Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood released in 2010 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with the PC version following in March 2011. Ubisoft Montreal developed it, Ubisoft published it, and it is the third major installment in the series and the second chapter of the Ezio trilogy, picking up directly after Assassin’s Creed II.
Trailer, via Assassin’s Creed.
Monteriggioni Falls to Cesare Borgia
Cesare Borgia and the Papal Army besiege Monteriggioni. Cesare kills Ezio’s uncle Mario and claims the Apple for the Templars. An injured Ezio escapes and travels to Rome, the center of Templar power in Italy.
Rome is where the game lives. Ezio finds the Assassin Order has lost much of its manpower, convinces Niccolò Machiavelli he can lead it, and recruits citizens back to the cause.
Striking First Beats Counter-Attacking
The combat system changed. Striking first and offensive actions are more deadly than in previous games, where counter-attacks were the most efficient. That old system made players wait for AI opponents to strike, which slowed the pace of fighting.
The AI is more aggressive now, and enemies can attack simultaneously. Ezio can use melee and ranged weapons at the same time, including his hidden pistol, which previously could not be used in combat. Kill one enemy and an execution streak begins. Heavy weapons — axes, spears, swords — can be thrown. New enemy types include horsemen, arquebusiers, and papal guards.
Recruits, and the Brotherhood System
The Brotherhood system lets Ezio recruit and command Assassins, then summon them mid-fight. The single-player campaign is estimated to provide 15+ hours of gameplay.
21 Characters in Multiplayer
Multiplayer is a first for the series. Players pick from 21 characters, each with unique assassination moves and a signature weapon:
- Courtesan, Barber, Priest, Noble, Prowler
- Executioner, Doctor, Blacksmith, Captain, Smuggler
- Engineer, Footpad, Thief, Hellequin, Mercenary
The Harlequin and the Officer were pre-order exclusives, later included in The Da Vinci Disappearance along with the Trajan Market and Aqueducts locations. That pack adds four more: Dama Rossa, Knight, Marquis, and Pariah. Characters can be customized as the player levels up, changing outfit color and equipping different gear.
Desmond, the Animus, and the Apple of Eden
In the modern day, Desmond Miles relives Ezio’s memories through the Animus 2.0 to find the Apple of Eden, which could prevent an impending disaster that same year. Nolan North voices Desmond, Kristen Bell is Lucy Stillman, Eliza Schneider is Rebecca Crane, Danny Wallace is Shaun Hastings, and Roger Craig Smith is Ezio.
For the first time, Desmond can leave the Animus at almost any given time to explore Monteriggioni, where the Assassins have set up base. He can also access virtual training missions that test combat and free-running.
What the Three Years in Rome Add Up To
Over the next three years, Ezio cripples the Borgias’ hold on the capital, sabotaging Cesare’s resources and assassinating key people close to him. That grind is the game’s spine, and it is why the recruit system matters:
- Recruits can be summoned mid-combat, turning a fight into a command.
- Sabotage and assassination wear down the Borgia network instead of one target.
- Multiplayer gives the series a second mode that stands on its own.
The modern-day sections remain the weakest thread, in this paper’s view. The framing story plays like homework between the good parts, and the virtual training missions are thin.
Brotherhood does not reinvent the series. It sharpens it, and the combat changes are the clearest proof — counter-attacking had slowed fights to a crawl. That verdict is ours, not the source’s. The multiplayer is the part worth watching.
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