Assassin’s Creed Shadows Hands-On: A Sneak(ing) Peek at Ninja Fights and Samurai Brawls
After years of fan outcry, the beloved Assassin’s Creed series finally launched this year with Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, set in feudal Japan. I saw the Let It Go preview Last fall at Gamescom in Germanybut then the match is Delayed from original November release date to February 14th (and then Postponed again to March 20)This year. I, along with other journalists, got my first hands-on experience with the game, marking a big moment for a game that’s been filled with anticipation and hype.
My hands-on preview was divided into two parts: an hour-long section exploring the game’s prologue, and roughly another three hours of later gameplay. While I’m not sure how deep my knowledge of the game is, my characters are now all level 25, have some legendary armor, and have unlocked more abilities.
The game is set in 1579 and features dual protagonists, which is completely new to the series. The difference from 2018 is that Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey and 2020 Valhallaa game in which you choose a protagonist from one of two character options, Shadows lets you play as a team of characters throughout the game. Ubisoft calls this dynamic the game’s “stealth and combat” approach, where your character’s different abilities define how you’ll progress through areas.
Each character plays differently but can be used in any mission and can be swapped in many places. The first character is Yasuke, a powerful black samurai who was brought to Japan as a Portuguese slave. His massive frame and heavy armor make him an excellent choice for any mission where you plan on charging through the front door and fighting to the end. If you like killing quietly on rooftops and in the shadows, Naoe is your go-to protagonist: a Japanese ninja who prioritizes stealth and mobility.
Many missions will let you choose who to start with, and except for a few cases, you must stick with that choice until completion. This means you won’t be able to start a mission as Naoe, sneak around and try to assassinate enemies, but switch to Yasuke as soon as you’re discovered and surrounded by enemies. (When you’re free-roaming in an area outside of a mission, just pause the game and hold X to switch.)
That being said, both characters can hold their own with opposite playstyles, it’s just going to be much more difficult. Typically, past Assassin’s Creed characters have adapted well to both playstyles, so it’s an interesting choice to split the playstyle advantage between the two protagonists and force players to weigh the possibilities for their preferred playstyle.
This contrast came into play in the last mission we played, where our heroes had to storm a castle and fight the corrupt lords inside. I originally started this mission as Yasuke, but found it too challenging to fight from the front door. After the failed attempt, I switched to Naoe and quickly climbed over the wall (something Yasuke couldn’t do) and avoided fighting together. What might have taken me 20 minutes of combat and exhausted all my health regeneration items was now quietly bypassed in two minutes without any hassle.
However, as the mission progresses, I now have to fight my way through the inner halls to reach the boss above. Instead of trying to sneak into these narrow corridors filled with enemies, I turned to Yasuke and fought them head-on. It’s an interesting change of pace.
At this point in the game, I’ve unlocked two of Yasuke’s abilities, which can be used by holding RT and pressing one of the controller’s face buttons (similar to previous character action games like Spider-Man). The first ability is a really cool, lightning-fast slam that causes the screen to turn black and white for a second when I make contact with an enemy, while the second ability is a huge, powerful kick that turns the screen into black and white for a second. My opponent kicked out comically far away. Air. I enjoy using both and use them regularly to break through hordes of enemies.
Both characters can also call in support allies to help during missions, much like a sidekick in a fighting game that can help in difficult situations. These allies can be managed, equipped, and upgraded at your base, and can serve as a distraction when you’re trying to sneak around, or even help when you’re fighting multiple enemies at once. I have two people at my disposal: a strong female who specializes in pushing and knocking opponents away, and a stealthy guy who will try to hit the target with one hit and then retreat using smoke grenades.
Yasuke’s charge attack.
Another form of support is the Scout, which comes into play as you try to find out more information about your mission. Ubisoft says it’s taking a “guide, not tell” approach to the missions in Shadow. Subsequently, some of my missions were not marked on the map to go to. Instead, it gives me some hints about areas or buildings I should explore to learn more. During my preview, I had access to five scouts (it’s unclear how I can get more), which I could place anywhere on the map and they would reveal points of interest. Pairing the prompts and scouts together should reveal waypoints for me to continue the mission.
From there you can travel to your objective, or press left on the D-pad to turn on the pathfinder, and a translucent line will guide you like a GPS. However, the game won’t let you achieve every goal. Emphasis on observation: Holding down the left trigger will focus your character and the camera will zoom in slightly. This will allow you to highlight enemies (which will show their health and make them visible through walls), and also indicate loot to collect or objectives you’re looking for. It’s obvious that blindly charging into these missions early on will make things much more difficult than if you found a vantage point and surveyed the area first (which is another reason I often prefer to start missions with Naoe).
Spend some time building a chic little hideout for your samurai and ninjas.
In my preview, I didn’t get a good sense of the overarching story these characters were going through. The prologue hints at some of their motivations for teaming up, but the mysterious big box is hidden. However, long-time Assassin’s Creed fans will be wondering if the Animus, a narrative device that allows modern humans to relive and play as heroic ancestors from the past in these whimsical times, will return. In short, yes, it does—in something called the “animus self.” Unfortunately, we’ve had very little time with this meta-story component, but I can tell you again that behind the scenes of the seemingly picturesque Animus project, there are hacks and glitches and some sinister goings-on.
I’m really excited to play more Assassin’s Creed Shadows. as a loving person ghost of tsushimathe setting of feudal Japan easily excites me. The wait isn’t that long either, with the game launching on March 30th on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
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