We’ve lent our aid to the Courtesans of Rome, and now the Mercenaries are up next. After them, the Thieves. Rome will be giving back to its people by the time we’re finished.
Streamed at https://www.twitch.tv/newdarkcloud
In this episode, I spoke about how I would have preferred that the three factions were all lead by locals who had a most personal stake in the community of Rome, rather than a series of old friends who just happen to be capable of leading them. Our efforts are framed in the story as if we’re liberating the people, but one could plausibly interpret these actions as an usurpation of the city by the Assassin Order as it installs its own agents into positions of power. And in light of the fact that one of the ways he restore this city is by buying up property and taking a portion of the profits from each business we “invest” in, that allegation only grows more plausible.
This criticism is leveled less at Claudia’s and Maria’s inclusion, and more Bartolomeo and La Volpe’s inclusion. I actually think bringing Ezio’s sister and mother back as more major players in the events of Brotherhood is both smart and compelling, since canonically both characters have been on the sidelines for about thirty years taking care of Ezio’s finances and grieving respectively. In particular, Claudia was a teenager when she was last relevant to the plot, and now that she’s in her 40s it’s fun to see her assert herself and challenge her older brother. It helps that her taking over the brothel because the locals need someone to fill those shoes feels more natural than “Bartolomeo and La Vulpe just happened to already be ingrained in their local mercenary/thieves’ guild”.
I understand why they likely chose to go this route. All of these characters were fan favorites in Assassin’s Creed 2, and with the short dev cycle they likely still had the original voice actors on tap to record new lines, instead of having to recast a set of brand new ally characters. It also establishes a firmer continuity with the last game. This was the best choice they had, I just wish it didn’t come with such an uncomfortable undertone.
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