Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a 2010 action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the third major installment in the Assassin's Creed series, a direct sequel to 2009's Assassin's Creed II, and the second chapter in the 'Ezio trilogy'. The game was first released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November and December 2010, and was later made available on Microsoft Windows in March and June 2011.

The plot follows the centuries-old struggle between the Assassins, who fight for peace with 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 who, with the aid of a machine known as the Animus, relives the memories of his ancestors to find a way to avert the 2012 apocalypse. The main story takes place immediately after the plot of Assassin's Creed II, featuring Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze in 16th century Italy and his quest to restore the Assassin order, and destroy his enemies: the Borgia family.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is set in an open world and presented from the third-person perspective with a primary focus on using Desmond and Ezio's combat and stealth abilities to eliminate targets and explore the environment. Ezio is able to freely explore 16th-century Rome to complete side missions away from the primary storyline. The game introduced a multiplayer component to the series, portrayed as a Templar training program.

The game received critical acclaim with critics praising its setting of Rome, content, gameplay improvements over its predecessor and the addition of a multiplayer mode; the story received a mostly positive response, although several critics found it to be inferior to Assassin's Creed II's. It also won multiple awards including a BAFTA award for Best Action Game. It was followed in November 2011 by Assassin's Creed: Revelations, a direct sequel that served as a conclusion to Ezio's story and continued the story of Desmond Miles.

A remastered version, along with Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Revelations, was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 15, 2016 as part of The Ezio Collection.

Gameplay
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is an action-adventure video game with main emphasis on nonlinear, sandbox style gameplay, parkour movements, crowd-blending stealth, assassinations and melee fighting system. The combat system features several improvements and for the first time in the series, the game offers a multiplayer mode alongside 15+ hours of single-player gameplay.

The game introduces a new management system: the player can recruit new members by destroying any of twelve "Borgia towers" around Rome where papal troops are stationed and then rescuing disgruntled citizens in their districts from being harassed by guards. The player, as Ezio, can then send them to assignments around Europe or call them for support during missions (if they are not already occupied). Tasking the novice Assassins makes them gain experience, and the player is able to customize their appearance, skills, and weapon training to some degree by spending the skill points they have earned. Assassins can die on missions, from which they will not return. Ezio masters new gadgets, such as Leonardo da Vinci's parachute, which can be used when jumping from tall buildings, along with poison darts, a faster acting poison, a crossbow, and the ability to hold and throw heavier weapons like axes.

The primary setting is Rome, which has fallen into ruin due to the corrupt rule of the Borgia papacy and the Templars over the Papal States and concentrating all the wealth in the Vatican. Just like the town of Monteriggioni in Assassin's Creed II, the player is able to invest in the city, witness its development, and unlock rewards. The player has to conquer and destroy Borgia towers to free city zones from the family's influence. Completing this unlocks new missions and opportunities. Rome is larger than any of the cities in the first two installments (Rome is three times bigger than Florence from Assassin's Creed II ) and includes five districts: Vatican (Vaticano), Central (Centro), Trans-Tiber (Trastevere), Country (Campagna) and Antique (Antico). Unlike the previous installments, travel between different cities or regions is no longer present, as most of the action in the game takes place around the city of Rome. Instead, a series of tunnel networks throughout the city allow the player to travel to different sectors of the city with ease. However players will be able to explore the entire city of Rome, visit the harbour of Naples, a part of Navarre, Spain, Valnerina, Lake of Nevi and present day Monteriggioni.

The combat system has been modified. Striking first and offensive actions are more deadly in Brotherhood than previous games where counter-attacks were the most efficient. Before, this made the player wait until the AI struck, which slowed down the pace of fighting. The AI in this game is thus more aggressive and enemies can attack simultaneously. To dispatch them, Ezio can use melee and ranged weapons at the same time, as well as introducing the hidden pistol in combat. After killing one enemy the player can start an execution streak to dispatch multiple enemies quickly. Ezio can throw heavy weapons (axes, spears, and swords) at his enemies. There are new enemy archetypes in addition to those seen in Assassin's Creed II such as horsemen, arquebusiers, papal guards and others.

Horses play a larger role in Brotherhood, not only used as a means of transport (inside the city for the first time) but as a component of acrobatic sequences and advanced combat as well, allowing ranged weapons to be used while riding them. Brotherhood also introduces various types of horse-related assassinations, featuring horse-to-horse assassinations. There are environmental objects like the flower pot in Assassin's Creed II to move faster inside the city (a system of tunnels around the city allow fast travel), as well as new objects such as merchandise lifts to quickly climb up high buildings or structures.

Unlike previous installments, Desmond can leave the Animus at almost any time. This allows Desmond to explore the present-day town of Monteriggioni. The player is also offered virtual training, a mini-game where the player may test their free-running or combat skills.

Like Assassin's Creed, characters based on historical figures are present in the game, including Rodrigo Borgia, Cesare Borgia, Niccolo Machiavelli, Caterina Sforza and Leonardo da Vinci. Locations in the game include the Colosseum and the Pantheon in Rome.

Multiplayer
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is the first game in the main series to feature a multiplayer mode. The players are Templars in training at the Abstergo facility. They use the animi (plural for animus) seen at the beginning of Assassin's Creed II to access memories of old Templars and to acquire their skills using the "bleeding effect". There are eight game modes (Wanted, Alliance, Manhunt, Chest Capture, Advanced Wanted, Advanced Alliance, Escort and Assassinate) and different maps, including the areas from the second and the third game like Florence, as well as new maps like Rome, Castel Gandolfo, Siena and Mont Saint-Michel. The gameplay in multiplayer mode is similar to the core gameplay of the series, as players are required to use their assassination and stealth skills. The players must hunt down targets while being hunted themselves. Players earn points by performing assassinations, defending against pursuers, attaining bonuses or completing mode-specific objectives. It also contains a variety of characters, most of which must be unlocked.

The multiplayer mode also includes a leveling system, which allows players to unlock rewards by earning experience points during the matches and gaining new levels. Players can then unlock abilities, perks and streaks. Abilities are active skills, which can be used again only after a cool down time. Perks are passive skills, which can be equipped before the match and they are active all the time. Streaks are bonuses awarded for reaching certain number of successful or failed contracts. The multiplayer beta, exclusive to PlayStation 3 users, was announced at E3 2010. It began on October 4, 2010, with early access for PlayStation Plus subscribers from September 27, and ended on October 18, 2010. Three maps were playable in the beta: Rome, Castel Gandolfo and Siena.

Game modes
In Wanted, at least six players are on a map where they must find and assassinate each other. Each player is given another player as a target. The goal is to find and kill a target without being seen or killed by the player's own pursuer or pursuers. Players are indistinguishable from some of the NPC's throughout the maps. If the player kills an NPC by mistake or otherwise breaks cover, they are more easily spotted by pursuer or target alike, sometimes resulting in a chase. The player with the highest score at the end of the session wins. Players will lose their contract if they kill an NPC, are stunned by their target or their target is killed by another player. A player cannot kill another player who is not the target, but they can stun their hunter. Advanced Wanted mode is a variant of Wanted mode, with differences including an increased amount of NPCs on the map to make it difficult to pick out targets and a less accurate compass. There is generally more stealth involved in this mode than in basic Wanted.
 * Free-For-All

The Assassinate mode is similar to Wanted, but instead of target contracts being assigned to players, all players are fair game. Players must identify other player characters and lock on before assassinating. Because two players can kill each other, whoever locks on first becomes the hunter and the other becomes the target. The standard compass found in Wanted is replaced by directional arrows based on proximity, that grow to become arcs around the perimeter of the compass as other players near, and will eventually create a full circle when other players are very close. As in other modes, the player with the highest score at the end of the session is the winner.

In Alliance, there are three teams, each limited to two players, both of which use the same persona. The point of this mode is to get more points than the other teams, but each team is chased by another and is only allowed to kill one specific team (not the team chasing them, but they will be able to stun the team hunting them). This mode encourages players to work together, as teammates can help each other or they can assassinate their targets simultaneously. The Advanced Alliance mode is a variant of Alliance mode, however the players' compasses as well as target engagement becomes more difficult, similar to the Advanced Wanted mode.
 * Team

In Manhunt there are two teams of four. One team is the hunters, the other is the hunted. Each team looks like a specific character and takes turns being the hunter and the hunted. Hunters obtain points by assassinations, while the hunted obtain points from escapes, stuns, and remaining hidden. The team with the highest score wins. In Chest Capture there are two teams of four. One team is the hunters, and the other is the hunted who need to steal chests by standing close to them. Each team looks like a specific character and takes turns being the hunter and the hunted. Hunters obtain points by assassinations, while the hunted obtain points from escapes, stuns, and stealing chests. The team with the highest score wins. The Escort mode sees one team of four players protecting a wandering NPC while the other team of four tries to assassinate him. There are two NPCs to protect at a time and they walk through a series of checkpoints, which are visible to both teams. When an escorted NPC is killed, another is synchronized. This mode has two rounds with each team playing once as an escort and once as assassins.

Characters
Players are able to choose one of the 21 available characters, including: Courtesan, Barber, Priest, Noble, Prowler, Executioner, Doctor, Blacksmith, Captain, Smuggler, Engineer, Footpad,  Thief, Hellequin (a female Harlequin, which is available through uPlay) and Mercenary. Two special characters were only available in the selected pre-order editions of the game: the Harlequin and the Officer. However, these two pre-order special characters are also included in The Da Vinci Disappearance downloadable content as are the formerly pre-order only Trajan Market and Aqueducts special locations. The pack contains 4 new characters, Dama Rossa, Knight, Marquis, and Pariah. Each character has unique assassination moves and a signature weapon. Characters can be customized as the player levels up. These customization options include changing the color of the outfit, and equipping different gear.

Plot
Desmond's story continues where it left off, in 2012. After escaping the Templars' attack at the end of Assassin's Creed II, Desmond Miles, Lucy Stillman, Rebecca Crane, and Shaun Hastings flee to Monteriggioni, establishing a new hideout in the ruins of the Villa Auditore. After restoring the electricity in the old tunnels under the villa, the player once again takes control of Ezio Auditore through Desmond's genetic memory, using the Animus 2.0 (which is the game's memory interface). Their mission is to find the Apple of Eden, an important and mysterious artifact that could prevent the impending disaster that is coming in that same year, believed to be perpetrated by the Templars.

Ezio's story continues in 1499, where he exits the Vault, confused by what he saw inside. He escapes Rome with his uncle, Mario Auditore, and returns to Monteriggioni. Once home, Ezio is comforted by the prospect that his personal vendetta is over; however, Niccolò Machiavelli challenges Ezio's decision to leave Rodrigo Borgia (now Pope Alexander VI) alive. The following morning - New Year's Day - Monteriggioni is besieged by Cesare Borgia, son of Rodrigo. Mario is killed at the hands of Cesare himself, and the Apple lost to Cesare and the Templars. Ezio escapes with his family and travels once more to Rome, the center of Templar power in Italy, once again seeking vengeance against the Borgias. There, he discovers that the Assassins are failing in their fight against corruption. Determined to rebuild the Guild, Ezio convinces Machiavelli that he has what it takes to lead while assembling a Brotherhood powerful enough to destroy the Templars and his new nemesis, Cesare.

Over the next four years, Ezio executes various tasks meant to cripple the Borgias' hold in the capital, sabotaging Cesare's resources and assassinating key people close to and/or working with him in the process, and slowly restoring Rome to its former glory. After returning the Roman Assassins to full strength, Ezio is given the rank of Il Mentore (Italian for "The Mentor"), and made de facto leader of the Assassins in Italy. During this time, Ezio's sister Claudia is also made an Assassin.

Cesare, learning of Ezio's actions, confronts his suspicious father and desperately asks for more money, and the Apple itself. Rodrigo refuses, cautious of provoking the Assassins, and attempts to poison his son, realizing that Cesare's lust for power can't be held at bay. Cesare, however, turns the tables on his father and kills him instead. Ezio witnesses this and, after learning of the Apple's location, retrieves it from within St. Peter's Basilica. Ezio uses it to overwhelm Cesare's forces and gradually withdraw the backing of his supporters; Cesare is finally arrested by Pope Julius II's Papal Army after Ezio and the Assassins confront him and kill his remaining followers.

Sometime later, Ezio uses the Apple once more to check on Cesare, who has broken out of prison and, after gaining the support of his new patron, John III of Navarre, laid siege to the city of Viana, in Navarre. Ezio encounters Cesare on the battlements of a crumbling castle and fights him. Cesare claims that he cannot be killed by the hand of a mortal man, thus inciting Ezio to "leave [him] in the hands of fate" by dropping him off the battlements to his death. Ezio then takes the Apple and hides it in a First Civilization Temple built underneath the Roman Colosseum.

Using the coordinates taken from Ezio's memories, Desmond, Lucy, Shaun and Rebecca travel to the Temple, intending to use the Apple to locate the remaining Temples and keep the other Pieces of Eden out of the Templars' hands. As Desmond makes his way into the Temple, he is confronted with holographic apparitions of a being called Juno, who appears to be of the same race as Minerva; however, she is neither audible nor visible to Lucy, Shaun, or Rebecca. Most of her comments center on humanity's lack of knowledge. She states that humanity is "innocent and ignorant;" that people were not built to be wise, having been given only five of the six senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing, but lacking knowledge. Her careful cadence then drops, as she suddenly becomes angry, yelling, "We should have left you as you were!"

As Desmond approaches the Apple and touches it, time freezes around him, though he can still move and speak. Juno cryptically states that Desmond is descended from her race, and is their enemy; she also says there is a woman who would accompany him through "the gate," but must not be allowed to. She takes control of Desmond's body and forces him to stab Lucy in the abdomen. Both fall to the ground, with Lucy dead and Desmond entering a coma. As the credits roll, two men are heard discussing whether to put Desmond back in the Animus.

Development
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood was developed by Ubisoft Montreal. Montreal also worked on both of the other main Assassin's Creed games in the series and was thus chosen to lead production for the third installment. A new Assassin's Creed episode featuring multiplayer was announced during Ubisoft's 2009 fiscal third quarter results while not revealing its name. In early May 2010, a GameStop employee published on the internet some images of a pre-order box featuring the Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood title while Ubisoft was teasing the game on Facebook and Twitter. Ubisoft then confirmed the authenticity of these pictures. Brotherhood has not been numbered unlike Assassin's Creed II because players, and even developers themselves would have expected a new setting and a new ancestor while this is only the continuation of Ezio's story.

The game was developed primarily by Ubisoft Montreal in Canada. Production was aided in part by four other Ubisoft developers: Annecy, Singapore, Bucharest and Québec City. The multiplayer mode is mainly developed by Ubisoft Annecy, the studio responsible for creating multiplayer mode in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. Ubisoft also announced plans for downloadable content (DLC) after the game's launch. Two sets of free DLC have already been released under the names "Animus Project Update 1.0" and "Animus Project Update 2.0". The first includes the new map Mont Saint-Michel and one new mode, Advanced Alliance. The "Animus Project Update 2.0" was released in January 2011, was also free, and included another map, mode and the introduction of a player grading system. From the perspective of performance, Ubisoft have commented that they hope the gaps between the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions will be even smaller with Brotherhood.

Additionally, humorist Danny Wallace and actress Kristen Bell reprise their roles from Assassin's Creed II.

While still in development, creative director Patrice Désilets left before the game's presentation at the E3 2010. Ubisoft and production manager Jean-Francois Boivin stated that he only took a "creative break" after completing his task on Brotherhood. A teaser trailer of the multiplayer mode was released on the official site before the E3. A cinematic debut trailer was diffused during Ubisoft's E3 2010 press conference along a walkthrough of the game's beginning. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood reached gold status on October 28, 2010. The Microsoft Windows version has Nvidia 3D Vision and multi screen support through AMD Eyefinity. It also uses Tagès copy protection, as well as Ubisoft online services platform, but doesn't require an always-on Internet connection to play. On November 30, 2010, a novelization of the game was published. The novel is a sequel to the previous novel.

Music
The music in the game was composed by Jesper Kyd, who created the scores to previous Assassin's Creed games. The soundtrack was released digitally on November 16, 2010. A physical CD-DA release of the soundtrack accompanied selected retail editions. However, the track-listing is altered from the digital release — the CD has 22 tracks, including 3 exclusive pieces, but is missing "Apple Chamber" present in the digital release.

Retail editions
There are different special retail editions of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Different editions are available in different regions. There is also a certain number of pre-order bonuses, which may vary, depending on the retailer. Some retailers also offered the access to the multiplayer beta on the PlayStation 3 system as a pre-order bonus. All versions of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood for the PlayStation 3 feature exclusive free additional downloadable content called the Copernicus Conspiracy which became available on the PlayStation Store on November 16, 2010. Players have access to several new missions featuring the famous Renaissance astronomer Copernicus. Extra content includes courier, assassination and protection missions — Ezio will be tasked with foiling the conspiracy against Copernicus and defending his philosophy. The PC version of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood was released by Akella in Russia in exclusive Collector's Edition featuring 6 metal figurines of multiplayer characters.

Uplay content
Ubisoft's Uplay system enables further in-game enhancements which can be redeemed by points that are given when playing the game. The available awards are a Brotherhood theme or wallpaper for PC and PlayStation 3, Florentine Noble Attire, Armor of Altaïr, Altaïr's Robes, Gun Capacity Upgrade and Hellequin character.

Copernicus Conspiracy
Copernicus Conspiracy is a free downloadable content pack for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, initially released exclusively for the PlayStation 3 on the game's release, later receiving official support on the PC via a patch on 23 May 2017 on both Steam and Uplay and later being automatically being available in the Ezio Trilogy Collection on the PS4 and Xbox One. It focuses on the famed astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who gets into trouble with the Vatican, who do not want Copernicus educating the public about astronomy. The pack consists of eight optional missions, ranging from courier, assassination and protection objectives.

Animus Project Update 1.0
The Animus Project Update 1.0 included a new game mode and a new map. The game mode, Advanced Alliance, is a version of the Alliance mode, with target identification and engagement more difficult than in the original, thus providing a more challenging experience for players. With three teams of two players each, Advanced Alliance is a tougher test for players and rewards teams that work together. The new map, Mont Saint-Michel, is located on a rocky tidal island of Normandy in France. Its particular topography of narrow streets, high-perched bell-tower, and multi-leveled architecture is perfect for hunters and predators alike to surge from out of nowhere to execute their prey. To survive, recruits need to use free-running and narrow roads to their advantage.

Animus Project Update 2.0
The Animus Project Update 2.0 included a new game mode and map. The Pienza Map provides a free-running playground with wide-open plaza areas, where predators and targets can quickly blend and disappear, surrounded by narrow alleys and multi-story buildings for extra verticality. In the new Chest Capture multiplayer mode, two teams composed of three players compete as Hunters and Protectors; partnered with fellow Templars, Hunters will attempt to steal the contents of the chests scattered around the map as protectors attempt to prevent this. Also included in the update is a Templar Score feature to reward diligent work by Abstergo recruits. Advanced Alliance is also packaged with the new DLC, while the Mont Saint-Michel map is not. Only one DLC can be activated at a time, so players will either be missing the new map from the 1.0 update or the new mode, new map and Templar Scoring from the 2.0 update.

The Da Vinci Disappearance
The Da Vinci Disappearance, on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live, features new content for both single player and multiplayer modes. For the single player game, this downloadable content includes 8 new missions, 2 new locations, and 10 trophies/achievements. The multiplayer content includes two new game modes, new map and four new characters. The PC version includes DLC for free (it must be activated through Uplay) along with both Animus Project Updates. In March, the "Da Vinci Edition" of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, was released for consoles. This version includes The Da Vinci Disappearance DLC.

The story revolves around Leonardo da Vinci's mysterious disappearance in the year 1506. Ezio arrives at Leonardo's workshop with his assistant Salaì and finds him missing. It is soon revealed that Leonardo found a secret vault and his plans were discovered by the Hermetics, members of the Cult of Hermes. Ezio finds writing on the floor that implies he should seek out five of Leonardo's paintings once owned by Ezio at Monteriggioni but now missing. The majority of this sequence focuses on the search for and retrieval of these paintings by Ezio. After finding these paintings, Ezio identifies the location of a new subterranean location in Roma and proceeds there, to find Da Vinci imprisoned by Hermetics. After freeing Leonardo, the two of them find another vault, in which they are revealed the numbers 43 39 19 N and 75 27 42 W. Ezio comments on these numbers "It is not intended for us". At the end of the sequence, two male voices (one is the Assassin, William) are heard commenting that Desmond has fallen into a coma. They also comment "we have a location for the temple" and "then what are you waiting for, let's go." This DLC doubles as the technical Animus Project Update 3.0, with the addition of the preorder multiplayer characters, the Harlequin and Officer, as well as the preorder-only special Drachen Armor for Ezio.

Reception
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood received critical acclaim upon release. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the Xbox 360 version 90.55% and 89/100, the PlayStation 3 version 89.92% and 90/100  and the PC version 87.64% and 88/100. It won best Action Adventure game in the Spike TV Video Game Awards 2010 The game has also been nominated for 7 British Academy Video Games Awards in 2011, including Best Game. It won an award in the Action category, losing to Mass Effect 2 in the category for Best Game.

The multiplayer was heralded by many at E3 2010, where it was showcased for the first time. GameTrailers lauded it as the Best Multiplayer Game of the show. The multiplayer portion of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood was generally well received by critics. Game Informer gave the Brotherhood a 9.25/10, commenting that the ability to raise a group of followers was a significant enhancement to the previous title's gameplay, and praising the new multiplayer mode as something never before seen. The magazine's review also gave very high marks to the graphics, sound effects and voice acting.

Eurogamer praised everything about Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, giving it a 10/10, and particularly noted the maturity of the story: "One mission sees Ezio disrupting an assassination attempt in the ruins of the Roman Colosseum during a play about the death of Jesus Christ. It demands a developer of poise and compassion to wield such thorny concepts deftly, and it's a measure of Ubisoft Montreal's maturity that it is more than equal to the challenge...Brotherhood builds an intriguing mystery around compelling characters, surrounds them with collectibles and secrets, and encourages play – and nothing feels out of place." In December 2015, Game Informer ranked the game as the best game in the Assassin's Creed series to date.

The Da Vinci Disappearance add-on was also met with favorable reviews, and holds a Metacritic score of 75/100.

Reviews for the delayed PC version questioned the reason behind the delayed release date as the game was virtually unchanged from the console version albeit with better graphical enhancements and minor bonus content. However most praised Ubisoft's move to remove the DRM that marred the PC version of Assassin's Creed II as well as include all DLC free of charge.

Sales
The game passed the one million sales mark in less than a week after its release. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood has become Ubisoft's fastest-selling European title ever. It also had the best Ubisoft's launch in Europe and is the best-selling launch title ever as of November 2010. As of May 2011, Ubisoft announced the game had shipped 8 million copies and helped the entire Assassin's Creed series to achieve over 28 million units sold.

Sequel
On May 5, 2011, Assassin's Creed: Revelations was revealed to be the next major installment in the Assassin's Creed franchise. It was released on November 15, 2011. The game is the second to have three playable characters (Altaïr, Ezio and Desmond) after Assassin's Creed II, which focused on Ezio and Desmond while Altaïr made a brief playable cameo. It is set in Constantinople, at the peak of the Ottoman Empire. Revelations brought back the multiplayer experience first introduced in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood with "more modes, more maps, and more characters" according to the official announcement. It is also the last game featuring Ezio.'