Assassin’s Creed® Brotherhood Review Summary

Superior Gameplay & Enduring Quality: The game is widely considered an improvement over its predecessor, Assassin's Creed II, in nearly every aspect. Players laud its engaging, fun, and polished gameplay that maintains high quality even years after release, with many calling it a series peak or a timeless classic.

Enhanced Combat & Killstreaks: The combat system received significant improvements, notably the introduction of killstreaks and chain executions. This makes battles more fluid, dynamic, spectacular, and satisfying, transforming confrontations into a seamless and engaging experience.

Improved Graphics & Technical Polish: The game features noticeable graphical upgrades, including better textures, models, lighting, and cutscenes, especially compared to Assassin's Creed II. Players appreciate the overall technical refinements, contributing to a visually appealing and immersive experience that still holds up well.

Fluid Parkour System: The parkour and free-running mechanics are noted for being smoother, more fluid, and generally improved compared to previous games. The city design effectively complements the traversal, making climbing and navigating Rome an enjoyable and seamless experience.

Ezio's Masterful Character Evolution: Players highly praise Ezio Auditore's compelling character arc, transitioning from a revenge-driven youth to a wise, charismatic Master Assassin and leader of the Brotherhood. The game is seen as a seamless, superior continuation of his story from AC2, deepening his personality and overall impact.

Limited World Scope & Diversity: The decision to set the game primarily in a single city, Rome, was a major point of criticism for players who enjoyed the varied cities and environments of Assassin's Creed II. This limited scope contributed to a sense of monotony and made the game feel less grand or diverse.

Shorter, Less Engaging Story: Many players felt the game's main story was significantly shorter, less memorable, and less engaging compared to Assassin's Creed II, often feeling more like an expansion than a full sequel. The plot was perceived as rushed, particularly towards the end, and lacked the emotional depth and character development of its predecessor.

Lack of Innovation, Dated Gameplay: Reviewers noted a lack of significant innovation in gameplay mechanics and structure compared to its predecessor, making the game feel repetitive and aged. Core elements were often unchanged or perceived as clunkier, contributing to the impression of it being a 'DLC' rather than a distinct new installment.

Widespread Bugs & Performance Issues: Players reported numerous and varied bugs, glitches, and performance problems, especially on modern PC hardware and high refresh rate monitors. These issues, ranging from graphical glitches and crashes to game-breaking bugs that prevented mission completion, often required players to seek online solutions or specific workarounds.

Frustrating 100% Sync & Repetitive Side Content: The requirement for 'full synchronization' via optional mission objectives was a significant source of frustration, with players finding these objectives overly demanding and restrictive. The open world was also perceived as cluttered with an excessive amount of repetitive and uninteresting side activities, which felt like artificial lengthening.

Expanded AC2 Gameplay & New Features: While building directly upon the successful foundation of Assassin's Creed II, the gameplay introduces significant refinements. Key additions include a fluid kill streak combat system, the versatile crossbow weapon, and notably, the franchise's first multiplayer mode, creating an experience that feels like a comprehensive evolution rather than just an add-on.

Ample Side Content & Playtime: The game offers a substantial amount of content, with the main story providing a solid foundation. Numerous side quests, Borgia tower liberations, and other activities extend the total playtime significantly, often pushing completion times into the 35-45 hour range, providing plenty for players to engage with beyond the core narrative.

Challenging Optional Synchronization: Missions include optional full synchronization objectives that add an extra layer of challenge and replayability, particularly for completionists. Achieving 100% synchronization, sometimes required to unlock specific side content like Cristina's missions, demands patience and precision, offering a deeper engagement for dedicated players.

Generally Easy Combat Difficulty: Many players found the combat difficulty to be relatively easy, particularly for the main story without striving for full synchronization. While the core mechanics are straightforward to learn, mastering advanced techniques like kill streaks might offer a higher skill ceiling.

Modern-Day Narrative Advancement: The modern-day storyline continues with Desmond Miles and his team, who visit the Auditore Villa to access Ezio's memories and uncover clues about the Apple of Eden. These sequences involve platforming and progress the overarching Templar-Assassin conflict, linking the historical and contemporary plots.

High FPS causes critical bugs: Many players report that running the game above 60 FPS or 60Hz refresh rates leads to severe issues, including game-breaking bugs, mission progression blockers, physics malfunctions (e.g., flying machine controls), and cutscene failures. Capping the framerate to 60 FPS using in-game or external tools is a widely recommended and often necessary workaround for playability.

Runs well on low-end hardware: The game has relatively low system requirements and is noted to run smoothly on older or less powerful PCs, including laptops and those without dedicated graphics cards. Its manageable installation size further contributes to its accessibility on diverse systems.

Essential Ezio Trilogy Continuation: Players widely consider Assassin's Creed Brotherhood a crucial and high-quality continuation of Ezio Auditore's story, building on the foundation of AC2. Many recommend playing the entire Ezio trilogy for the full narrative and experience, specifically advising playing AC2 first to understand the context.

Highly Recommended Game: The game generally receives overwhelmingly positive reviews and high numerical ratings, being praised as an enjoyable, classic, and timeless experience. Reviewers frequently express strong satisfaction and recommend it to a broad audience, although a few scores are lower.

Avoid PC Version Due to Bugs: A significant number of players strongly advise against purchasing or playing the PC version, particularly on Steam, citing prevalent bugs, frame rate issues, and problems with the Ubisoft launcher and cloud saves. They suggest playing older versions or community-patched alternatives for a better experience.

Best Purchased On Sale: Many players recommend buying the game, but strongly suggest waiting for a discount or purchasing it as part of a bundle, like the Ezio trilogy. They emphasize that the game offers excellent value when acquired at a reduced price.

Cautious Approach for New Players: New or casual players are advised to approach the game with caution, acknowledging its older controls and potential quirks. Some suggest it might be better experienced as a story-focused playthrough or even watched, rather than played for extensive exploration, unless familiar with older game mechanics.

Strong AC2 Sequel & Series Context: Brotherhood is widely recognized as a direct and respectable sequel to AC2, furthering Ezio's narrative. While many appreciate its contribution to the Ezio trilogy, opinions vary on its standing within the broader Assassin's Creed franchise compared to other installments.

Varied Playtime & Replayability: Players experience diverse game lengths, from quick main story completions (5-15 hours) to extensive 100% runs (up to 80+ hours). Replayability is often good for a few runs, driven by addiction or nostalgia, though some find aspects repetitive.

Cherished Nostalgic Experience: The game, being over a decade old, strongly evokes nostalgia and childhood memories for many players, often becoming a "comfort game." Its age is frequently cited as a factor for minor technical issues.

Broad Audience Appeal: The game is considered suitable for a wide demographic, including adolescents, teens, and adults. While some content is not explicitly child-friendly, its overall appeal spans various age groups.

Feels Like a Large AC2 DLC: Many players perceive Brotherhood as an extensive DLC or expansion for Assassin's Creed II, given its direct narrative continuation and similar core mechanics, despite its own innovations and optimized designs.