Say whatever else you like about Ezio Auditore da Firenze, but age hasn't put a dent in his fitness. At the age of 40 the hero of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is as lithe and sprightly as he was as a teenager. He can still leap across rooftops with catlike grace, dead-lift himself up sheer walls using the tiniest handholds and cut a bloody swathe through a small army of foes. His physical prowess is all the more impressive when you consider his adventures took place in an age where the average man could expect to die at around 35-years-old and physiotherapy was carried out with a saw.
It's a good thing that Ezio stayed in shape because as the events of
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood unfold, the cowled Italian killer is called upon to engage in a variety of activities in his quest right the wrongs against him and his kin. Revenge once again drives the plot in the latest entry of Ubisoft's superb series, and this time it isn't so much a dish served cold as it is a multifaceted feast of delights. After his villa is destroyed and a beloved relative is killed by the forces of the Borgia family, Ezio heads to Rome to construct a network of allies and businesses to help him in his quest for vengeance.
Of course, veterans of this series will know that Ezio's clandestine activities in the 16th Century aren't the only story
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is concerned with telling. The game's main plot involves an ex-bartender helping a cult of heroic assassins fight against the growing influence of the shadowy Templars in the not too distant future. While that may all sound weirdly entertaining, it's actually been the weakest element in the past two games. This time it's a bit more involving; the overarching plot involves the series' other protagonist, Desmond, and the assassins searching the ruins of Ezio's former home for a missing piece of Eden. Desmond, gets a bit more time on stage and even has his own section of free-running and platforming. But ultimately, neither he, the assassins or their quest is as involving as Ezio's story and thankfully, the developers have the good sense to stick Desmond in the Animus for the lion's share of the game.
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is for the most part set in the city of 16th Century Rome, and as with all of the environments in all the
Assassin's Creed games, it's absolutely breathtaking. Even though the game contains only one city – the other two contained three a piece – it's divided into districts which all have a distinct flavour which prevents the player feel like they're wandering through the same stretch of cobbled street. Once the player takes Ezio up to the rooftops, the Eternal City becomes looks even more impressive; the rooftops stretch off into the distance and gorgeous landmarks such as the Collesseum, the Pantheon and Palantine Hill are clearly visible.
Rome isn't just the luscious backdrop to Ezio's story, though. It's also a massive playground filled to bursting with activities for players to get stuck into. Tap the select button to bring up the in-game map and the streets are positively littered with icons denoting side-quests, story missions, demolition targets, stores that need sprucing up or perches on buildings which reveal more of the city. However, the game's trump card is that the developers have ingeniously tied every single activity, however peripheral it may seem, into the game's main story. It's a trick they pulled off admirably in
Assassin's Creed II, but here it's taken to another level entirely.
In order for Ezio to have his revenge, he needs a clean shot at the head of the Borgia clan, the family who currently control Rome. In order for him to have any chance of this, he needs to reduce the Borgia's influence in the city. Ezio accomplishes this by chipping away at the Borgia-held fortifications and encouraging the citizens of Rome to back his efforts. To that end, players will find themselves sneaking into Borgia strongholds, killing guard captains, and then razing the fort's central tower to the ground.
This drives out the Borgia troops and allows Ezio to pump money into the businesses in the surrounding areas, opening up commercial ventures such as blacksmiths, banks and tailors. This has a two-pronged effect of increasing Ezio's standing in the city and providing the player with outlets to collect money, buy and repair equipment, and engage in the odd spot of art collection. The fact that all of this ties back into Ezio's revenge efforts proves incredibly effective in making the player feel like everything they're doing is part of an investment in a long-term goal. In this way, whenever they catch site of a Borgia tower in the distance or a shop that needs renovating, they never feel like they're leaving the central plot to engage in a meaningless side-quest. In the war against the Borgia, every little helps.
As the game progresses, the player gains access to more weapons and a coterie of assassins which can be deployed as a ranged attack whenever they're close by (signified by a meter under the health bar). Ezio's assassins can also be sent on missions throughout the rest of Europe to hone their skills. Players who enjoyed
Assassin's Creed II will be delighted to know that the excellent platforming levels in the Assassin's Tombs are back, this time in the form of hideouts belonging to a gang of fur-clad fanatics called The Followers Of Romulus. As was the case in the last game, these sections are an absolute marvel in terms of how they meticulously balance challenging gameplay, tense atmosphere and stately pacing.
A couple of problems still persist in the free-running. Ezio is far more agile and quick than his predecessor Altair but next to the protagonists in games like
inFamous and
Crackdown he moves at a very sedate pace. Sometimes leaping between a stretch of rooftops doesn't feel as fluid as it should and the game still has the annoying habit of interpreting the command to scurry up a wall face as a desire to kick off the wall in the opposite direction. In some instances, after a lengthy section of platforming, this has the potential to send Ezio kicking off a final wall and plummeting down to his death. Luckily there's a decent checkpoint system in place, presumably to prevent the player's levels of frustration from ever veering into control smashing territory.
The developers have tinkered with the combat somewhat. In the previous games there was always the temptation to fight every battle the same way: by striking a defensive posture and timing lethal counter-moves. Perhaps in an attempt to change this, the developers have tweaked things to prompt players to mix it up a little more; players will find it more fun to go on the offensive by making Ezio deliver a swift kick to an enemy's groin before laying into them with a sword. There's also a new, more flowing aspect to the combat this time. By timing their attacks, players can move quickly between enemies delivering a series of lethal blows to multiple opponents. This doesn't turn fighting into a cake-walk, however, because the AI isn't as stupid as it used to be in this series and opponents are far more aggressive and crafty.
Next to the enormous campaign,
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood boasts a very impressive multiplayer mode, containing four types of matches. Each player is given a target (one of the other players) and a small indication of where they are on the map. Then they're turned loose and have to hunt down their quarry while avoiding being killed by the player who has been assigned a contract for them. It's an eerie, tension-filled experience to be sure; players have to make sure they aren't spotted by their target while staying on the look out for their would-be killer breaking cover.
But the multiplayer is Ubisoft putting a bright red bow on the top of what is already a fantastic package, which is as welcome as it is surprising. When
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood was announced so soon after the release of its predecessor, there was the suspicion that it would be a lightweight affair and more of a stop-gap in the series than a solid entry in its own right. As it turns out the opposite was true and then some;
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is the franchise's best entry to date and one of the best games of 2010.
