- Jan 27
- 30 min read
Assassin's Creed Shadows: A Gameplay Breakdown
Written by Adam
This article will be updated as and when we receive new gameplay footage or information.
UPDATE 14/01/2025 Ubisoft has released the final gameplay overview article focusing on exploration
"We didn't want to hold the player's hand too much with icons and markers" says Charles. "We wanted to craft an open world where information was key and would become a form of reward. This made sense in the context of playing a shinobi and fighting for information. In Shadows, information is something you need to look for and earn, whether through your spies, NPC encounters, or through your own eyes. In short, we want players to discover all our cool secrets on their own terms through investigation, their spy network, or by observing the world."
World Map
As with most Assassin's Creed games, the world map is the backbone of exploration. When you begin the game, the player will only have access to a map with place names and drawings that allude to key locations. As you explore, the map will slowly begin to fill out with more detail. Each new region, sub-region and local landmark will add to your map, rewarding you for exploration.
When navigating the map, different zoom levels will toggle different sets of information, from the names of provinces at the furthest zoom, to local landmarks at the closest.
"When exploring the world, you should look out for undiscovered locations (i.e. "?" icons)" says Charles, "because there are so many interesting places to seek out, whether in a destroyed camp or a hidden shrine, we want you to always feel a sense of discovery."
Viewpoints
Viewpoints make a return from past Assassin's Creed games, but they work a little differently in Assassin's Creed Shadows. Unlike past games in the series, where syncing them revealed large parts of the world map, along with relevant activities and locations; climbing viewpoints now highlight points of interest, most of which are tied to quests.
By using the observe mechanic highlighted in the stealth article, you can tag these points of interest and add them to their compass. If you have visited them before, their names will appear. If not, they will be marked as 'undiscovered locations' ripe for exploration. Veterans of the series will be happy to know that the 360 degree camera pan returns, allowing you to appreciate the stunning scenery of feudal Japan.
Most viewpoints are accessible to both characters but their approach may vary. For instance, Naoe might be able to scale the outside of a structure using her grappling hook, but Yasuke will have to take the stairs.
Observe
In a change to recently released Assassin's Creed games, the bird companion has been removed and is instead replaced with the Observe mechanic. Looking around using the free aim will be crucial to spotting everything from objectives to targets and much more. This is especially important when investigating a zone marked by your scouts.
Safehouses
When exploring regions, you'll discover 'Kakurega' that act as mini-hideouts. These act as extensions of your fully customisable home base, offering some of its practical functions. These include refilling rations/tools/ammo, accessing your gear, managing and accepting contracts, and replenishing scout numbers and managing which allies can be summoned for help.
Pathfinding
Due to the nature of Japan's topography, you may find yourself following false shortcuts or coming across a massive mountain that is impossible to climb. This is why Ubisoft has introduced a tool for player comfort called Pathfinding.
When a quest has been tracked, and its location reveal by a scout or manually marked on the map by you - you can toggle the pathfinder feature while on your horse. This will draw a white line on the ground, highlighting the best direct path to your destination. Note that this can be turned off at any time.
Objective Board
For Assassin's Creed Shadows, Ubisoft has revamped the quest log. You can monitor your progress through the many stories of Japan - from small-scale local conflicts and personal stories for both Yasuke and Naoe to the wider main narrative that will unite both protagonists.
Zooming in on a specific target or NPC will reveal opportunities that can be individually selected and tracked. Discovering clues, you will then have to figure out where you should go or investigate by connecting the dots on the map. "This is the next evolution of the Exploration Mode we first created in Assassin's Creed Odyssey and our intention is to put you in even more control of discovering what is ahead."
Scouts
As you progress on your journey throughout Japan, more people will join your league as 'scouts.' scouts can help you locate quest objectives, gather resources and help you escape by resetting province alerts.
Scouting the World Map
When you are struggling, you can consult the world map and deploy scouts to discover a more precise location for your objective. The more scouts deployed, the larger the scouting radius, increasing the odds that you'll discover your objective. Making use of these scouts can be useful to help compensate for missing information.
Cancelling Provincial Alerts
When an entire province has been alerted, you will be hunted by an elite enemy type: The Guardians. While you could wait for the dynamic change of seasons, you can switch protagonists, or deploy scouts to lower the alert level. This will reduce the awareness and aggression level of guards.
Smuggling
As expected, clans will store their resources in heavily guarded areas. These are too big to be looted by one person and should be marked for your scouts to be smuggled out one at a time. At the end of the season, all marked stockpiles are cashed in for you to upgrade your hideout. It is important to note, however, that "one stockpile will occupy one scout for the entire season."
Scouts Replenishment
At the end of a season, scouts will return and become deployable again. You can use in-game currency at a kakurega to speed up their return as well.
A World of Opportunities
There's a lot to discover in Assassin's Creed Shadows, every location will contribute to your progression. While most activities can be completed by Naoe or Yasuke, each character will have their own unique opportunities and activities. For example, Naoe can perform Kuji-kiri mediation that helps her focus her mind and reveal her life and backstory.
Yasuke will meet specific people that can teach him weapon-specific kata and can also perform horse archery. For contemplative and relaxed players, both Yasuke and Naoe can participate in Sumi-e, painting the wild animals of Japan, showcasing the the majesty of the ecosystem.
UPDATE 7/01/2025 Ubisoft has released another gameplay article focusing on Parkour
Many fans have lamented the “dumbed down” parkour of the recent RPG games, but it seems that Ubisoft are taking advantage of Shadows’ context and bringing back the mechanical complexity that was a highlight of Assassin’s Creed games of yesteryear.
In AC Shadows, players can expect to rediscover one of the staple experiences of being an Assassin: the parkour. Naoe possesses unmatched speed and agility compared to every other protagonist in the franchise.
The dev team have implemented several new parkour mechanics that they hope will bring the Assassin and Shinobi fantasy to life.
Control Basics
Input Mapping
Returning players of old and new Assassin’s Creed games will notice some slight adjustments made to the control scheme of AC Shadows. The crouch and dodge buttons have swapped places. This may seem simple, when in fact it belies an important iteration: the addition of the prone stance and dodge mechanics that flow directly in parkour.
In Shadows, dodge has been merged with parkour down mechanics, which unlocks a whole bunch of new parkour moves," says Simon. "This new mapping also disconnects stance-switch (e.g. standing, crouching, prone) from parkour, ensuring you can use any stances without accidentally going down a rooftop when you don't want to."
Parkour Essentials
Parkour Up
Parkour Up has been a staple of the series for a long time and Assassin’s Creed Shadows is no different.
Holding the Parkour Up button will make Naoe/Yasuke reach for the highest handhold possible. Each character has their own capabilities when it comes to parkour. While Naoe is faster, can jump further and reach higher, Yasuke is slower and less agile.
Parkour also comes into play when you consider your tactics. Parkour Up movement generates more sound and is considered high profile. Players should be wary of using this in heavily guarded areas, lest they attract the attention of a suspicious Samurai.
“In our game, holding down the parkour up button like it's a gas pedal is not the optimal way to do parkour." says Simon. "Discerning which button does what is necessary to maximize a great parkour flow and keep your momentum."
Recovery Roll
To minimise any damage done by dangerous high-profile jumps, players can trigger the Igan Recovery Roll by pressing the Parkour Down button just before landing. This enables Naoe to take less damage and make less sound when landing from great heights.
Parkour Down
With the dodge mechanics now incorporated into parkour, players can now dodge near a ledge to transition seamlessly into parkour down, allowing for Naoe acrobatic descent or Yasuke’s heavy drops.
Holding the Parkour Down button ensures that the character will drop to the lowest, safest point below them and prevent falls into the void. It also allows quieter drops and softer landings for the stealth inclined players.
Drop Vs Climb Down
There are two main ways to parkour down" explains Simon, "The classic way is to press the dodge / parkour down button near a ledge without directional input: your character will climb down and hold that ledge in climbing position. The second - and flashier way - is to perform a directional dodge over that ledge, which launches a variety of acrobatic transitions."
Sprint Mechanics
As mentioned above, Naoe is the fastest Assassin in the series to date, she can basically run and catch up to anybody. Yasuke, however, needs a little more runway to get up to speed.
Unique to Naoe is the Sprint Dodge. A move that allows her to trigger an extended dive roll to clear objects smaller than her and potentially avoid incoming damage.
It can also be used to manually jump down from a high place, risking life and limb.
Automated Passover
When sprinting, Naoe can vault over the same objects mentioned before without any input from the player. While this is very stylish, it does not protect Naoe from ranged damage.
Automated Shoulder Tackle
Using his size as an advantage, Yasuke can burst through most destructible objects that would block Naoe. For non-destructible object, he can also Passover them, with less flair than Naoe of course.
Sprinting while changing Stances
Both characters can switch stances in the middle of sprinting. Switching to the crouch stance while sprinting will trigger a knee slide while becoming prone sees them diving to the ground.
The Grappling Hook
Any proper shinobi game needs its grappling hook." says Simon. "We worked hard to ensure that the physics of our grappling hook make it a natural part extension of Naoe's overall parkour flow, allowing her to climb and swing with grace and ease."
Vertical Ascent
Naoe can hook any horizontal ledge and climb up and over that ledge. This allows players to climb up, down or pivot around the rope depending on the directional input.
Hook Swing
Many grapple points can be found across the vast world of Assassin’s Creed Shadows Japan. These points allow Naoe to swing across large gaps and reach the other side. Some set-ups require her to chain together multiple swings.
This mechanic allows players to control momentum of their swing and therefore the distance and height of their jump.
Switching Modes
Players can switch between vertical ascent and hook swing on the fly with a tap of a button and Naoe will change her position to reflect the change.
Wall Run Grappling Hook
Naoe can launch her grappling hook at the apex of her wall run, effectively doubling her vertical ascent capabilities.
Advanced Parkour Techniques
Directional Dodges
Both Yasuke and Naoe have access to directional dodges when crouched. Only Naoe has access to directional dodging when prone which was shown below in the stealth article section.
Wall Run Eject
An old favourite, Naoe can eject off walls in a stylish manner at the apex of her wall run. This can also be performed with her hands and feet on the wall.
Parkour Down: Backwards Dodge
When standing near the edge of a structure and with their back towards the edge, tapping parkour down (without directional input will see the character jump off the edge.
Naoe will roll over the edge, landing silently either in a crouched or standing position.
Parkour Down: High Structure Safety
When performing any of the parkour down transitions from a high ledge will result in the character hanging there. Further input will be required for them to drop down.
Unclimbable Surfaces
Finally, it’s important to note that Naoe and Yasuke will not be able to climb on surfaces without physical handholds.
This is a pretty big deal for us." says Simon. "This means we had to be more thoughtful about creating interesting parkour highways and afforded us more control about where Naoe can go, and where Yasuke can't, making our two playstyles even more contrasted."
UPDATE 10/12/2024 Ubisoft has released Assassin's Creed Shadows: Combat Gameplay Overview Article
Ubisoft continue to detail the many facets of Assassin's Creed Shadows gameplay, this time releasing an article focused on combat.
Offensive Basics
Choosing to fight as Naoe or Yasuke and what weapons you choose for them, will drastically alter the building blocks of combat.
Light Attacks
Light attacks in Shadows are quick, fluid, reliable, but weak. However, some enemies will power through them, leaving the player vulnerable to attacks of their own.
Heavy Attacks
Heavy Attacks are stronger, but slower - useful for staggering enemies and creating some breathing room.
Posture Attacks
Holding the corresponding button, either light or heavy attack will increase that attack’s damage: This is called a Posture Attack. A Posture Attack can be held indefinitely, meaning you can use it to adjust the distance or time it just right.
These attacks are perfect for blowing through an opponent’s guard. "Light attacks can be postured a bit faster than heavy attacks" says Charles,” the game director of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, ”but heavy posture attacks pack one hell of a punch, if you get the timing right. It’s important to note that enemies will be aware of posture attacks and will try and prevent you from using them. Mixing light, heavy and posture attacks is the best way to be effective in combat.
Vulnerable State
Under certain conditions such as a perfect dodge, an enemy can be put into a vulnerable state. This is an opportunity for the player to deal a lot of damage to them by unleashing a posture attack or an active ability.
Defence Basics
There are a few ways that Naoe and Yasuke can defend themselves, each unique to them alone.
Dodge
Both Naoe and Yasuke can perform a directional dodge to avoid incoming attacks. Due to Naoe’s training in Taijutsu, her dodges are characterised by rolls, while Yasuke’s steps keep him in an upright stance.
While both characters are reactive, Yasuke’s second dodge-step has a recovery time, which Naoe does not have.
Parry/Deflect
Both Yasuke and Naoe can parry, however, how they react and follow up are completely different.
Yasuke parries on a straight line, meaning the enemy is knocked back, allowing for a counterattack. Yasuke does not back down and does not give up any terrain.
On the other hand, Naoe, will pivot to one side when she parries an enemy’s attack. This changes the axis of combat, exposing the enemy put also putting Naoe in more danger from surrounding enemies.
Block
Unique to Yasuke, the block mechanics allow up to turtle up and withstand all manner of attacks, from arrows to kunai. This does not apply to Unstoppable Attacks. "These subtle differences in attack and defence are really what makes the control of each character unique - and adaptable to your ideal playstyle." says Charles.
Skills and Abilities
As you progress through Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you will be able to learn different skills and albilites that will expand your combat repertoire.
Some are active ablities that deal more damage, while some are combo extensions or variations; other will require the player to master new mechanics that require precise timing.
Gaining levels or defeating specific foes will gain you Mastery points which you can spend on different Mastery trees to unlock weapon-based skills and abilities as well as other things. "Active abilities are by far the most powerful skills to acquire" says Charles. "They look cool, they hit hard, and they all offer additional opportunities like gap-closing, armour-breaking - even health regeneration."
There will also be passive skills, these work in the background to make you more efficient and powerful in combat. These include adrenaline and health regeneration, time dilation for longer parry windows, among other things.
Two Protagonists
‘In essence, our core fight mechanics are the same for Yasuke and Naoe" says Charles, "but as samurai and shinobi, respectively, they each have their own weapon types and abilities that make them feel very different from one another."
Despite Naoe’s prowess in stealth, she isn’t a slouch when it comes to combat. Being quick and agile, she can make quick work of a single enemy but as the number of combatants increases, she becomes significantly disadvantaged because of her lack of armour and resources.
Conversely, combat is where Yasuke excels. For instance, every last attack in Yasuke’s combos will break an enemy’s guard without relying on a posture attack.
While both characters carry multiple weapon, Yasuke is the only character that can switch between different weapons on the fly mid-combo via the link-attack ability which allows him to rapidly string together different weapon attacks and abilities.
"Yasuke has a few unique samurai tricks up his sleeves" says Charles. "One of them is the Sheathed Posture Attack, where he will charge-up an opening attack while his katana is still in its sheathe. On top of looking quite iconic, most enemies won't see that one coming if timed correctly."
Weapons
Each character has multiple different weapons to play with - each with their own set of abilities. Naoe’s weapons unlock unique stealth opportunities, while Yasuke’s weapons will offer a selection of combat strategies.
Naoe
Katana
Naoe’s Katana is well-balanced and versatile, well-timed attacks can stagger enemies and allow for posture attacks. The Katana unlocks the ability to assassinate enemies through shoji doors.
Kusarigama
The Kusarigama is perfect when it comes to crowd control. It’s extendable ball-and-chain can push back enemies and the scythe or Kama, in Japanese, can cut over a wide area, not allowing swordsmen to get close without a close shave. It unlocks the ability to Rush Assassinate enemies up to 10 metres away.
Tanto and Hidden Blade
Combining slashes and stabs, the Tanto and Hidden Blade is the ideal weapon for attack and retreat play style. It unlocks the ability to double assassinate.
Yasuke
Long Katana
The iconic weapon, scaled to be suitable for someone of Yasuke’s size, it is versatile and well-balanced. Perfect for a one-on-one duel or a large scale pitched battle,
Naginata
A polearm sporting a large curved blade, the Naginata is Yasuke’s weapon of choice for crowd control. Because of it’s length, it is perfect for creating and maintaining distance between Yasuke and his opponents.
Kanabo
Incredibly heavy and brutal, the Kanabo will break through the enemy’s defence and crush armour like a tin can. But be warned, its power comes at the cost of mobility and speed. Timing will be everything.
The Yumi Bow
The Yumi Bow will allow Yasuke to pick off unsuspecting enemies one by one. The variety of arrow types will offer a variety of strategies to master.
Teppo Rifle
Combining destructive power with raw lethality, it allows for higher range than the bow and excellent armour penetration. It is slow to fire and even slower to reload however.
Throughout the player’s journey, they will unlock mastery points to spend on their favourite weapon types.
Know Your Enemy
As you progress and discover new locations in Japan, you will encounter stronger and tougher enemies," says Charles, "each with new abilities and move sets that challenges different aspects of your fight mastery."
Outlaws
The more enemies that surround you, the less defensive actions will take place, confident that their numbers will be enough to succeed. But with a single combatant, these defensive actions will be nearly constant.
Ashigaru
Conscripts and volunteers to the Daimyo’s army, they use conventional weapons and tactics. They tend to be more aggressive towards Naoe and fearful of Yasuke.
Samurai
Phenomenal warriors, highly trained and very aggressive. They carry a variety of weapons, from the Katana to the Kanabo and are decked out in splendid armour sets, some even sporting high level end game gear.
Undetected, they might be easy prey for Naoe, but fearsome foes when alert.
Samurai Daisho
An offshoot of the Samurai type, these can only be found in castles. They have unique fighting styles and employ a variety of techniques, they are a challenge on their own, but even more so when surrounded by allies. If defeated, they can drop the best gear, so they are worth the time and effort.
Guardians
Recognised by their fearsome manes and white face masks, either somen or menpo. This Samurai are reinforcements when the alarm is raised in any province.
Fighting and winning against these Samurai is no mean feat and will provide “some of the most difficult combat you’ll find in Shadows.”
Study Their Tactics
Each enemy archetype will use different tactics and recognising these patterns and tactics will ensure success against your enemies.
Flurry Attacks
Flurry Attacks are marked by the distinctive blue glint of an enemy’s weapon. They are a short succession of attacks that will not relent even if Naoe and Yasuke parry, block or deflect. Veteran players may be able to parry each successive attack to trigger a vulnerable state in the enemy to deal massive damage.
Unstoppable Attacks
Unstoppable Attacks are those that are highly frenetic and dynamic attacks. While you can parry or block an unstoppable attack, it will break your guard, leaving you vulnerable to follow up attacks.
You might want to practice your dodge timings, as a perfect dodge will put your opponent in a vulnerable state.
Defensive Actions
While under attack, enemies have a variety of actions to allow them to turn the tide against the player. These are called defensive actions and can range from a simple step back, to a incredibly powerful and fast counterattacks that’ll keep you on your toes.
The more enemies that surround you, the less defensive actions will take place, confident that their numbers will be enough to succeed. But with a single combatant, these defensive actions will be nearly constant.
UPDATE 21/11/2024 Ubisoft has released Assassin’s Creed Shadows - Stealth Gameplay Overview Article.
Continuing with a steady flow of information in the run-up to release, Ubisoft has released an article detailing what we can expect from the stealth in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Simon, the Associate Game Director cites a “A New Stealth Philosophy,” in which the bird companion present in Origins, Valhalla and Odyssey has been removed in favour of the player using “their main characters own senses" and "engaging enemies in a more tactical moment-to-moment manner.”
Observe
Both characters have access to Observe, a new mechanic that allows the player to see lootable stashes, identify, tag and monitor enemies, find collectibles and quest objectives. While on a Sync point, this mechanic helps you to examine locations more closely than normal.
"The new Observe mechanic is at the core of the Assassin's Creed Shadows experience," says Simon. "When in doubt, take a pause, observe the world around you, and only then should you decide what your next move should be."
Eagle Vision
Veterans of the series will be happy to know that Eagle Vision returns for Assassin's Creed Shadows. Naoe can see and highlight enemies behind objects and walls while isolating any sounds they might make. Eagle Vision is a dedicated stealth mechanic, encouraging players to slow down, take in their environment and plan their next move.
Both Eagle Vision and Observe give the player access to different information, but they can be used in tandem to reveal, observe and keep tabs on enemies. It is worth noting that Yasuke will not have access to Eagle Vision.
Shinobi Techniques
Hiding in the Shadows
For the first time in the Assassin's Creed franchise, cloaking yourself in darkness will hide you from detection, similar to Ubisoft's other flagship stealth series, Splinter Cell. During night time, shadows will change dynamically, allowing the player to use the environment to their advantage.
This allows Naoe to study her surrounding more closely for hidden routes and opportunities or create them by destroying lanterns. Associate Game Director, SImon, notes: "Naoe is a perfectly capable shinobi in broad day light, but the cover of darkness gives her a remarkable edge over her enemies - especially on higher difficulty settings."
Staying Low
While Naoe is the fastest Assassin in the series, sprinting in a area populated by highly trained samurai is a risky move. The sound of footsteps will alert guards, who will spot you almost immediately. In Assassin's Creed Shadows, and in stealth games in general, standing up increases your visibility which is a bad thing.
That's why Naoe can crouch, reducing her visibility and the sound she makes considerably. Crouching is particularly effective indoors, minimising the sound created by Nightingale Floors- specifically designed to root out intruders.
The Prone Way
Yasuke and Naoe are the first characters in the series able to go prone. This further reduces their visibility whether underwater, on the ground or on rooftops.
For Naoe, going prone gives her access to another set of movement options. By dodging while prone, she can roll to the side, front or back; a useful tactic to perform a quick kill or get out of sight.
The Shinobi Arsenal
Being a Ninja, Naoe naturally has an impressive set of tools to aid her:
Smoke Bombs: An old favourite from past games, this allows Naoe to evade or assassinate low-ranking enemies without being seen.
Shinobi Bells: The perfect distraction tool, these bells can lure guards away from their posts or allow Naoe to ghost past them.
Kunai: Kunai are knives that deal damage and can result in one-shot kills when aimed with finesse.
Shuriken: Shurikens are sharp throwing weapons, perfect for creating distractions or destroying lanterns.
New Ways to Kill
Naoe is the smallest assassin to date in the series, allowing her to squeeze through tiny wall cracks, hide inside small storage spaces, and boxes to surprise her enemies.
Double Assassinations
Double Assassinations are back in Assassin's Creed Shadows. By equipping the Tanto as one of your main weapons and purchasing the relevant skill, players will be able to assassinate two enemies at once.
Grabbing Enemies
While undetected, players will be able to grab and briefly drag an NPC in any direction, allowing for a silent kill or an undetected non-lethal takedown. "In Shadows, if you want to assassinate someone from a stalking bush you have to manually grab them, pull them in, and only then can you dispatch them," says Simon.
Enemy Tactics
While there are many new ways to outsmart your enemies, they won't be pulling any punches either. One example of this is the new NPC type, the Servant. While not dangerous in combat, they will be able to call for reinforcements and raise the alarm.
While infiltrating heavily guarded areas such as Castles, each different act as arenas, meaning that if you get detected in one area, you can re-engage stealth in another without having the entire castle hot on your heels.
Suspicion and Investigation
If you are detected and disappear again, enemies will divide into pairs and begin searching for you. They will continue to remain more suspicious from that point on, this means that tactics such as whistling will only hinder you and increase their ability to spot you. This will make your ability to assassinate from a hiding spot less effective.
Unique Enemy Behaviours: The Samurai
Particular enemy archetypes can also counter your arsenal of tools. For example, Samurai will not be stunned by your smoke bomb, instead, they will evade the cloud. This is in contrast with servants and Ashigaru who can be assassinated in the smoke.
Samurai are also able to deny your assassination and can even destroy foliage in their relentless pursuit of you.
"Samurai are fearsome enemies and cannot be taken lightly," says Simon. "Once alerted, they are hard to trick or lure, as they assume that any tricks you use are just that - a trick to lure them. This will force you to adapt and think harder about how to get the drop on them."
Assassination Denied
If you neglect to upgrades your stealth abilities and skills, you'll find that some enemies may be able to deny you a kill. When approaching a target, a white prompt indicates an instant kill, yellow will deal damage and red will completely deny the assassination. "When it comes to assassinations, progress and context work in hand," says Simon. "Invest in perks that increase your assassination damage and test things around: A strong enemy may survive a frontal assassination but may die from a sneaky air assassination." It should be noted that there is an option in the menu to enable insta-kills on all enemies.
Stealth and Yasuke
While Yasuke is built for direct, close-in combat, he can use the bow to get some sneaky kills in. If players should ever find themselves undetected behind an enemy as Yasuke, he will be able to perform a devastatingly loud stealth assassination.
UPDATE 13/09/2024 Ubisoft has released the Assassin's Creed Shadows: World Trailer.
Just a month after the last Assassin's Creed Shadows trailer, Ubisoft has released a new trailer focusing on the world of Assassin's Creed Shadows and what activities and characters we can expect to find through Sengoku era Japan.
The first thing I would like to highlight is this shot here: This looks set up as a sort of parkour challenge for Naoe. This was seemingly confirmed by the Assassin's Creed social account over on X; "Test your parkour skills with Naoe on hidden trails of the open world."
This could indicate that parkour is a major focus in AC Shadows, at least when it comes to exploration.
Naoe is quite the creative connoisseur, as in several shots of the trailer, we can see her perform various creative activities such as drawing, painting (probably calligraphy,) and playing music using a variety of instruments.
UPDATE 20/08/2024: Ubisoft released a 5-minute "One Duo - Two Playstyles" trailer showcasing both Naoe and Yasuke respectively.
In this "One Duo - Two Playstyles" trailer, the devs talked about their process of wanting both Naoe and Yasuke to be unique and not "diluting" the fantasy of being a Samurai or a Ninja into one character.
One of the many ways they set out to achieve this is by having Naoe be the fastest, most agile assassin in an Assassin's Creed game.
Naoe performing a forward roll off a balcony - Ubisoft
While this isn't new (we've seen her doing flips before), it remains to be seen whether these moves are automatic or manually activated, similar to most other Assassin's Creed games, as this seems much more frequent than in past games.
We also caught a few glimpses of Naoe using the shadows to sneak by guards. The devs said that they wanted the player to feel like a "predator", and this is the "richest" stealth system they've ever had in an AC game.
The footage showed Naoe using the dynamic shadows cast by the moonlight. What's exciting is that the player will be forced to adapt on the fly as night time goes on and the moon changes positions across the sky.
On that note, it was confirmed that Yasuke can do a leap of faith, just not very elegantly. We get to see a few snippets of Yasuke training, and to me, the prompts indicate a charged heavy attack, followed by a light and heavy attack in quick succession.
Yasuke's charged heavy attack - Ubisoft
The system seems to be a beefed-up version of Assassins Creed Valhalla's combat with the added posture/stance and armour breakage system.
Light and Heavy attacks - Ubisoft
Further on in the trailer, we see a brief cutscene in which the player has the option to choose between "Attack as Naoe" or "Spare as Yasuke." It remains to be seen whether this choice will have any significant impact on the story.
I know it's extremely unlikely, but I'd like to see an A and B scenario, similar to Resident Evil 2 where one playthrough slightly affects the other.
At the tail end of the trailer, Naoe is facing off against a brute enemy. The devs talked about how using the right character for the right situation was key and that if the player was struggling with one character, you could switch.
Again, we don't know if we can switch characters in missions freely or if the game will give us the option at certain points.
The footage we have seen seems to indicate that we can switch at any time, given that when Yasuke comes to Naoe's rescue, the brute is devoid of practically all his armour. Does this mean that Naoe has a method of breaking armour too?
UPDATE 10/06/2024: Assassin's Creed Shadows gameplay was showcased with an extended gameplay demo as well as a developer breakdown.
Assassin's Creed Shadows gameplay premiered at Ubisoft Forward 2024, with an extended 13-minute gameplay preview showcasing everything from the world to combat and stealth. I will discuss what I found interesting and speculate on further gameplay implications.
The preview starts with Yasuke arriving at the village of Fukushiyama, and to keep a long story short, he hears about a corrupted individual from the townspeople. A couple of things I want to note here:
The townspeople bow to Yasuke as he walks past as a sign of respect. In Japanese culture at this time, while there wasn't a rigid caste system as of yet, there was still a hierarchal structure; Samurai were well within their rights to kill anyone who didn't show the proper respect.
Players can also pet the dog, which is obviously the best feature of the game, but what is more exciting is that as the seasons change, we'll be able to see puppies!
Who's a good boy? - Ubisoft
Assassin's Creed Shadows has seen a pretty big bump in visual fidelity in the character animations and facial expressions during cutscenes. Both NPCs and the player character are more expressive this time around.
Now, onto the backbone of the Yasuke experience, the combat. There are many modern staples of combat systems today, like the perfect dodge, denoted by the red glow as the enemy attacks.
Yasuke swiftly dodges and delivers a devastating strike of his own, breaking the enemy's armour. Yasuke is wielding the Kanabō, a heavy, brutal weapon best for breaking armour because of the powerful blunt damage it inflicts.
In multiple instances throughout Yasuke's gameplay, he switches up stances, a mechanic borrowed from Ghost of Tsushima. It's unclear how the player switches stances though, as no UI specifically deals with stance change, at least in the demo.
We are also treated to multiple instances of parrying. To my mind, the most satisfying game mechanic. It isn't as smooth as Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, but if it's more robust and tighter than Assassin's Creed Valhalla's parry, I'm all for it.
Yasuke ends the fight in style with an ability, a returning feature from Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Jumping high into the air, he comes crashing down on a poor, unfortunate soul's head. Abilities use "adrenaline," (the little diamonds in the bottom left of the screen). You replenish them when you parry or kill an enemy.
Swiftly moving on, Yasuke comes face to face with his target - the corrupt samurai, Fujioka Jiro. He decides to make use of his Katana this time, readying up for a draw cut.
Now, this is a great time to talk about the Posture system. Many of you will be familiar with this term from other games, such as Sekiro - in Assassin's Creed Shadows, it works a little differently. The developers summed it up, saying: "You can hold your attack and posture at any moment inside a combo." They go on to say that the attack will do a lot of damage and branch into an execution, but it leaves you exposed. So it is a risk-reward system that the player must utilise effectively.
Yasuke unsurprisingly succeeds in executing his target, leading to a very pleasing black-and-white calligraphy filter. This happens every time you assassinate a target.
Naoe makes a dramatic entrance, assassinating an Ashigaru, and from here, the game gives you a choice between continuing on as Yasuke or switching to Naoe. On the Let's Talk Assassin's Creed Podcast, we discussed whether Naoe or Yasuke are swappable within the main missions depending on the story beats.
We know that players can swap characters at any time during free-roam gameplay, and they have dedicated quests, but swapping main characters in story missions may be specifically for the demo
The demo then transitions to the castle infiltration from Naoe's point of view. Briefly using eagle vision to assess her surroundings, Naoe uses her Kaginawa (grappling hook) to leap over the wall and air assassinate a clueless guard.
Slinking into the undergrowth by going prone, a mechanic new to Assassin's Creed Shadows, Naoe takes cover behind a crate. As I said in my analysis of the gameplay trailer, the cover mechanic seems to have its own dedicated button again, not seen since Assassin's Creed Unity.
There are a few things of note that we can pick out from this shot. First of all, Naoe is using a shuriken to destroy the lantern. We also know that she has Kunai, another throwing weapon. It remains to be seen if we can use Kunai and Shuriken for the same purposes since Kunai is more of an impact weapon, not a piercing one.
Secondly, there is a light meter just below the compass. I would like to see if hiding in the shadows makes you practically invisible, similar to the original Splinter Cell trilogy or if it reduces visibility somewhat.
Finally, in the bottom left corner, we can see that Naoe has kunai, shuriken, smoke and explosive bombs equipped. If we take a look at both the historical and pop culture shinobi's arsenal, we might have access to caltrops, bolas and one of my personal favourites - poisoned rice cakes!
A few seconds later, Naoe closes the gap with an enemy using her Kusarigama to pull herself towards and assassinate him. As I said in my previous breakdown, the Kusarigama can function like the rope dart from previous AC games.
Naoe clambers up the building using her grappling hook. The hook will act like a more manual rope launcher featured in Assassin's Creed Syndicate.
I may be delusional here, but I swear you can hear the iconic sound effect of the hidden blade before Naoe air assassinates the guard. Is this confirmation of the manual hidden blade mechanic returning?
Anyway, Naoe weaves her way around the veranda and chokes out a household servant with her kaginawa. Non-lethal takedowns return. Hopefully, they'll have some narrative use for it being present.
Possible interrogation mechanic or, and I'm just spit-balling here, but a morality meter that decreases if you murder innocent civilians? It would be awesome to have that tied into a "Most Wanted" system where the daimyo of the province would send his samurai after you if you murdered innocent people.
Sorry lady... - Ubisoft
On a side note, Naoe's slow crouch walk reminds me of the closer-than-ever mechanic from Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, where Sam's movements would become slower and more deliberate when approaching an enemy.
Continuing on, Naoe assassinates a guard through a shoji door, an all-time classic, and makes her way to the opposite side of the room. Using eagle vision to spot a guard through the door, Naoe does her best Batman impression and clings to the ceiling to avoid being spotted. For the purposes of this demo, we don't see an assassination prompt, but it's a safe bet that we'll be able to assassinate from this position in the full release.
Neutralising a guard by throwing a kunai at his head, Naoe takes a dip in a small pond, using a reed to breathe underwater. I wasn't sure if Ubi Quebec would include this, but I'm so happy they did. I'd like to know if guards can spot the reed coming up from the water or not.
Emerging from the pond like a finless Jaws, Naoe assassinates her target and makes her escape, creating distance between herself and her attackers using the Kusarigama and parkours out of the castle.
What I’d Like to See Next
With all this gameplay, I've had many of my questions answered, but if there is one thing I have a burning question about, it's the gear system. We know that Naoe and Yasuke have separate and distinct gear and weapons. Will we be able to find variations of the same gear across Japan - that have different perks and stats, similar to Ghost of Tsushima's sword kits?
Japanese weapons, particularly swords, are somewhat modular, so the gear system might consist of armour and weapon parts with varied perks and appearances that we can mix and match.
At the Xbox Showcase yesterday, we were treated to a gameplay trailer teasing the extended gameplay walkthrough of Assassin's Creed Shadows that will premiere at Ubisoft Forward.
In this article, I'll do a quick breakdown of the things I found interesting and speculate on what it could mean for gameplay.
First off, we see Naoe stalking a grunt through long grass. This poor soul is an Ashigaru, meaning light of foot. They are basically the standard infantry of armies equipped with a Yari (spear), among other weapons. What is worthy of note is that stalking grounds introduced in Assassin's Creed III and featured prominently in the most recent Assassin's Creed games are back and better than ever, with Naoe able to go prone and crawl within them.
In this shot, Naoe is running along the roof of a building; this looks significantly faster than the previous three games in the series. Ubisoft Quebec has leaned into the Shinobi/Assassin fantasy to improve the game feel when traversing. It may be hard to tell, but that roof ornamentation may be an Onigawara, popular on Buddhist temples, thought to ward away bad luck and may act as grapple points for Naoe's Kaginawa (grapple hook).
Speaking of grappling, in the next shot, we see Naoe using her grapple to reach the otherwise inaccessible compound. Notice how it is affected by physics; it has a heavy feel to it.
After a few more shots of running and diving off rooftops, Naoe enters sneak mode and takes cover against a wall. Call me crazy, but I think that we are seeing the return of a dedicated cover button. It's definitely giving me Assassin's Creed Unity energy, and it looks like we can manually peek around a corner for a better view.
Next up is a shot of Naoe extending her hidden blade. As I've said many times, the profile of Naoe's hidden blade is a Tanto, a knife, not a dagger, perfectly shaped for piercing and stabbing enemies.
Forgive me for taking another healthy dose of speculation; it looks like we can extend the hidden blade manually, a feature that's been sorely missing from the newer Assassin's Creed games. Or it could be the power of editing and camera work; you be the judge.
Master the art of the kill - Ubisoft
Just a few seconds later, we glimpse a new assassination animation and the running assassination from AC3 makes a triumphant return. Ubisoft seems to want Naoe moving as much as possible, making the gameplay faster and more responsive, again leaning into the Shinobi/Assassin fantasy
Moving on, we see Naoe performing a leap of faith off the pagoda. It has scaffolding built around it; no doubt it could be used as an alternate climbing path. But what's more exciting is that with the new seasonal gameplay Ubisoft Quebec has implemented, construction work will have been finished. With this, the world will seem more alive whether the player interacts with it or not.
Forging ahead again, Yasuke makes his presence known, thundering through a shoji paper door as if it wasn't there. It's here that we get a good look at the enemy variation. We've got brutes, a staple of most action-adventure games since the Batman: Arkham series, samurai armed with Yari and the standard Katana.
In the same scene, Yasuke engages in combat with his foes, guard breaking one enemy armed with a Yari. This is all speculation, but could this indicate a heavy attack or a dedicated guard break button? Only time will tell.
In later shots, Yasuke headbutts an enemy. To me, this looks like a counter or a stun attack. The stomp that Yasuke does seems to invoke fear in the enemy. Perhaps this is a similar mechanic to the "face" meter from Sleeping Dogs or the Jack the Ripper DLC from Assassin's Creed Syndicate? Where the enemy would be intimated, allowing you to get a few free hits in.
Continuing with the combat, Yasuke dodges a brute attack, and then the trailer swiftly transitions into a finisher on another less beefy enemy. It remains to be seen whether this finisher is automatic like in Assassin's Creed Valhalla or if it requires input from the player, similar to Batman: Arkham.
Moving on, we get to see what Naoe's combat will entail. Wielding her Kusarigama, she cuts through the bamboo trees with ease, striking down her opponents with practised fluidity. Using the length of the chain, Naoe can keep her opponents at bay while landing strikes of her own.
The Kusarigama is especially difficult for swordsmen and women to contend with as they can't get close. It will be interesting to see how the Kusarigama interacts with other weapons in Assassin's Creed Shadows.
The Kusarigama seems to act like the rope dart, first introduced in Assassin's Creed III, as Naoe can use it to execute enemies from afar. Further upgrades may allow Naoe to pull an enemy towards her or disarm opponents.
Moving on, Naoe flips over an enemy, giving her a chance for a back attack. Maybe this is an instant kill move? Yasuke returns and clobbers someone with a Kanabō; I feel sorry for the poor guy. Slinking back into the shadows, Naoe uses Kunai to extinguish lanterns, leaving a hapless guard fumbling in the darkness.
Going dark - Ubisoft
Now, the final thing of note that I want to talk about is at the tail end of the trailer. We see Yasuke and Naoe fighting guards, nothing unusual there. However, it is punctuated by a black-and-white filter complete with bright red blood spray.
I'm sincerely hoping this is a filter we can have in-game, similar to Ghost of Tsushima's Kurosawa filter or Assassin's Creed Mirage's Iconic filter. It may even be a gameplay feature, something to do with Eagle Vision; we'll have to wait and see!
I'm sincerely hoping that this is a filter we can have in-game, similar to Ghost of Tsushima's Kurosawa filter or Assassin's Creed Mirage's Iconic filter. It may even be a gameplay feature, something to do with Eagle Vision, we'll have to wait and see!
That's it for my gameplay breakdown of the Assassin's Creed Shadows gameplay trailer. As I said at the top of the article, I will update this as we receive more gameplay or information on Assassin's Creed Shadows.
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