Detailed Analysis - Main Narrative
From Assassin to Leader
At the start of Ezio’s journey, we were introduced to a brash, charismatic, and willful young man, set on the path of an assassin to avenge his family. Along his journey, he would come to understand and learn a great many things about the Assassins, the Templars, and their place in history. While resistant to accepting his role as an Assassin, he eventually accepted it. Watching the reckless young man we first met, turn into an insightful, intelligent, and honourable assassin with decades of experience and wisdom behind him was an incredible experience, and continuing our journey with Ezio would prove to be an even better treat.
After his defeat of Rodrigo Borgia, Ezio decided to spare him, signifying a mature and fascinating change in the Assassin. After years of seeking vengeance for the death of his family, Ezio was able to let go of his hate, but for obvious reasons, he does not let go of the Apple, opting to deal with it later. After spending so many years on his path of vengeance, being able to let go is truly the 1st step of what will help Ezio become an even greater Assassin and a true leader. While this was the mature and right thing to do, other Assassins like Niccolò Machiavelli are not so understanding and chastise Ezio for this decision. While sparing Rodrigo was arguably the right thing for Ezio to do, it wasn’t necessarily the best thing for the country that still has to deal with him as its pope and leader. All Ezio wants to do is build a better future for his family and after spending so many years away from his mother and sister, they have become slightly estranged, but there love for one another is still strong.
The next morning, Ezio’s home is attacked by the Borgia’s armies. Admirably defending his home and allowing time for his people to escape, Ezio loses all his gear and equipment and his forces are defeated. Ezio also loses the apple to an unknown leader who murders Mario and fractures the Assassin’s strength. Ezio losing yet another member of his family again set’s him on a path to avenging his death and so journeys to Rome, which has seen better days. Thanks to the Borgia, Rome’s economy and well being of its citizens have dived. Reconvening with Niccolò, Ezio learns about the man behind the villa attack: Cesare Borgia, the son of Rodrigo and head of the Papal armies. Ezio seeks to erode the Borgia’s influence in the city while restoring the Assassin’s strength was lost during the attack. As well as losing the seat of their power, the Assassins have also begun turning on themselves as Assassin’s Niccolò and La Volpe’s relationship has fractured and most of their members are busy in other cities.
Ezio proves himself through numerous missions that he seems to be the only Assassin capable of eroding Borgia control from the city, lifting its people, and restoring the Brotherhood’s strength. Where the Assassins bicker amongst themselves and seek a quick victory, Ezio is level-headed and instead plays the long game, which is more effective. Solving discourse between the Assassins and the 3 main factions of the city: Thieves, Mercenaries, and Courtesans, Ezio establishes his network across the city. Eliminating captains in the city and taking their territories helps to put the city under the Assassin's control so that they pour money into the city and renovate it for its citizens. Doing this also influences more citizens to fight and so Ezio takes the initiative to recruit them and continue the charge against the Templars. Instead of attacking Cesare directly, Ezio does the smart thing, cutting off his political and financial capital to draw him back to the city so he can kill Cesare and Rodrigo at the same time.
As the course of the story unfolds, Ezio’s quest becomes less a mission of vengeance and more about justice and further solidifies why he is possibly the best Assassin there is in Italy. As Ezio’s mission comes to a close, the Assassins agree that Ezio needs to be put in his place, as the head of the Assassins. Going from a simple Florentine banker’s son to becoming the leader of the Italian sect of an ancient organization is no small feat and Ezio would never have been able to do it without the wisdom he has accumulated and the experiences he has been through. Eventually, he reclaims the apple and eliminates Cesare and his Templars bringing peace and justice to the people of Rome. Ezio proves himself to be the bespoke Assassin, worthy of the mantle of Assassin Mentor as he has arguably done more for the Italian Assassins then any of his predecessors and leaves clues behind for Desmond, so that he may retrieve the apple in the future.
The Borgia's
Returning as the villains of the game are the Borgia, this time in the form of Cesare Borgia, the son of Rodrigo and the new leader of the Templars and of the Papal armies. At the end of Assassin’s Creed 2, Ezio laid his vengeance to rest and allowed Rodrigo to live, only to have Cesare attack Monteriggioni sometime later, Cesare’s attack destroys the Assassin’s key base of operations, kills Mario, and costs the Assassins the apple that they have fought hard to possess. Cesare’s attack on the villa is what forces Ezio’s hand, to resume his assault on the Borgia and erode their influence.
In history, the Borgia were not saints and had a myriad of crimes under their belt that back then were very easy to get away with. Crimes like murder, rape, and incest were a highlight of the crimes the Borgia had committed but this didn’t stop them from nearly taking the entire country of Italy. In Brotherhood, Cesare stands as the head of the Papal Armies and is using his power, influence, and money to wage war across all of Italy and take it for himself. Behind him is the support of the Pope, and the Templars doing his bidding.
Rodrigo is again featured in the story but has a more passive presence than last time. While he is supporting Cesare by providing him with armies and money, he doesn’t seem to be actively preventing Ezio’s efforts to thwart Cesare’s conquest. Another introduction is Rodrigo’s daughter and Cesare’s sister/lover, Lucrezia. Lucrezia is a very jealous person, whose love map has been completely distorted by her twisted family. While initially seeming as an adversary of Ezio, she doesn’t provide much agency to the events that happen throughout the story. Through some moments you can see the bond between the 3 Borgia is a tenuous one at best. Rodrigo and Cesare are at odds as Rodrigo doesn’t want Cesare to overextend his grasp and lose the power they have already. Lucrezia, although plays along with Cesare’s wants, has affairs that she wishes to keep secret for fear of Cesare’s wrath. She also tends to act childish as she berates and even injures women she feels Cesare might have an attraction to.
As Ezio’s effort to eliminate Cesare’s influence across Italy progresses, he eventually cuts Cesare off from a vital part of his army and cuts off his funding by eliminating a French Baron and Juan Borgia, a nephew to Rodrigo, who are both Templars. Cesare’s return to Rome brings an air of purpose and retribution with him quickly cutting a path of murder and deceit to uncover why Ezio has been able to cut off Cesare’s support and do so much damage to their influence. On a mission to eliminate Cesare and Rodrigo, Ezio listens in on a meeting between the 2. Cesare, naturally angry, berates the pope for not stopping Ezio. Rodrigo, accepting some humility, admits that he could never have stopped Ezio and berates Cesare for zealously attacking the Assassin’s home. Rodrigo is not a good person, orchestrating many events in Assassin’s Creed 2 which resulted in the deaths of many people, but it is interesting to see how Rodrigo has changed. Where he would never have batted an eye at attacking the Assassins, his defeat to Ezio seems to have broken the fight in him and cause him to accept that there is only so much he can do.
Cesare’s and Rodrigo's argument turns even sourer, as Rodrigo has hidden the Apple of Eden and intends to keep it from Cesare. Lucrezia bursts in and warns Cesare of Rodrigo ironically poisoning him with a regular apple, that Cesare has already taken a bite out of it. Out of anger, Cesare chokes Rodrigo and hurts Lucrezia until she reveals the Apple of Eden’s location and leaves. Ezio enters the room and gives Rodrigo his last rite, after which Lucrezia tells Ezio the location of the apple, and thanks her before leaving. After spending so many years trying to kill Rodrigo, Ezio spared him only to have this decision come back to haunt him. After the villa attack, Ezio reaffirmed his commitment to killing Cesare and Rodrigo and as he was so close to completing his assassination of Rodrigo, Cesare beats him to the punch. Sparing Lucrezia is a decision that Ezio may too come to regret, but seeing as she is not a Templar and not currently a threat, he leaves peacefully. While most other Assassins would have killed her there and then, Ezio is not cruel and recognizes when someone has been used.
After years of searching, Ezio finally reclaims the apple before Cesare and as Cesare tries to rally whatever support he can, Ezio is there with his Assassins to stop him at every turn, eventually getting Cesare arrested before giving a chilling warning that he cannot be chained. Ezio decides to use the apple to learn about the future only to see that Cesare will escape, which forces Ezio to leave Rome quickly and pursues Cesare over a few years to Navarre where they would finally confront each other one last time and Ezio would defeat the Templar and throw him off a castle wall.
The final elimination of the Borgia Templars was a massive step for Ezio. For him, the crimes of the Borgia were the reason why he committed to being an Assassin. Ezio could have had an entirely different life, like his father who was a Banker by day and an Assassin by night. Instead of this, Ezio relinquished any other life and fully committed himself to the role of an Assassin. The Borgia took many lives and sowed chaos throughout Italy so that they could assert their power and control over the country. In many ways, Rodrigo only used the Templars for their power and access to retrieving the apple so he could expand his grasp on Italy. Cesare likewise only used the Templars to terrorize the city or Rome so he could control it. If Rodrigo succeeded then Italy and possibly the whole of Europe could have been plunged into a dark era that Rodrigo controlled. If Cesare succeeded in conquering Italy he would have created a vast Italian empire that would have eventually engulfed all of Europe. In the end, however, there were the architects of their downfall, grasping for more than they needed, killing for power and gains, and showing no loyalty to each other. If it wasn’t Ezio, it was them turning on each other.
Desmond's Journey
Following on from their escape from the warehouse safe zone, Desmond Miles and his team of Assassins consisting of himself, Lucy Stillman, Rebecca Crane and Shaun Hastings continue to run from the Templars while also trying to access specific moments from Ezio’s past. The team’s goal is simple, find Ezio’s Apple of Eden to find the Temples Minerva spoke of. When she touched the Apple, it was altered, possibly for when Desmond would come for the apple. The team take refuge at the old ruins of the Villa Auditore which has seen better days, however, the town of Monteriggioni itself has been modernized as the town seems to be a tourist point now. As the team tries and access a specific memory, where Ezio may have hidden the Apple, Ezio seems to be remembering something else which is causing the memory to collapse. Before they can progress further, they must find a safe place, the assassin sanctum under the villa is an ideal spot.
As Desmond has continued his use of the Animus, his symptoms from the Bleeding Effect have progressed past the desirable side effects. As well as taking on Ezio’s abilities and skills, he is now seeing almost spectral visions of Ezio’s memories which is a worrying prospect. After seeing ghosts, Subject 16 began to lose his sanity and eventually, his prolonged exposure to the Animus caused 16’s suicide. If Desmond isn’t careful he will eventually devolve into the same state that 16 did. While these side effects are not desirable, Desmond uses them to find an alternative way into the sanctum and to determine that Ezio came back to the villa, a long time after the attack. As they enter the sanctum, they set up for a long haul in the Animus. Trying to access the memory they want isn’t working so instead they decide to improve the memory sync by reliving the memories in the order Ezio relived them and so must pick up where he left Ezio in the vault.
Desmond’s time in the Animus is much different this time around, due to his increasing symptoms of The Bleeding Effect, Lucy encourages Desmond to come out of the Animus of his own volition whenever he needs a break. In AC2, where Desmond’s exits from the Animus were scripted, he can now leave the Animus at any time and explore modern-day Monteriggioni and interact with the members of the team. This is an exciting gameplay design as now instead of having optional and scripted moments with the team, we are now allowed to interact with the team whenever we want and depending on the different stages of Ezio’s journey we get very different dialogues at different points. Looking for these moments are rewarding on their own as they allow the player to get to know the Assassins better, learn more about what the Templars are up to and get to know your teammate's personalities.
While Brotherhood’s Modern Day story does not focus too much on Desmond’s fight against the Templars still does have a highlight on what the Templars are doing and what their goals are. For one thing, Abstergo is working on a brand new satellite network which they want to integrate the Apple of Eden with so they can control the world. The other Assassins are working to stop them but their teams are spread thin and they lack the resources to properly combat them. Despite Desmond’s skill, he is still very new to this war and has a certain naivete that makes him think finding Ezio’s apple will tip the scales of the war in the Assassin’s favour. Despite Desmond being born an Assassin, he has only been participating in the war for the last month or so and while hopeful, he is still incredibly foolish to believe that he can end the war in his lifetime. However, with the skills he has been able to acquire, he has already proven how effective he can be against the Templars and how he could prove to be a lynchpin in the war against the Templars as he continues to prove he is a capable Assassin.
As Desmond finally finishes Ezio’s memories of where he hid the apple under the colosseum behind a precursor door with a strange symbol, he realizes he’s seen it before. At the entrance to the sanctum, Ezio placed the symbol as a clue along with a string of numbers that look like years. Shaun quickly figures out that they mean the 72 names of God which they believe to be the password for the door. Desmond and the team head for the coliseum and he discovers shadows of Ezio navigating the coliseum which leads Desmond to some ruins. Along the way, Lucy inquires about the Templar satellite day and Desmond deduces they will launch in 72 days. Something truly eerie is how the precursors seem to be very good at predicting things and making sure that everything is meant to fall in place how they want it.
In the ruins, Desmond comes into contact with a new Precursor, Juno seemingly seeks to guide Desmond to the apple, albeit begrudgingly. Desmond and the team travel until they find an ancient First Civilization temple which is meant to be Juno’s. After a flurry of navigational, climbing puzzles, which of course only Desmond is capable of, he is forced to listen to Juno’s rant about humanity is routed in jealousy and supremacy. After so long, Desmond is inching ever closer to retrieving the apple, but with Juno’s rant, the ghosts Desmond sees and the number of coincidences that are piling up, the path to the apple is routed in mystery and uncertainty. After spending so long searching for the apple, Desmond and his team finally reach the apple and upon touching it, the apple shows them many strange symbols which of course Shaun begins making connections. Before he can share what he thinks, time seemingly freezes and Desmond cannot move as he is being controlled by Juno, who has been waiting for him. In an unexpected turn, she forces Desmond to kill Lucy and then Desmond collapses into a coma. He is plugged back into the Animus by several unknown individuals in an effort to save him.
Desmond’s journey in this latest chapter pits him to go against his instincts and instead follow through on a plan that he doesn’t truly understand or have faith in, but his commitment to the Assassin cause and more importantly his teammates are truly commendable if a little foolish. Contending with the loss of Lucy will possibly be one of Desmond’s greatest struggles and continuing his quest to save the world will continue to weigh on him, if he can wake up from his coma, but that is a story for the next entry.
The Precursor Storyline
When the plotline for the Precursor was first introduced, it acted more as a footnote in Altair’s larger-scale quest to rid the Holy Lands of the Templar’s and regain his honour and rank as a Master Assassin. After taking the Apple from his Mentor he just killed, Altair found a strange map which marked several locations as it seems that there was much more at play here than just the Assassins and Templars. Picking up In AC 2, we learn that the Apple was one of many Pieces of Eden (POE) that exist and were made. Created by the First Civilization for unknown reasons, they have long since been extinct. Ezio discovers his apple and another Precursor artifact, the Staff then when combined open a vault under The Vatican. When Ezio finds the vault, he is greeted by a projection of a Precursor named Minerva, seeking to warn Desmond about an impending disaster. The precursors are clearly in a league of their own and show just how omniscient they are, as they can predict Desmond would be able to view Ezio’s memories when he finds the Precursor vault, which continue to add to the mystery of the precursors.
In Brotherhood, Minerva is absent, seeing as she fulfilled her goal of informing Desmond about the disaster and existence of the Temples that can save the world. In her stead, we are introduced to a new precursor, Juno, who seems to have a certain disdain for humanity as a species. Guiding Desmond on his journey to retrieve the Apple of Eden, she speaks much about how her people tried to commit their memories and knowledge to any form of record but how they were all lost. She comments on how her people built humanity and how they are ignorant and like children, so full of potential with no means of fulfilling it, and how her people destroyed much of their technology to keep it out of our hands. Interesting to think that even in the past, humanity still has an almost compulsory need to wage war and hurt each other. Juno’s little monologue gives credence to the fact that we seem to fall into the same patterns no matter what.
Learning much about how humanity is not able to access so much of our potential, due to our lack of enlightenment. It’s even more curious that humanity has a 6th sense that we cannot use. Having access to Touch, Smell, Taste, Hear and Sight are some of the essential skills that most people need, though some do fine without them, to have a 6th sense locked away, and not truly knowing what it is. While monologing, it is clear that Juno hates the fact that the hope for the world is in the hands of humans, and doesn’t believe that humanity should have the opportunity to progress. Thinking of what made Juno hate humanity in the first place and the prospect of what this 6th sense is s fascinating prospect and continues to show more depth to the story instead of the conflict if the Assassins and Templars.
Finding The Apple, Juno takes control of Desmond and gives him a cryptic mission of how Desmond is born from the loins of the Precursors and their enemies and how the final journey is about to commence. To know that we can finally get on the road to save the world against the original disaster is a fine prospect as now it feels like the modern story can move forward. Juno gives her final warning of a companion to join Desmond but it is beyond their sight as a Cross darkens the horizon. This a worrying prospect as it has been evident that whenever the cross is mentioned, it is a sign of the Templars. An obvious companion for Desmond would be Lucy as she has shown a fondness for Desmond, much like how Desmond has grown to like her. Before much time passes, Juno forces Desmond to murder Lucy, much to Juno’s joy as now Desmond can move forward on his final journey to awaken the 6th sense which unfortunately forces Desmond into a Coma.
The precursor storyline continues to go on and create new and exciting narrative prospects that continue to confuse but intrigue the player. The storyline feels like it will be able to take the player through many different and strange directions that could prove to be incredibly fruitful to the series and the player. Brotherhood continues to evolve the Precursors in a way that makes them feel bigger than they possibly are and add a nice layer to the Assassin and Templar story.