Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

When Assassin's Creed II was released in 2009, it was a huge success. Gamers loved the Italian setting and the charismatic, lovable new protagonist and they couldn't wait for the next chapter in the Assassin's Creed saga.

Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long.

Developing the Third Chapter

Much like the two previous games, the third entry in the Assassin's Creed series was developed by Ubisoft Montreal. The game was announced in late 2009. In May 2010, images of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood popped up on the internet, and Ubisoft teased the game's release on social media before confirming the release.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2010. A PC release followed the next year and since then Brotherhood has been brought to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

Reception to the game was massive. It was met with critical acclaim with players and critics alike raving about the combat, graphics, and storyline. Additionally, the multiplayer aspect was very well-received; it's important to note that the multiplayer function has apparently been shut down.

So...is Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood still good? Well, let's find out, shall we?

The Storyline

Following the end of Assassin's Creed II, Ezio Auditore da Firenze returns to Monteriggioni. The following day the villa is attacked by Cesare Borgia, he swipes the Piece of Eden and kills Mario Auditore.

Following the attack, Ezio goes to Rome to rebuild the Assassin's brotherhood.

What Works?

Okay...so, what works in Brotherhood?

• First off, the graphics are GORGEOUS! The colors are bright and vibrant; I love looking at them.
• The story is great, it's well-written and well-paced. It's set up well and flows really nicely and the characters are also well-rounded.
• Jesper Kyd's musical score is great, the choir and instrumentals are perfect. Each piece builds on the previous one and keeps the story moving.
• There's also a lot more to do, as far as side quests go, and that's something I can certainly appreciate.
• It was also really satisfying to rebuild the city of Rome.

Some New Weapons

So, the basic loadout hasn't changed:

1. Sword
2. Hidden blade
3. Short blade
4. Throwing knives
5. Fists

The variety of short blades, swords, smoke bombs, and pistol are still there from Assassin's Creed II. With that said, there are also a number of newer weapons including:

• Bearded Axe
• Bastard Sword
• Roman Longsword
• Crossbow

Personally, I prefer sticking to swords so the axe was mostly an armory decoration. One particularly cool addition, that I only used later in my most recent playthrough was the poison darts.

The DLCs

There are a few different DLCs that were released for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.

• The DaVinci Disappearance
• Copernicus Conundrum
• Templar Agents

I played all three of these, and it was remarkably satisfying.

What doesn't Work?

There are a lot of things that work here, but is there anything that doesn't work? Well, the pickups are back: treasure chests, feathers, and flags.

It's not too bad, for one thing; the art merchants now offer treasure maps that show locations for each of the different pickups. The problem that I have with this is that it clutters the map every time that you purchase a map - that's saying a lot considering how cluttered it is already.

My only major complaint with this story is that the main campaign is really short. It's a very concise story, which is great and all, but I also wish we had a bit more story-wise.

In Conclusion

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a great entry to the series, and I thoroughly enjoyed playing through it a couple of times. The story is great, the music is fantastic, and the combat is really well done.

If you haven't played it yet, I highly recommend giving it a chance.