- Mar 17
- 10 min read
Assassin’s Creed Shadows - One of the Best Yet?
Written by Sarib
Introduction
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is nearly upon us, with just a couple days left for launch. A game that has gone through developmental hell due to multiple projects being cancelled to put more manpower on the Shadows team, as well as critical hell, thanks to the blatant racism displayed towards Yasuke and sexism towards Naoe. Despite all its turmoil, it seems like Shadows has successfully made it this far. Now the real question is: Was Shadows worth all this effort? All the cancelled projects? While only time can truly answer these questions, it doesn’t mean we can’t make our own observations from everything we have seen so far.
First Look at Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Let’s start at the beginning with the first Ubisoft Forward Preview of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
The Ubisoft Forward Preview of Assassin’s Creed Shadows begins with the series’ first historical protagonist, Yasuke, entering Fukuchiyama. While the horseback animations and sound effects are noticeably recycled from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, everything else looks beautiful. The lush greenery of Fukuchiyama as the rain pours down on the civilians working in the fields. From a visual and graphical standpoint, Shadows definitely did not disappoint.
The cutscenes were the first element to disappoint - specifically, the characters' movements and expressions. Even though Shadows is the first truly next-gen AC title since Assassin's Creed Unity in 2014, it does not look a decade newer as character models hardly move, and their expressions are stiff, almost lifeless. This was not something that changed much from the recent preview footage of the game that was recently released. However, the team has mentioned they are continuing to find a balance. Whenever that happens, you will be the first to know here on Scholars of the Creed.
Following this cutscene, which wasn’t a great look for the game, we get a combat sequence with Yasuke as he is in combat with his target, Fujioka. While this combat sequence looks appealing, there was some criticism due to the genre of music used for Yasuke’s combat sequence titled “Rise of Yasuke,” which has been released in an EP. This doesn’t relate to the gameplay, but I felt it was important to mention that there was no racial stereotyping done here. What we have heard of the soundtrack so far seems reminiscent of the late and great Nujabes. Highly recommend listening to their music to understand what I mean.
After Yasuke assassinated his target, we were introduced to Naoe in a scene that did not give me the most confidence in Shadows’ dialogue. This belief has not changed for me yet, as I have not experienced the story for myself in its entirety. Only after the game is released can the story be judged. However, first impressions go a long way, and this scene wasn't doing Shadows any favours.
Redemption in the Shadows
So far, you may be thinking that I have been critical of Shadows, but here is where it gets better. Following the end of the scene that has haunted me ever since I saw it, we get our first look at Naoe's gameplay, and instantly you can see where this game comes together, and it only gets better if you look at the recent gameplay previews of Shadows.
Naoe is not only the fastest Assassin we’ve had yet, but she also has a diverse range of tools, tricks, and skills up her sleeve. Assassin’s Creed Shadows has the most in-depth stealth system an Assassin’s Creed title has ever had. Taking inspiration from Splinter Cell, it is inarguably the most fleshed out stealth system the series has ever had. That is extremely clear to see, as not only the weapon you have equipped can affect the types of assassinations you can do, but the environment is a vital factor in stealth gameplay. You are encouraged to stick to the shadows as Naoe is not as strong as her brutish tank of a partner, Yasuke. As a result, any light source has to be extinguished for Naoe to proceed forward undetected. Shadows also introduces the ability to go prone, which is very helpful in situations where you may be lacking for cover but may have enough space to crawl under cover of darkness.
My thoughts at the beginning may not have inspired much confidence, and I still stand by the fact that we can’t judge the story until we play it for ourselves on March 20th. What we can judge now is the gameplay of the game. A good story with subpar gameplay could turn you off and encourage you to watch a walkthrough or summary of the game. Good gameplay with a weak story could keep you hooked for some time, but even that can’t hold you for more than 10, maybe 20 hours max. However, from the recent preview of the game in January, the little bit of the story available to us does not look as bad as that cutscene from the Ubisoft Forward preview. The facial expressions are still not perfect, but Shadows Immersive mode - where the characters all speak their native languages, looks and sounds fantastic. In my opinion, the Japanese voice actors for Naoe and Yasuke especially sound absolutely magnificent and are the way to play the game. Though of course, I understand you wouldn’t want to be looking at subtitles half the time and actually enjoy the beautiful, but deadly world of Sengoku Japan. In that case, the English voice acting for Yasuke and some other characters we’ve seen so far should suffice. However, Naoe’s English voice acting does not deliver on the intensity of her character. But this is subjective.
Technology in the Shadows
The most important part of Assassin’s Creed Shadows and what it and Ubisoft pride themselves on is the new and improved Anvil Pipeline. We have finally moved on from the long-decaying bones of the Anvil 2.0 from 2014’s AC Unity, which was reworked for Origins and used for nine years by the time Mirage was released.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the first iteration of this new from-the-ground-up Anvil Pipeline and is the first truly next-gen Assassin’s Creed title since 2014’s Assassin’s Creed Unity. It is packed with a lot of various tools and features that make it the best and most immersive game engine the series has had to date.
Firstly, the Atmos tool that controls the weather system in the game is a procedural, physics-based weather simulation that generates cloudscapes in Shadows. Before, clouds were manually crafted by artists and copy-pasted in the skybox. But now with Atmos, Shadows can have simulated natural cloud formations that aren’t static anymore and constantly evolve over time. This also allows transitions between weather states to be more fluid as well. For example, after a storm, clouds dissipate in a very natural way. Thanks to this all-new engine, the game has dynamic weather and seasons that impact different aspects of gameplay.
Stealth infiltration is easier during the rainy weather as the sound covers your footsteps so you can move without being heard as much. However, it also changes the enemy patrol, as the higher social classes go under roofs to be protected from the rain. Seasons have even more of an impact. For example, some bushes and vegetation will be gone in the winter, limiting hiding spots greatly and requiring you to adapt your stealth approach.
Of course, it doesn’t stop there. Agriculture changes over different seasons, creating new hiding spots, and snow can slow down the nimble but petite Naoe, while this won’t be a problem for the tanky Yasuke. Additionally, icicles can fall off roofs in the winter, creating distractions that enemies could react to.
A Light of Hope in the Shadows
But enough about the engine, let’s pivot back to the gameplay, specifically the weapons at Naoe’s disposal. Naoe being an Assassin means she has the iconic hidden blade, which can FINALLY BE USED IN COMBAT again since the Kenway saga games. Naoe can use the hidden blade alongside her trusty tanto meaning… drumroll… DOUBLE ASSASSINATIONS ARE BACK. Naoe can double assassinate enemies with her hidden blade and tanto regardless of where she is positioned. She can double assassinate enemies standing side by side or in front of each other, the latter of which has not been possible since the Kenway saga. But here's where it gets interesting - you would think the hidden blade and tanto are the best options as you can double assassinate enemies.
But the double assassination is tied to these weapons, which means that if you have any other weapon type equipped, such as the Katana or the Kusarigama you will not be able to perform the unique assassinations that the hidden blade and tanto grant you. However, this works both ways. Equipping a katana will allow Naoe to assassinate enemies through shoji doors, and equipping the Kusarigama allows Naoe to perform a rush assassination where she can pull herself towards an enemy from a distance and assassinate them. Of course, these assassinations are not something you will be able to perform from the start of the game. These are all unlocked through the new and improved Assassin skill tree, and it adds another layer of strategy and personal expression.
Naoe and Yasuke can switch between two weapons at a time, allowing for a more careful and strategic approach to gameplay depending on the equipped weapons. Additionally, the stealth difficulties add another layer of challenge and strategy - expert difficulty makes even rooftops and high places unsafe, as enemies may naturally look up or hear you move. The best way to move on rooftops unnoticed would require you to go prone as enemies detect you faster and are more suspicious, which would not give you time to make your plan of attack. Expert mode essentially requires you to take advantage of all the game's new mechanics to get the best experience out of the game. This is something that no other Assassin’s Creed title has done, especially to such an extent.
The exploration loop is also very different from anything we have seen in the series. Long gone are the days when synchronizing on top of a viewpoint revealed a portion of the map to you. Naoe and Yasuke can make use of the newly introduced observed mechanic to not only look at and mark areas of interest but also tag and track enemies. You can only tag a limited number of points of interest from a viewpoint so what about the rest? That’s where scouts come in. In small doses, scouts essentially help in giving you a general location or maybe revealing one point of interest in a small area. Spending multiple scouts is essential if you do not want to go through the effort of exploring a large area yourself. However, this does not mean there is no incentive for you to explore the map yourself as these scouts are pretty expensive, especially during the early game.
Now to address the elephant in the room – the parkour. Whatever your thoughts on Assassin’s Creed parkour. It is a fact that we have not had good parkour in the series for over a decade at least and from what I have seen and heard from the people that have played the game is that the parkour in Shadows is not great.
There is some level of expression in the system. But not anywhere close to previous games in the series. The dodge button allows for a flashier set of moves. Vaults and ejects off high places become more elegant and look really cool if you use the dodge button at the edge. However, side ejects are gone. Not even to Mirage’s extent. Which is definitely a shame. Now I’m not saying this is a good parkour system but it definitely has some very limited form of expression. The grappling hook is also a nice addition as it is physics-based rather than just pressing a button and watching an animation happen like with Syndicate. I think for the setting it works because the map in Shadows is pretty big. Not as big as Valhalla or Odyssey but about the size of Origins and the setting doesn’t lend itself to the most parkour-dense cities that we would’ve liked.
See, the problem with such a large map is that not every part of it can be designed to take parkour into account. Especially if you want a world diverse in its towns, cities and environments. The parkour system in Shadows may not be that great but that doesn’t mean the gameplay itself doesn’t have the potential to be one of the best in the series. In terms of the Assassin fantasy, Naoe has it down to a tee, except for the lack of social stealth, but then again, I would chalk that up to the setting and the lack of dense crowds that would even allow for it to begin with. It is still definitely a feature that will be missed and was disappointed to hear it wasn’t in the game because when the traditional stealth has been worked upon so much and is looking to be the best in the series, the lack of social stealth just doesn’t make sense, especially considering the last 2 AC games have brought it back. If not like Mirage, they could’ve implemented a Valhalla-like social stealth.
Becoming a Shadow
Regardless of your thoughts on parkour and social stealth, the fact of the matter is that the traditional stealth in this game looks fantastic, everything from using the shadows to hide and going prone, to the changing of the seasons and weather that affects the gameplay. Shadows is really shaping up to be a fantastic historical third-person open-world stealth game. With all I’ve said, I don’t want to make any claims that this is the best AC game. As a game in terms of a gameplay standpoint alone, it's shaping up to be pretty good. In terms of gameplay, this could be one of the best and most fun to play in the series. A bold claim? Maybe. But Shadows is definitely shaping up to be a worthy gameplay experience and a step in the right direction and the new and upgraded Anvil engine looks fantastic.
Lastly, I cannot wait to see Hexe because that game can even better take advantage of the new engine. I am also expecting Hexe to have more advanced movement than Shadows solely because the setting itself lends itself to dense parkour-rich environments. But Hexe is a topic for another time. Make sure to drop in for the Assassin’s Creed Shadows - Scholars of the Creed Twitch stream on the 18th at 6PM GMT with some exciting Twitch drops!
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