative take on the platformer genre, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a welcome addition to the Xbox arsenal.

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

In the end I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised with Max: The Curse of Brotherhood. It's a game full of wonder and magical moments, that while light on actual narrative, still delivers a world that is hard to forget. The visuals are Pixar-esque charming and the combination of cerebral puzzles with thrilling action offers up a bite-sized experience that is a welcome addition to the Xbox One's library. If you're looking for a change a pace, I couldn't think of a more fitting way to finish off this gaming year.

Max: The Curse of Brotherhood may be a few years old now, but though its visuals don't always hold up, its gameplay certainly does. The ingenuity of the physics and puzzles in the game allow for some truly mind-boggling moments at times, while the exhilarating chase set-pieces will set your heart racing. Its price tag is a little steep, but de-pen-ding on your passion for puzzle platformers, it's a good buy.

Max: Curse of the Brotherhood uses a wonderfully implemented drawing mechanic to solve puzzles that can often feel familiar, but are usually just about different enough to remain fun and fresh. The platforming, chase sequences, and even the final boss won't put up too much of a fight against you in the seven-or-so hour campaign, but you may find yourself occasionally stumped by the odd puzzle that strays from the norm.It isn't quite perfect, and there are several small areas where we feel the game could be improved, but ultimately we had a great time playing through the adventure and enjoyed the core mechanic. It can't quite compete with the true elites of its genres but it is definitely a welcome addition to the eShop - if you love the puzzle-platform genre and want to add another game to your collection, this wouldn't be a bad place to start.

Max: The Curse of Brotherhood, while looking like a kids game, is anything but. The cartoon graphics may be enticing enough for kids to try, but the steep difficulty curve may be too much for them. However, underneath the cutesy disguise is a clever and surprisingly entertaining little game.