What to Expect in Assassin's Creed Shadows

When Ubisoft initially announced the existence of a new Assassin’s Creed, it was given a codename, which was referred to as just ‘Codename Red’ for quite some time, leading fans into excitement for what the future had in store. It had gamers across the world excited for the next chapter in the beloved and long-running ‘Assassin’s Creed’ series, which has gained a huge following since its creation in 2007. The series is loved for many reasons, including its classic parkour, storytelling, and charisma of the protagonists, and much more. It was a monumental and groundbreaking game back in its beginning, and the series is still running strong to this day, with no signs of slowing down. 

For a long time, fans had been asking and hoping for an Assassin’s Creed game set in Feudal Japan, as it had been a highly requested era in history fans have been wanting to visit for as long as the series has been around. Now, all our wishes have come true, as Ubisoft has announced ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ officially to the public. Fans of the series, and even those unfamiliar with the series, are counting down the days until November 15th, 2024. ‘Shadows’ recently had a big gameplay reveal shown off at Ubisoft Forward in June of this year. Both protagonists Yasuke and Naoe were shown off. Yasuke, a Samurai, and Naoe, a Shinobi, are teaming up together to fight the injustice in Feudal Japan. The game will be adding a fan-favorite, and heavily requested addition to both our protagonists this time around: The ability to freely switch between characters. This option was first introduced in 2015’s ‘Assassin’s Creed Syndicate’, where you were able to switch between the twin Assassins, Jacob and Evie Frye. This was a fun, but short-lived feature in the Assassin’s Creed series, and now fans can rejoice as Ubisoft is bringing it back in ‘Shadows’. 

You will now be able to pick freely anytime between both Yasuke or Naoe. This is a change from the recent dual-protagonist feature Ubisoft introduced with 2018’s ‘Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’, allowing the player the choice to play the game as either a male or female protagonist, but by selecting a character, you were unable to switch again for the rest of the game. This theme continued with ‘Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’, once more allowing players the choice between male or female Eivor, and still selecting that character will lock you in for the full game. It was a formula fans enjoyed, as it brought new life into the series that was once only one male protagonist each game, with the lack of a choice between Assassins. Now, skipping ahead to ‘Shadows’, you can pick and choose which character you’d like to play as for any mission, and also be able to switch freely at any time, just like ‘Syndicate’. This offers players a choice of strategy. Yasuke, being the combat expert Samurai, will be useful for missions requiring more muscle, and brute force, or you can choose to pick Naoe, a much quieter approach to be able to sneak in and out of trouble. Each mission should give players a real decision about which direction to take, and which playstyle best suits the mission ahead. 

Ubisoft has also shared that the size of the map in ‘Shadows’, will be similar to that of 2017’s ‘Assassin’s Creed Origins’, rather than that of ‘Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’. For example, the map will be large again, but will feel just right for the setting of Feudal Japan. Also allowing players to experience more of what Feudal Japan has to offer rather than potentially spending a lot of time traveling across the entire map, it should provide players a more direct experience. From what we all have seen through the gameplay revealed earlier this month, expectations are high amongst both fans and critics, who are all looking forward to getting their hands on ‘Shadows’. The more recent ‘Assassin’s Creed’ titles, also known as the “RPG” games in the series, have followed a similar format. A leveling system, skill trees, upgradable gear and weapons, and a healthy dose of side quests to choose from. Fans should expect some of the same with ‘Shadows’. It gives players the opportunity to explore the map more, rather than potentially rushing through the main missions. Each player has their own choice of how they want to play, and Ubisoft is catering to all fans with all interest levels. They know fans are wanting to be invested in this game, and giving the players plenty to do along with the main storyline. A lot of fans of the series were ones who started with the “RPG” titles, bringing a new audience to both new and old fans, as Ubisoft’s current formula has satisfied both classic and newer fans. We can expect some of those same elements in ‘Shadows’, such as the combat with dodging and parrying attacks, and the use of special abilities to give the player an edge over tricky enemies. 

Last year’s ‘Assassin’s Creed ' game was ‘Mirage’, which was a smaller scale game suited to please fans of the classic format, and it was well received. It has now been four years since we had a game this size in 2020’s ‘Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’, and it should satisfy fans knowing they are in for a full on journey into Feudal Japan. With the game set for a November release date, there is plenty of marketing to be done on Ubisoft’s end, such as more gameplay videos or new information about the game to get fans excited even more as it comes closer to release. Many expect Ubisoft to create another masterpiece in the long running series. Fans have grown accustomed to a great experience with each game released. The hype of ‘Shadows’ is currently at an all time high, for both fans and even those who are skeptical, and will possibly need to see more of the game to persuade them into purchasing. For some, the whole idea of an ‘Assassin’s Creed’ game set in Feudal Japan is almost too good to be true, which could easily attract the fans who aren’t familiar with the series, and even some who may have never played an ‘Assassin’s Creed’ game in their life. ‘Shadows’ should do a great job being appealing to anyone, whether they be new or returning. One way or another, we can all expect fans of this series to come together again once the fall season rolls around, and celebrate another great adventure into history by Ubisoft. The countdown to November 15th is well and truly underway!