Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate - 10 Things It Must Learn From Brotherhood

10. It Seems Obvious, But The Protagonist Makes The Game

For virtually any game, the central protagonist needs to be interesting for the game to provide a good experience. Nobody wants to play as Joe Schmuck of Boring Inc., after all. One of the reasons that AC: Brotherhood is looked upon so fondly then, is because Ezio is a downright brilliant character.

Ezio's character arc is one of the things that makes him interesting. He's clearly motivated by revenge for his family, especially in AC2. In AC: Brotherhood, though, he seems to have moved past that - despite losing his uncle at the very start of the game, he seems to be more concerned with "the greater good" rather than his own sense of personal justice, progressing his character as a result. It still causes him conflict, however - so he isn't totally sure of himself.

Compare that to the parts of the game where you play as Desmond - in Brotherhood, Desmond was entirely forgettable because he wasn't interesting, and there was barely any character to develop. Nobody wanted to wander around modern-day Italy when there was a stylish, suave, beguiling Italian Master Assassin waiting for them in the Renaissance.

Syndicate needs to ensure that players actually care about its protagonist duo, because that will have a big say in whether it is well received or not.