Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Third major Assassin's Creed installment, sequel to Assassin's Creed II.
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, an action-adventure game from Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft, hit shelves in 2010. It marks the third main entry in the Assassin's Creed franchise and the second part of the "Ezio Trilogy," picking up right after the events of 2009's Assassin's Creed II. The game first launched for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2010, with a Microsoft Windows version following in March 2011. A remastered version, bundled together with Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Revelations, came out as The Ezio Collection for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 15, 2016, and later for Nintendo Switch on February 17, 2022.
The story blends fictional history with real-world events, centering on the endless conflict between the Assassins—who champion peace and free will—and the Templars, who seek order through control. In the modern-day framing, protagonist Desmond Miles uses a device called the Animus to revisit the memories of his ancestor, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, hoping to stop a 2012 apocalypse. The main plot unfolds during the Italian Wars, from 1500 to 1507, continuing directly from Assassin's Creed II. Here, Ezio brings the fight against the Templars, led by the powerful Borgia family, to Rome. His goal: rebuild the Assassin Brotherhood in Italy and free the city from Borgia rule.
Gameplay takes place in an open world from a third-person perspective, emphasizing combat, climbing, and stealth. Players control Desmond and Ezio to eliminate targets and explore the environment. As Ezio, you can roam Rome freely to push the story forward or tackle various side missions unrelated to the main plot. For the first time in the series, Brotherhood includes a multiplayer mode, where players take on the roles of Templars in training. Several downloadable content packs were released, including *The Da Vinci Disappearance*, a story expansion set during the single-player campaign.
Critics praised Brotherhood for its setting, fresh content, gameplay refinements over its predecessor, and the new multiplayer mode. While the narrative was well-received, many felt it fell short of Assassin's Creed II's story. The game earned multiple awards, including a BAFTA for Best Action Game, and sold 7.2 million units by May 2011. The final chapter of the Ezio Trilogy, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, arrived in November 2011.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
- Developer
- Ubisoft Montreal
- Publisher
- Ubisoft
- Director
- Patrick Plourde
- Producer
- Vincent Pontbriand
- Designer
- Steven Masters
- Programmer
- Stéphane Girard
- Artist
- Mohamed Gambouz / Wilson Mui
- Writer
- Patrice Désilets / Corey May / Jeffrey Yohalem
- Composer
- Jesper Kyd
- Series
- Assassin's Creed
- Engine
- Anvil
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game's plot is set in a fictional history of real-world events and follows the millennia-old struggle between the Assassins, who fight to preserve peace and free will, and the Templars, who desire peace through control. The framing story is set in the 21st century and features series protagonist Desmond Miles using a machine known as the Animus to relive the memories of his Assassin ancestor, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, and find a way to avert the 2012 apocalypse. The main narrative takes place during the Italian Wars, spanning the years 1500–1507, and continues from the events of Assassin's Creed II, as Ezio takes the fight against the Templars (led by the powerful Borgia family) to Rome, where he attempts to rebuild the Assassin Brotherhood in Italy and liberate the city from the Borgias' control.
Reader's Guide
Brotherhood received critical acclaim, with praise directed at its setting, new content, gameplay improvements over its predecessor, and the new multiplayer mode. The narrative was also positively received, although it was generally seen as inferior to that of Assassin's Creed II. The game won multiple awards including a BAFTA award for Best Action Game. It was also commercially successful, shipping 7.2 million units by May 2011. The game introduced a multiplayer component to the series, in which players assume the role of Templars in training. A number of downloadable content packs were released, including The Da Vinci Disappearance, a story expansion set during the events of the single-player campaign. A remastered version of Brotherhood, along with Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Revelations, was released as part of The Ezio Collection compilation for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 15, 2016, and for the Nintendo Switch on February 17, 2022.
Did You Know?
- Brotherhood is the first game in the main Assassin's Creed series to feature a multiplayer mode.
- The game's primary setting is Rome, which is roughly three times larger than Florence from Assassin's Creed II.
- The game introduces the Brotherhood system, allowing the player to recruit new Assassin initiates after destroying Borgia towers.
- A remastered version was released as part of The Ezio Collection in 2016 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and in 2022 for Nintendo Switch.
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