New Gameplay, UI and Game Systems, Combat and Stealth mechanics! This is the breakdown of the Assassin’s Creed Shadows gameplay footage shown at the Ubisoft Forward live event!
Story: Cleanse the darkness and corruption of Japan
The official gameplay footage shown in the Ubisoft Forward event takes us to a village that while small, is a decent visual example of feudal Japan.
Farmers are working in the rice fields, the cherry blossoms embellish the view, and even a Shiba Inu is seen wandering the streets.
Sadly, this place is tainted by a corrupt Daimyo (a Japanese feudal lord) harasses, intimidates, and extorts the villagers. This will probably be a scenario that is seen multiple times throughout the game.
After all, Naoe and Yasuke have teamed up to find and eliminate multiple targets and I doubt that they are honest, hard-working people.
This game takes place during the Sengoku era, a time when Japan was submerged in civil wars and uprisings. The central government stopped ruling and local powers took over.
The traditional master-servant relationships were broken and people often revolted against their feudal lords.
There are three men that history sees as the main unifiers of Japan, one of them Is Oda Nobunaga, the man who Yasuke serves. While the story hasn’t been fully revealed we can figure out some things by looking back at the history of Japan.
Just remember that this game is only based on history and it’s not intended to be 100% accurate nor should you consider it a reliable source.
Choose a different playstyle when playing as Yasuke and Naoe
At this point, it’s no secret that we’ll be able to decide if we play as Yasuke or Naoe. An intimidating and powerful warrior or a deadly assassin.
According to the developers, you’ll be able to choose a very direct approach or the classic stealth style of an AC game at any given time. Let’s see what weapons and tools they have to carry out their job in a unique way.
Yasuke is wearing a very distinguishable Samurai armor with gold accents that grants protection in exchange for speed and agility.
The big weapon that Yasuke is using in the footage is a Kanabō, a big club with metal spikes that cause devastating damage to anyone who gets hit by it. His movements when using it are as powerful as they are slow.
This weapon seems like the perfect choice to fight weaker opponents or break the armor of strong bosses.
As intimidating as it is, we can’t deny that Yasuke’s attacks with the Kanabō are extremely slow, and fighting against multiple enemies with it might not be the best idea but that’s up to you to decide.
Obviously, Yasuke still has his trustworthy Katana to 1v1 against other swordsmen in the game and deliver some brutal finisher movements to those who dare to defy him.
Locking an enemy will make Yasuke adopt a defensive stance, the usefulness of this option will depend on the number and strength of the enemy.
Additionally, things like parrying, spacing, and awareness will be crucial when playing as this powerful warrior.
On the other hand, Naoe’s weapons and tools aren’t that fitted for direct combat. She relies on the surprise factor to sneak in and assassinate her victims.
Her grappling hook allows Naoe to move using the trees, walls, and roofs as platforms. This will probably be the most efficient way to infiltrate enemy strongholds.
When playing as Naoe, you will have access to shurikens, kunai, smoke bombs, and bells. These ninja tools have different purposes and since they’re not unlimited you must use them in a smart way to unlock their full potential.
Every weapon has different types of assassination. For example, the Kusarigama lets Naoe use it from a medium distance to get close to the enemy and deliver a very personal killing blow.
Speaking of killing blows, out of the two only Naoe uses the iconic hidden blade. The perfect weapon for fast and discrete assassinations.
Last but not least, Naoe also wields a Katana but she uses it as another assassination tool rather than a weapon for duels. She doesn’t have any armor so it might not be the best idea to test it out against multiple opponents at once.
What Stealth will be like in AC Shadows
Stealth is one of the most iconic elements of the AC franchise. Nothing is more satisfying than infiltrating an enemy fortress, getting to the target, and eliminating it without any single guard being suspicious about it.
Ubisoft is really emphasizing this in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The cover system is back and it allows you to sneak and peek around corners with minimum risk of detection.
Enemy detection is severely impacted by lights and shadows, reducing the light around them will decrease both the detection time and range. This doesn’t mean that the enemy won’t be alert, but at least the time window to take them down will be bigger.
As a ninja, Naoe is extremely good at using all types of terrain to her advantage. She can crawl on tall grass, quickly climb walls, or submerge herself in water to move undetected right in front of the enemy.
Sound also has a big role when it comes to being stealthy. Enemies react to the changes in their surroundings, so if you aren’t careful they will know that something’s up even if they can’t see you.
There will be many occasions where guards won’t move from their position unless they hear something nearby. This is something that you can use to your advantage with the bells and objects that can be interacted with.
HUD and UI Overview
The User Interface of Assassin’s Creed Shadows is pretty standard for a game of this type. And most Assassin’s Creed veterans will likely feel right at home with it from the first moment they launch the game.
In the top left corner, you can see the current mission and important information regarding it.
At the the bottom left the tools, weapons, and HP bar are displayed while in the bottom right you have the available abilities of the character.
When trying to be stealthy a small eye indicator will appear at the top of the screen. There are two white bars to the right and left of the eye, they will fill up when the risk of being seen increases.
We only got to see a single image of the map but it looks pretty straightforward. Similar in style to the map in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
The area where the main objective should be is highlighted in blue. We can also see all the streets, walls, and types of terrain. The information is limited but it’s still more than enough to carry out the mission.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is available in multiple editions and is set to release on February 14th, 2025 for all major platforms.
