Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC

Brotherhood picks up right where Assassin’s Creed II left off. The action now, however, takes pace primarily in Rome during Renaissance times, which also shifts to modern day times. Ezio Auditore is once again the protagonist, but this time he shares some of the glory with well-known series character Desmond Miles, whom you actually get to control during the present day sequences.

The story is easy enough to follow: Ezio’s nemesis, Cesare Borgia, destroys Monteriggioni and steals an artifact known as the Apple of Eden. Ezio pursues, along with the help of some familiar friends, like Caterina. The story is simple, and though it could have used a bigger emotional kick, is still satisfying enough. For those who are looking for an improvement over Creed II, , Brotherhood is a tiny step backwards in terms of story and plot, though Desmond’s terrific addition to game makes up for it.

Rome is divided up into 12 districts, all guarded by a Borgia Tower. As can be expected, so long as the tower stands, soldiers are out wreaking havoc on the streets and, bad for you, businesses are closed down. Staying true to the last game, Ezio can take back control by destroying these towers and opening up the streets for income. Destroying the towers is not required to complete the game, but doing so will give you that much more freedom and income in that region.

The city itself is gorgeous and vast, enough to make you forget about wanting to explore other cities. The stone and gardens are greatly detailed, the large number of random city folk appear to have lives of their own, and famous landmarks such as the Coliseum all make for a visually stimulating experience. All that detail just heightens the experience as you climb the rooftops and crawl through every nook and cranny looking for any secret you can find. The music sets the tone perfectly, though it may be a let down for people looking for something that isn’t lifted straight from Creed II.

The mark of a great open-world game is one where you don’t feel pressured to follow strictly to the storyline along anything resembling a linear path. Though Brotherhood has very distinct checkpoints in mind, how and when you get there is up to you. You can almost be overwhelmed with the amount of assassination contracts, treasure-finding, and relationship building available to you. Even just general exploration is enough to keep you sidetracked from the overall goal of toppling the Borgia family.

Those familiar with the franchise will be happy to see that Leonardo Da Vinci and his weapons makes his return in Brotherhood. His creative arsenal of weaponry – such as the paraglider and its firebombs – provides a nice change of pace, especially since some of the missions grow stale after awhile. Those new to Assassin’s Creed won’t have an issue, but for those jumping in from Creed II, it’ll feel like you’re redoing a mission with different characters and setting. It’s not too big an issue as the formula is a great one to begin with, but it’s one of the main reasons that prevent this game from standing above its predecessor.

The biggest change in Brotherhood from Creed II is the inclusion of an assassin’s guild, or brotherhood, under direct control from you the player. Saving the life of someone in distress can cause them to become underlings you can send out on missions. The more people you recruit, the greater your brotherhood, and therefore your support, grows. More importantly, assassins under your control who aren’t on missions can be instantly called upon in a tight spot. They can help out by shooting arrows from a hidden point, or even come charging in on horse to help break up an attack. Accumulate enough underlings and you may find yourself watching more than fighting as you watch your little on-call army do all the dirty work.

Despite this interesting addition, in a lot of ways it isn’t needed for two reasons: the swordplay has been tweaked for the better and enemies are not all that challenging. There will certainly be times where having a helping hand is ideal, but for the most part, you’ll be able to dust off enemies all on your own. Creed II wasn’t too hard a game to begin with; now that you have a mini army, and can escape trouble with the push of a button, the lesser challenge translates to less fun. On top of that, you now get a crossbow as one of your weapons, meaning you don’t even have to sneak up on all your enemies. See a guy on a nearby rooftop you want to get to? Just peg him off with your crossbow. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – indeed, it’s more realistic for a lurker of shadows – but diehards may not enjoy having such a tool at their disposal.

On a final note, Brotherhood now comes with a multiplayer component. The set-up is basically assassinating the other player (or team) before the kill you. The style may not have quite the same heart-thumping action as a first-person shooter, but there’s something intense about having to do things in stealth not commonly seen elsewhere in multiplayer games. 

All in all, the game is highly enjoyable and well worth the purchase. It doesn’t break any huge ground for the franchise, but many of you may feel that if it aint broke, don’t fix it. Brotherhood’s a perfext example of that.