Max: The Curse of Brotherhood

Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a reimagining of Max & the Magic Marker. The protagonist Max comes home and discovers his younger brother Felix playing with his toys. Max is furious and searches the internet for a spell to make his brother disappear. When he recites it a portal is opened and his brother is snatched away by a large, hairy creature called Mustacho. He soon regrets this mistake and follows through the portal to rescue his brother.

Just like the original game, it is a 2D side-scrolling platformer with a focus on physics to solve puzzles. The visuals have been enhanced extensively and are now presented in 2.5D instead of the plain 2D of the original game. Basic movement allows Max to move around, jump, slide down, swing and climb ropes, duck through narrow passages and climb platforms. There is no way to attack, instead he has to use a magic marker in inventive ways. His old marker is turned into a magic one by an old lady and the player uses it to draw in the environment to help Max get around and defeat enemies.

Unlike the original game the player cannot draw freely for a creative solution. Instead, there are specific, orange glowing points where the marker can be used. The marker has five functions. The player can draw platforms to help Max reach higher areas, sprout branches from cliff-tops and vines from ceilings. It can also be used to make sprouts of water cool down lava so Max can pass or to have the water propel him over gaps. In the final stages of the game it can be used to shoot fireballs that break weak objects or destroy enemies. Locations often contain environment based puzzles with a specific solution that combines various functions of the marker in succession and sometimes with a time limit. Max also often has to avoid enemies, lure them in a specific direction and move objects. The marker only has a limited supply so often certain elements such as platforms need to be destroyed to refill it. There is some creativity in the drawing, as the player can for instance determine the height of pillars, or draw branches in the form of a circle so they roll down a hill, or create vines in a wide arc to create a zip-line.

There are seven chapters with twenty levels in total. In addition to the main level progression there are two types of collectibles: glowing fragments of an artifact, and swivelling eyes that are used by the antagonist to spy on Max. They are often located in hard to reach places.