Ubisoft Forward released a 13-minute in-depth look at Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Monday, detailing its dual protagonists and their unique gameplay styles. The gameplay walkthrough includes both open combat and stealth sections, and shows the two protagonists Naoe and Yasuke working together on a mission in Fukuchiyama Castle Town, Tamba Province, Japan. The gameplay also gives us a glimpse into the bustling towns and villages in the game.
“Assassin’s Creed: Shadows” game details
The walkthrough begins with Yasuke, a burly, heavily armed samurai riding into Mount Fukuchi on the trail of a corrupt daimyo. The fearsome samurai travels through town and encounters a group of samurai harassing the villagers. We see Yasuke dispatch his enemies with brutal efficiency. He crushed and cut down other samurai with clubs and swords.
Yasuke’s abilities focus on frontal combat, and it looks like he can easily take on multiple enemies at once. While he’s not very agile, his brute strength can crush anything in his path. Yasuke’s combat prowess continues the action role-playing spirit of the latest Assassin’s Creed games such as “Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla.”
Yasuke meets the enemy head-on
Image source: Ubisoft
Assassin’s Creed: Shadow Dual Protagonists
However, to address the concerns of loyal fans, Ubisoft is also emphasizing stealth and assassination in Assassin’s Creed: Shadows. This is achieved through second protagonist Naoe, a ninja who works in the shadows, utilizing flexible parkour mechanics and stealth-focused tools to achieve her goals.
While the two protagonists can be swapped at will while free-roaming, the game will make us choose between the two in certain mission sections, which will determine whether we face enemies directly or take a more covert route. In the gameplay demo, we saw the ninja infiltrate Fukuchiyama Castle and use her grappling hook, kunai, and her customized hidden blade to sneak in and assassinate the daimyo.
Naoe’s abilities focus on stealth
Image source: Ubisoft
The stealth gameplay in Shadows is reminiscent of older Assassin’s Creed games and the latest Assassin’s Creed Phantoms. With its dual protagonists offering different playstyles, the next game in the stealth-action series appears to be taking the best of both worlds approach to please both loyal AC fans and audiences who enjoy the action-RPG elements of the latest games in the series.
“Assassin’s Creed: Shadows” is set in feudal Japan in the 16th century, allowing players to explore a vast open world with diverse environments and changing seasons. The game will be released on November 15th for PC (via Ubisoft Store and Epic Games Store), PS5, and Xbox Series S/X. It will also be released on Mac computers powered by Apple silicon through the Mac App Store.
