Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

Games are essentially just about pressing buttons. You may see your character on screen, diving away from a hail of bullets, pirouetting quickly before slicing a foe with a sword, but all you’ve done is press A followed by X.

Most releases do a good job of disguising this gap between what’s actually happening and what’s happening on screen, but ever so often a game comes along that applies too much artistic license to the button presses and ends up more like a film than an interactive world.

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood is one such game.

Hunt them down

Brotherhood is the third of the Assassin’s Creed games on home consoles, and the fourth Java mobile title. Like last year’s edition, the game takes the form of a side-scrolling action-platformer – a genre Gameloft is particularly good at.

The plot picks up directly after the events of Assassin’s Creed 2, with Ezio continuing to chase down the Templers inside Renaissance Italy

I won’t ruin too much of the storyline, but needless to say this new adventure features our lovable assassin hooking up with fellow members of the group over the course of the story, multiple gruesome deaths, and a few historical figures getting stuck in to the action in an unbelievable fashion.

Unfortunately, also like last year’s edition, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood is so linear it feels like you’re not in control of the nimble assassin at all.

Every single jump and move is signposted on screen with a big flashing number, moreso than Gameloft’s other titles, leaving the player in absolutely no doubt where to go, but giving them no choice either.

Tellingly, should you backtrack slightly and start again on the correct path, jumps that were automatically made when the flashing button was displayed are suddenly missed, wall-jumps no longer connecting with the free-flowing ease of before.

During one fight on level seven, the jump buttons ceased to work altogether until the game decided I ‘needed’ them, despite me running out of room on a platform.

All these restrictions on gameplay do mean the animations and graphics look fantastic - the set-pieces at the end of each level that see Ezio slice up different targets in a delightfully original way are particularly enjoyable.

Not so enjoyable were the top-down flying sections, which feature one of the worst boss fights since Predators - relying on cheap tricks and lengthy repetition to overcome.

As an hour-long 'experience', Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood is exciting and enjoyable, hurtling along at pace, and filled with ultra-cool looking kills and close-shaves.

However, after that hour is up, you may be forgiven for wondering why it needed you along for the ride.