ABZU vs Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
ABZU is an open-world simulation game from Giant Squid (2016) while Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a platformer puzzle game from Starbreeze Studios (2013).
What each one is
Steam files ABZU under Open-World and Simulation. In contrast, it files Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons under Platformer and Puzzle.
From the art director of Journey®, ABZÛ is a beautiful underwater adventure that evokes the dream of diving. Immerse yourself in a vibrant hidden world bursting with color and life as you descend into the heart of the ocean. But beware as you swim deeper as dangers lurk in the depths.
Guide two brothers on an epic fairy tale journey from visionary Swedish film director, Josef Fares and top-tier developer Starbreeze Studios. Control both brothers at once as you experience co-op play in single player mode, like never before.
At a glance
| ABZU | Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.0/10 | 8.0/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (93%, 27,628) | Very Positive (94%, 41,281) |
| Critic aggregate | 83/100 | 90/100 |
| Price | $19.99 | $14.99 |
| Install size | 6 GB | 2 GB |
| Steam Deck | verified | playable |
| Released | 2016 | 2013 |
| Developer | Giant Squid | Starbreeze Studios |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
ABZU vs Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
ABZUOpen-world simulation gameBrothers: A Tale of Two SonsPlatformer puzzle gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
ABZURelaxing, Atmospheric, UnderwaterBrothers: A Tale of Two SonsAdventure, Atmospheric, Story RichThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
ABZUScore 8.0 · 93% on Steam · 83 criticBrothers: A Tale of Two SonsScore 8.0 · 94% on Steam · 90 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
ABZU27,628 reviews · 6 GBBrothers: A Tale of Two Sons41,281 reviews · 2 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
ABZU$19.99Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons ✓$14.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
ABZU ✓VerifiedBrothers: A Tale of Two SonsPlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueABZU and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
- PlayStation
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The cheaper right now: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons ($14.99)
- Better on a Steam Deck: ABZU (verified)
- Lighter on storage: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (2 GB)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
AtmosphericGreat SoundtrackAdventureSingleplayerCasualIndieBeautifulFantasy
Where they differ
RelaxingUnderwaterExplorationColorfulFamily FriendlyOpen World
EmotionalPuzzleLocal Co-OpMultiplayerActionPlatformer
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, ABZU is relaxed, easy to pick up. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is relaxed, easy to pick up.
System requirements, side by side
| ABZU | Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | NVIDIA GeForce 8600 /ATI Radeon HD 2600 |
| Minimum CPU | — | 2.4 GHz Dual Core Processor |
| Minimum RAM | — | 2 GB |
| Install size | 6 GB | 2 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: ABZU · Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for ABZU and 1 for Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are ABZU and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons in scope?
ABZU has drawn 27,628 Steam reviews and installs in 6 GB. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons has drawn 41,281 Steam reviews and installs in 2 GB.
Is ABZU or Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons better?
By the GamingPickz Score, ABZU rates higher (8.0 to 8.0). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, ABZU or Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons?
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is cheaper right now at $14.99, against $19.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.