Fans of the Assassin’s Creed franchise have been asking for a new game set in Japan for over a decade now, and after many years of waiting and a few delays, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is finally just around the corner with a release date of March 20th. It’s been two years since the release of the last game Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and there has definitely been lots of buzz around Shadows and how well it will meet lofty expectations for a game of this series finally taking a trip to Japan.
We had the chance to spend four hours with Assassin’s Creed Shadows ahead of its launch, and the game already shows a lot of promise. It has put a lot of work into capturing the setting of feudal Japan during the late 1500s and offers two very different gameplay styles across its two-player characters.
Our time with the game was broken into a few sections that offered more insight into the two playable characters, Naoe and Yasuke, before being let loose in the open world. These prologues did a great job of establishing the differences and similarities between both characters and are very cutscene-heavy, slowly transitioning into consistent gameplay that gives a tangible grasp of how physically different they are. Yasuke felt very heavy in the big clanking armour of a samurai with high-damage attacks; he is also generally much larger than whatever opponent he is facing. Naoe on the other hand is smaller, faster and far sneakier than Yasuke, wearing loose clothes and carrying smaller weapons.
“The separate prologues do a great job of establishing the differences and similarities between both characters”
The combat was very easy to pick up and learn, with light and heavy attacks mapped to the right bumper and trigger respectively. There’s also a dodge, block and parry across both characters even if it feels different depending on who is being controlled. Each character also has several special moves relating to their role. Yasuke can charge forward and break down doors, while Naoe can toss a kunai to distract or harm enemies. Stealth still works the same way it does in most Assassin’s Creed games, but there is now also the option to drop to prone, which is necessary because the height of tall grass isn’t always consistent and there is a much higher focus on staying out of the light. Lanterns and candles can be snuffed out to create a thicker cover of darkness, making it easier to sneak around without being caught.
When I was released out into the open world, I spent most of my time playing as the shinobi, Naoe. I had the option to change between either character at any time in the open world and there are multiple points during longer missions that allow switching whenever desired, but I found Naoe best matched my preferred playstyle. She felt a lot faster and executing any stealth always felt more natural when she was the one I was controlling. As more of an old-school Assassin’s Creed fan, she scratched that slow-moving, stealthy itch for me.
There was a lot to find out in the world. One of my favourite elements was Naoe’s love of painting: sometimes I came across an animal that she wanted to paint and then had to slowly sneak close enough that she could get a good reference. It’s a very soft and quiet moment and gives a good insight into Naoe as a person. I found myself roaming through rice paddies and around coasts, keeping an eye out for deer or birds at the lake’s edge that might be worth painting.
The world is lovely to explore too. While only a small area of the open world was available to me, there were so many different places to visit in that area alone. Even in just the city of Himeji, there was a lot to explore. There’s a shrine district where prayers can be offered at shrines for in-game bonuses, wealthy houses to carefully explore without getting spotted and sprawling rice paddies at the edge of the city. Rain leaves the landscape realistically slick, the grass is vibrant and green. At one point during my playtime, I even experienced the change of seasons and the area visibly changed in the shift from spring to summer.
While there was plenty to explore, Assassin’s Creed Shadows does, of course, have some assassinations to do. Attending a rengakai (a poetry reading) with a group of officials to gain some intel, you’re interrupted by an attack and the kidnapping of a young boy. From this point, it’s all about investigating who orchestrated the attack, where the boy is and who needs to be killed. There are a few steps to this, including breaking into a few shrines that end up being fronts for the attackers. The goal here is to find important information in the area that can provide an insight into who may have been behind the attack and why, sneaking into the shrine, grabbing what is necessary and then leaving before anyone notices what happened. Or, of course, just killing anyone who makes the mistake of looking in the wrong direction.
The final part of the quest was a long mission with multiple parts. In these longer missions, it was possible to switch between the two characters at key points. It’s a good way to determine whether you want to take a section of the mission loud or quiet; I had a great time hunting down spies around Himeji Castle as Naoe and then going in loud to take down the rest of the attackers as Yasuke. Climbing the large central building to find the assassination target was awesome, sneaking between floors and hoping no one was waiting at the top of the next set of stairs felt exhilarating and was by far my favourite part of the experience.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows looks like it’s shaping up to be a satisfying new addition to the franchise, using that classic Assassin’s Creed gameplay style to explore the feudal Japanese setting that fans have been craving for years. There’s a lot of attention to detail with the world and the characters on display here and the major assassinations feel as rife with gravitas as they should.
Here’s hoping for even more sneaking and stabbing with the full release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows on March 20, 2025.
Ubisoft flew the journalist to Sydney for this hands-on preview.
About the Author
Bree Maybe
she/they
Bree somehow managed to weasel her way into a game design degree, hasn't stopped playing Skyrim since it first came out and never shuts up about Nagito Komaeda.
