The introduction of multiplayer to a purely single player experience made for a interesting announcement. How would the roaming assassin gameplay translate well to a fun multiplayer environment. Could Brotherhood offer anything new and refreshing? Thankfully Ubisoft are more than willing to show us with a multiplayer demo on the show floor. Click the link for my impressions.
The mode on offer was a hunt and hunted like game mode. You are assigned a player to kill (sometimes computer-controlled) while at the same time there is someone trying to find and kill you. You have 8 characters to choice from which vary from Nobles to Barbers to Courtesan. You are also given the option of ability skills which are assigned to L2 (LT) and R2 (RT). 5 combinations will be available but only 3 are playable. You may choose from things like extra sprint with throwing daggers, blending it with a hidden gun for example. I picked the former skill set and played as a Barber.
You play in a Civilian infested area, all of which look like all the other character types you’re facing against. You are granted points for successful kills and escaping your hunter. You are also given extra points for impressive and fancy kills by being discreet, silent or from the air. In order to find your target you are given a circle ring radar which points you in the right direction. As you get closer the ring fills up more and if they appear in your sights the ring will glow. Once you are sure you have the right person, go in the for the assassination kill. If you happen to kill a civilian you will lose your target and will be assigned a new one. You will be alerted if your hunter has you in their sights and running towards you, giving you the time to run away. If you are being chased you can escape in a Metal Gear Solid style fashion by out running or hide in haystacks. If you are successful in escaping they will lose you as a target and will be assigned a new one keeping you safe for the time being, along with a nice points bonus.
The idea is the have a nice balance between being discreet and blending in with being aggressive in your kills. I took a discreet approach and ended the round with the best kill ratio of 7-1 but only ended up in 4th because I wasn’t being fancy enough with my kills. I took it slow until I was sure I had the right target and ran in for the kill to make sure he didn’t get away and that I got it done quickly so I can move on. By doing this I ruined my chances of getting a fancy kill because by running my target was alerted to my presence. So in the second round I took a more aggressive approach, used the rooftops more and went for more aerial kills, which are often seen as silent also giving me many more points. But by using the rooftops it made it easier for my hunter to kill me and I ended up dying far more. By blending into the crowd and by avoiding things a normal civilian wouldn’t do your hunter will have a harder time spotting you giving you the time to really narrow down your search. But taking that slower approach will cost you valuable time and future potential targets.
I only had a chance to play 2 rounds, but I enjoyed the small time I had with it. Brotherhood has the potential to offer a great mutliplayer experience along with a solid single player campaign. I hope all other game types will be as creative and fun making real use of Assassin’s Creed’s unique play style.
