Leonardo Da Vinci is not only a historical figure, but one of the most interesting characters in the Assassins Creed series. Sadly his role in Brotherhood was a small one, relegated to handing out some upgrades and nothing more. This new DLC is based around him though so we should be seeing plenty of him, right? Wrong.

As the title of the DLC suggests Leonardo disappears, or to be a bit more precise he gets kidnapped by a bunch of fanatics looking to discover an ancient relic. As you may expect it’s up to charming Italian Ezio to save him, and the only way to do so is to collect five or Leonardo’s paintings – conveniently dispersed during the attack on your Villa – and discover the clues hidden within them. So far so Creed then.
it’s dissapointing that Leonardo doesn’t get as much screen-time as he deserves, instead he’s relegated to what feels like a bit-role.

The DLC spans eight new missions, with two of them being new locations. However only a few of these missions stand-out while the rest are merely decent, which is rather disappointing as this DLC pack could have been the opportunity to let loose and create some fiendish sections and tricky puzzles.
An early mission which see’s you sneaking into Lucrezia’s home stands as the pinnacle mission in the pack with some fun stealth, platforming and a good escape to round it all off.
Past this mission things are much the same as the main game, bar marking paintings to be stolen which proves to be a fun, if sometimes frustrating, mission.

Those looking for further expansion on the Assassins Creed story will be let down as this pack only contains a few minor references to the story, though it does contain one interesting set of co-ordinates at the end of the pack.

Fans of singleplayer may be disappointed to find that the new DLC only spans two hours of play throughout its eight missions, which is a fairly small amount for the 800MSP asking price, and considering that there is little new features it’s a shame they didn’t add more new features into, nor did they go all out on the climbing and puzzle sections.

however, this DLC pack isn’t just a singleplayer expansion as it also contains a fair whack of multiplayer content as well which helps make this a package worthy of your money.

The big addition to the multiplayer is two new modes: Assassinate and Escort.
Assassinate is by far the best of the two new additions, and also the toughest in terms of learning curve for any new players coming into the game. Assassinate is essentially Wanted, but instead of being given a specific target you’re free to kill any player you wish, providing you can find them in the crowd. The compass will still help you to a degree, showing you the locations of a few targets at a time but you won’t know what character they’re using. The end result is a game-mode that requires excellent use of the blending mechanics, and a careful eye that can spot the slightest hint of human control. The downside to this game-mode is you can’t kill a target without locking on to them using the LT, but this lock-on system can be temperamental at best and often won’t respond quickly enough leaving you useless if you spot a target at the last second. It’s frustrating, but manageable. The end result is a tense game that leaves you looking over your shoulder every few seconds.
Escort is essentially a game of kill the leader as teams take it in turns to protect an AI VIP as it walks along a set path to score points. The opposing team must kill the VIP’s. The catch is attackers can’t kill defenders, only stun them. This game mode is fun and frantic as you try to find some way past the defenders lines leading to some good teamwork opportunities, but the game can degenerate into a sprint-in fest just as easily.

Thrown into this pack is a new map titled Alhambra which features a multi-level design and plenty of tight spaces mixed with more open area’s. It’s an interesting map and a good addition the game, though like most of the maps it doesn’t feel that different from the rest.

Finally you get four new characters to pick from: Dama Rossa, the Knight, the Marquis and the Pariah. Each one is a well detailed addition to the roster and fit in well, especially when you see a group of Knight characters defending the VIP in Escort. Classic.

If you don’t play the multiplayer aspect of Brotherhood then this pack is pricey at 800MSP and just two hours of singleplayer missions, but if you play both then this pack is a great addition to the game and should keep you happy.

8/10