The moment I mentioned during stream that Brotherhood looks like DLC to AC2, someone in chat told me that it was actually planned as a DLC before being released as a standalone game. Honestly, there isn't much difference compared to the second game, but I must admit they added a few cool things that elevate the entire experience and still keep 10/10 mark.
Starting right where the second game ended with the attack on Monteriggioni and moving straight into Rome gives an immediate narrative hook. The city of Rome is absolutely massive, and instead of managing just one estate, rebuilding the entire city by renovating banks, shops, and other things creates an incredibly satisfying economy loop that makes you smile every time your income hits.
Gameplay-wise, combat received a massive upgrade with execution streaks. The new feature where you can one-shot enemies right after a kill is amazing and really speeds up fights against huge groups of guards, letting you slice through an entire football team with zero hassle. On top of that, recruiting citizens off the streets to build your own Assassin Guild and calling your Pokessins mid-combat to help you destroy enemies is one of the things I love, I'm a big fan of management, so it just got me.
Must also separately mention Leonardo da Vinci's war machine missions which were another standout highlight, especially driving the tank in a full-on World of Tanks moment that completely stole the show because that was just pure fun. Combined with smoother parkour, parachute drops, and fascinating Romulus catacomb puzzles, every hour spent in Rome felt fresh and engaging.
While dealing with rooftop archers or occasional horse pathfinding can create light friction, it never holds the game back or ruins the flow and I must admit - it seems like they fixed rooftop archers, because they were not that annoying as they were in previous games. It improves on its predecessor's formula in every meaningful way and sets a legendary benchmark for the series, earning a well-deserved 10/10.
