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After years of fan outcry, the beloved Assassin’s Creed series will finally get an entry set in feudal Japan with this year’s installment, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows. I saw a hands-on preview last fall at Gamescom in Germany, but then the game was delayed from its original November release date to February 14 (and then delayed again to March 20) this year. I had my first hands-on experience with the game along with other journalists, which marked a great moment for a game with a lot of expectations and excitement.
My hands-on preview was split into two parts: a one-hour session exploring the game’s prologue, and about another three hours into the post-game. While I’m not sure how deep into the game I was, my characters were now level 25 with some legendary armor and many more abilities unlocked.
Set in 1579, the game takes a dual protagonist approach, which is new to the series. Unlike 2018’s Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey and 2020’s Valhalla, games in which you choose a main character from one of two character options, Shadows allows you to play as a team of characters throughout the game. Ubisoft refers to this dynamic as a “stealth and fighting” approach to gameplay in which different character abilities define how you’ll progress through areas.
Each character plays differently, but can be used for any mission and swapped at many points. The first character is Yasuke, a powerful black samurai brought to Japan as a Portuguese slave. His large build and heavy armor make him an excellent choice for any mission where you plan to break through the main gate and fight to the end. If you prefer to kill silently from rooftops and shadows, Naoe is your protagonist of choice: a Japanese ninja who prioritizes stealth and maneuverability.
Many missions will give you the option to choose who to start with and, except in a few cases, you will have to stick to that choice until you complete them. This means that you won’t be able to start a mission playing as Naoe, sneaking around and trying to assassinate enemies, but then you’ll immediately switch to Yasuke when you’re spotted and surrounded by enemies. (When you’re roaming freely through areas outside of missions, you can swap by simply pausing the game and holding X.)
That said, both characters can hold their own in the opposite playstyle, but it will be much more difficult. Typically, Assassin’s Creed characters of the past could do both playstyles without issue, so it’s an interesting choice to split the playstyle’s strengths between two protagonists and force the player to weigh their odds against the style. game they prefer.
This contrast came into play heavily in the final mission we played, where our heroes had to storm a castle and fight a corrupt lord inside. I initially started this quest as Yasuke, but found fighting through the main gate to be too challenging. After a failed attempt, I switched to Naoe and quickly scaled a wall (something Yasuke can’t do) and avoided fighting entirely. What would have probably taken me 20 minutes of fighting and depleted all my health regeneration items, was now sneakily bypassed in two minutes without a problem.
However, as the mission progressed, I now had to make my way through the interior hallways until I reached the boss above. Instead of trying to sneak my way through these narrow hallways full of enemies, I switched to Yasuke and fought them head-on. It was a fun change of pace.
At this point in the game, I had two of Yasuke’s abilities unlocked for me, which are used by holding RT and pressing one of the controller’s face buttons (similar to previous character action games, like Spider-Man). The first skill was a cool, lightning-fast slash that turned the screen black and white for a second while making contact with the enemy, while the second was a massive, powerful kick that would send my opponent comically far away. the air. I loved using both and used them often to get through groups of enemies.
Both characters can also ask for help from allies during missions, which act as aids in a fighting game to help in difficult situations. These allies can be managed, equipped and upgraded at your base, and are used as distractions while you try to sneak around or even help when facing multiple enemies at once. There were two he had available to use: a powerful woman who specialized in pushing and knocking down her opponents, as well as a stealthier guy who would try to hit the target in one shot and then use a smoke bomb to retreat.
Yasuke’s Charging Dash attack.
Another form of support is Scouts, who come into play when you try to locate more information about your mission. Ubisoft says they’ve taken a “lead, don’t tell” approach to Shadows missions; Subsequently, several of my quests did not come with a marker on my map where to head. Instead, it would give me clues about the area or building I should explore to learn more. During my preview I had access to five explorers (and it wasn’t clear how I could get more) that I could place anywhere on the map and they would reveal points of interest. Matching the clues and the Scouts should reveal the waypoint I should move towards to continue my search.
From there you can head to your target or press left on the D-pad to activate the route finder, a translucent line that will direct you like a GPS. However, the game will not help you in all objectives. There’s a big emphasis on observation: holding the left trigger will bring your character into focus and the camera will zoom in slightly. This will allow you to highlight enemies (revealing their health and making them visible through walls) and also points out loot you need to collect or objectives you’re looking for. It’s evident from the start that blindly rushing through these missions will make things much more difficult than if you find a vantage point and survey the area first (another reason I often preferred to start a mission with Naoe).
Spend some time creating a neat little hideout for your samurai and ninjas.
During my preview, I didn’t get a good idea of the overall story these characters make their way through. The prologue suggested some motivation for his team, but the big mystery box was left hidden. However, long-time Assassin’s Creed fans will be wondering if the Animus, a narrative device that allows modern humans to revisit and play as their heroic ancestors of the past in these capricious eras, is returning. In short, yes it is, in something called Animus Ego. Unfortunately, we had very little time with this meta-story component, but I can tell you that, once again, there are hackers, glitches, and something sinister going on behind the scenes of the seemingly quaint Animus project.
I’m very excited to play more Assassin’s Creed Shadows. As someone who loves Ghost of Tsushima, the setting of feudal Japan easily excites me. The wait isn’t that long either since the game comes out for PlayStation, Xbox and PC on March 30.
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