Assassin’s Creed® Brotherhood

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Release: Mar 22nd 2011
Platforms:
Action
Adventure
Innovative
Immersive
Addictive
Buggy
Repetitive
Assassin’s Creed® Brotherhood Poster

" Immersive action-adventure with strategic assassin recruitment but plagued by PC bugs "

Assassin’s Creed® Brotherhood Review

Assassin’s Creed® Brotherhood continues the Ezio Auditore saga, set in early 16th-century Rome, offering a richly detailed open-world experience. Players engage in third-person action-adventure gameplay, expanding upon mechanics introduced in AC II with new features like ranged weapons, assassin recruitment, and city restoration. The Brotherhood system allows strategic management of recruits for missions or combat support, enhancing gameplay depth.

While the story is a direct continuation, many find it less compelling and shorter than its predecessor, though Ezio’s character development remains engaging. The game excels in fluid combat, parkour, and immersive historical setting, but the PC port suffers from bugs and technical issues, including problematic controls and launcher requirements. Despite these flaws, the game offers extensive content, side activities, and a nostalgic yet fresh exploration of Renaissance Rome. Overall, it’s highly recommended for fans of the series and historical action games, especially when purchased on sale.

Highlights

Players praise the innovative Brotherhood mechanic, allowing recruitment and deployment of assassins to assist in missions.

The fluid combat and parkour system offers satisfying, strategic gameplay with entertaining animations.

The historical setting of Rome is beautifully rendered, providing an engaging open world to explore and restore.

The storyline, while not as strong as AC II, is appreciated for continuing Ezio’s journey and maintaining character charisma.

The game’s soundtrack and voice acting add to the immersive experience, with notable attention to period authenticity.

Criticisms

Common criticisms include the shorter and weaker story compared to the previous game, with some pacing issues and lack of depth.

The PC version is noted for technical problems such as bugs, glitches, soft-locks, and frequent Ubisoft launcher password prompts, hindering gameplay.

Some players find the side content repetitive and tedious, especially the synchronization requirements and city restoration mechanics.

Navigation difficulties in certain map areas and occasional control clunkiness detract from immersion.

The combat system, while fun, can become repetitive, and some feel the recruit mechanic lessens the challenge.

Pros

  • Innovative assassin recruitment system adds strategic depth to gameplay.
  • Fluid and satisfying combat mechanics with entertaining animations.
  • Beautifully rendered and immersive Renaissance Rome setting.
  • Engaging parkour and platforming sequences evoke classic gameplay.
  • Rich historical atmosphere with authentic accents and voice acting.
  • Extensive side missions and city restoration add gameplay variety.
  • Strong continuation of Ezio’s character development.

Cons

  • PC port plagued by bugs, glitches, and launcher issues.
  • Story shorter and less compelling than Assassin’s Creed II.
  • Repetitive side content and tedious synchronization goals.
  • Navigation challenges in wilderness and hilly map areas.
  • Combat can become repetitive and less challenging over time.
  • Frequent Ubisoft Connect password requests disrupt gameplay.
  • Some controls feel clunky and unintuitive on PC.

Rating Criteria

Story
Difficulty
Graphics
Duration
Stability
Worth the Price
Capsule image

It’s time to join the Brotherhood.

Release Date Mar 22nd 2011
Publisher Ubisoft
Developer Ubisoft Montreal
Required Age 17+
Platforms

User Reviews

Very Positive (8,128)
87% Positive 13% Negative

Online Reviews

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Metacritic
88