Assassin’s Creed is a well-known game with an increasingly growing fan base. The newest addition to the series is Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. This game has some added perks and changes that are sure to keep fans of the game wanting more and more.
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The story takes place right after the events of Assassin’s Creed 2. Ezio is trying to enjoy the peace at his home in Monteriggioni. Unfortunately, the Borgia family still holds a grudge against Ezio and they attack his villa in full force. The Borgia family was Ezio’s nemesis in Assassin Creed 2. With his home destroyed yet again, Ezio heads to Rome to destroy the evil Borgia once and for all. While in Rome, Ezio decides to rebuild the Order of the Assassins, and retrieve the Apple, a strange weapon that he lost to the Borgia.
I have lived my life as best I could, not knowing its purpose, but drawn forward like a moth to a distant moon; and here at last, I discover a strange truth. That I am only a conduit, for a message that eludes my understanding. ―Ezio
If you are unfamiliar with the Assassin’s Creed games, you need to know that the events of Ezio’s life are viewed and played out through a machine called the Animus. This machine was created by Abstergo Industries, a company hell bent on finding out what happened to the Apple. The Animus is controlled by a man named Desmond. Desmond is a descendent of Ezio, and it is believed that he can unlock Ezio’s memories because of his direct relation to him.
In a previous game, Desmond was abducted by people from Abstergo Industries to aid them in using the Animus in order to find the Apple and various other things. Desmond was later rescued by another group to help them find the Apple as well. I can’t give away too much of the story. It is best if you play yourself to understand the complicated storyline. But for now, the game flashes back and fourth from Ezio’s time to modern time with Desmond. In the end, many of the questions you have from the previous games will finally be answered, however…. even more questions will arise as new secrets are revealed in the story of this game.
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Most of the game takes place in Rome. Here Ezio will go through various memories to progress to the final confrontation with the Borgia at the end of the game. To progress, Ezio must try to complete each memory as it actually occurred in his life time. The goal is to try to get 100% synchronization with the memory. While it is not required to get 100% synchronization to complete the game, getting it opens up new missions, memories, and side quests. Desmond can replay memories in the Animus if he is unsuccessful.
Getting 100% synchronization can often be tricky. Sometimes it requires not getting injured in a memory. Sometimes it requires assassinating a target with a certain weapon. It varies depending on the memory.
Memory de-synchronization and failure occurs if Ezio dies, fails at a mission objective, kills too many civilians, or if he moves out of bounds into an area that has not been unlocked yet. When this occurs, Desmond will have to reenter the Animus and replay the memory.
Ezio can assassinate his targets and foes in various manners. He can use his hidden blade to assassinate from a hiding spot, leap from a building onto a target, or simply walk up behind a foe. He will also often have to battle multiple targets at once. Various weapons are at his disposal to aid him. This includes: swords, daggers, crossbows, guns, smoke bombs, poison darts, and more. He is capable of disarming opponents, grabbing and tossing them, and counter attacking.
As always, it is always best to try to blend with the crowd and kill foes without being detected and drawing attention to yourself. If Ezio is detected by guards, a chase will ensue. Ezio must flee until he is out of harms way. He can also try hiding in various hiding spots. Be on the lookout for guards that actually check hiding spots!
Running across rooftops is not always the most ideal way for Ezio to get around the vast city of Rome and its countryside. Make use of horse and unlock tunnel entrances for faster travel. Also, be sure to climb all viewpoint towers so that you can view more of the world map.
Rome has literally been taken over by the Borgia family and their influence is apparent throughout the land. There are various Borgia towers found in the landscape. It is up to Ezio to assassinate the Borgia captain presiding over the tower. Doing so will destroy the Borgia influence in the nearby area. This allows Ezio to “rebuild Rome.”
Rebuilding Rome is a mini game of sorts. Ezio can spend his hard earned cash to reopen various shops, banks, stables, and faction buildings. Reopening these buildings has many perks that you will just have to see for yourself.
Florins are the form of currency in the game. Ezio can earn florins in various ways, but the main way is by completing various side quests and missions. Many of these missions are given by the three main factions in the game. These factions are the courtesan’s guild, mercenary’s guild, and the thieves guild. Their faction buildings are found all across Rome. Ezio can reopen these faction buildings, partake in their guild challenges, accept missions, and even use the various factions to aid him on missions. Thieves lure guards away from an area, mercenaries will fight guards, and courtesans will distract guards. Completing all of a faction’s missions has a unique reward worth acquiring.
Secret lairs are found throughout the land as well. If you get through all of the lairs successfully, you will acquire an awesome set of armor and a unique weapon. Lastly, there are various types of collectables and treasures scattered across the land. These also have some surprises that can be won if you manage to find them all!
The newest addition to the game is the ability to recruit assassins to your order. Each time you destroy a Borgia tower, you can recruit more assassins. You can recruit a total of twelve. Assassin recruits can be set off on various missions that you do not participate in. If they are successful, they return with florins and sometimes items. They also gain experience that is used to level up until they are master assassins. As you gain more recruits, you will be able to occasionally call the assassins to aid you in a fight. With enough recruits, you can even call an “arrow storm.” Here arrows are shot to kill all enemies in an area. This can really help Ezio out if he is in a tough situation.
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Another addition is the multiplayer mode. Here you will hunt a target against multiple players hunting for the same target. And while you are out stalking your prey…. there will be other players stalking you! There are various game modes that play across different maps. You can either play on a team or alone. Experience is gained based on how well you do on each mission. As you gain experience, you will unlock new abilities, upgrades, and even playable characters. These include: a priest, thief, executioner, doctor, barber, and many more. Each character has its own unique abilities and weapons available for use.
The controls are extremely responsive and quite easy to learn in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. Whether you are free running across rooftops or climbing a tower, you will never question which button to press next. All controls are based on whether you are in “High Profile” or “Low Profile.” The upper right hand corner of the screen will display what move corresponds to which button as well.
The graphics are well done and breathtaking to look at. The city of Rome is full of vibrant colors the local countryside is laid out with lush detail. You may want to take a minute to absorb it all!
The soundtrack has some familiar tunes that were found in the previous games. However, there are a few new ones. As always, you can expect the background music to change if you enter a dangerous area or if you start combat.
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood is available for the XBOX 360, PlayStation 3, or PC. It has an ESRB rating of M for mature. This is because the game features: violence, blood, strong language, and sexual themes. Strategy guides are available for anyone who wants to get every bit out of the game as possible.
Editor’s notes:
This review was originally published on Nov 16, 2010 on XboxLiveGamers, another site of our which is currently offline.
