Ubisoft
Assassin’s Creed Shadows showed me its potential with a Japan ready to roam
First impressions from the land of the rising sun and ninjas.
Japan is the destination that many Assassin’s Creed fans have wanted to travel to for many years. It was seen as one of the more than obligatory destinations, as one could easily imagine the Assassin’s Order as part of the Ninjas of this eastern country. After a short trial of about 3 hours, I had the opportunity to get a glimpse of what’s new from Ubisoft with Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Feudal Japan, as beautiful as it is bloody
The first hour of the game was part of the story’s prologue. This puts us in 16th century Japan, at the end of the Sengoku period. A memento that marks the near end of the civil wars and the hope for peace among its people. Our first interaction with this world is through the eyes of Yasuke, an African slave who arrives in the distant land as part of the Jesuit mission of the Portuguese. On the other hand, after a time jump, we meet Naoe, an agile shinobi in the middle of a battle, who is our entry point into the world of the Order.
It is in these brief moments of control that we begin to notice that the two characters are very different. Something that was explained to us before we started our demo was that Yasuke is meant to be a character focused on combat, a part that has become more important since Origins. On the other hand, Naoe is the assassin archetype that we’ve known since the first game. Assassin’s Creed Shadows will allow us to swap them during the game, but more on that later.
Exploring a freer map
One of the things that struck me most was the way this version of Assassin’s Creed invites you to explore and get lost in its world. For many years, the games of the franchise and the company were characterized by a sea of markers within a map, and part of the adventure was actually visiting each of those points, as if it were an activity. Shadows, on the other hand, tries to put a twist on that by making the player do a little more exploration. Now our characters will be able to take the classic towers to see the map, but also to see some points of interest in the distance... just to know that there is an unknown area to discover. During combat moments, this changes as we will be able to observe our surroundings and mark both enemies and objects of interest.
But how does this work in the game? After the prologue we jump back in time. Yasuke and Naoe are already working together, and the goal is to find the person responsible for kidnapping the son of one of our allies. One of the first missions was to find one of the people responsible for the security of the castle, which is not easy at first. For this we have a board where we will have clues about what we should do. First we had to find his wife in a house west of the village. If you need help, the game allows you to pull out a kind of indicator that will take you by the hand.
Combat can be, as always, stealth, where you can even call your allies to attack certain enemies to get you out of trouble, or melee, which is more than brutal, with blood spurting and severed heads like a samurai movie. On several occasions, the stealth option was the best choice, as the different enemies and attack styles can feel overwhelming. In this sense, Yasuke is heavier but stronger and has a much higher life bar. Naoe, on the other hand, is a bit weaker, but much more agile. Knowing the battle scenario beforehand can help you decide who might be the best choice. It’s worth mentioning that you can switch between characters, but not in the middle of a fight. This feels a bit odd, as it’s as if you have two ways to play Assassin’s Creed, but again, due to the limited testing time, I wasn’t able to test it in depth.
A visually promising Japan
Visually, the game looks very promising. Although the preview was done remotely, limiting the view to 1080p, we were able to notice a smooth 60 fps. The landscapes and this particular version of Japan look amazing, expecting it to look even better when it comes out. Another detail that was talked about but not seen is that Assassin’s Creed Shadows will feature a world with a dynamic climate and even seasons. While we have seen some interesting weather like cherry blossoms appearing on the horizon, it would have been very interesting to see how this gradual change happens, or even see the effects that a storm can have on a stealth mission for example.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows finally takes us to what many fans have been waiting for: Japan. Although the character change can be complex at first, the spectacular visuals and mechanics are promising. Undoubtedly, there were still many aspects and mechanics to explore in this title, and it would have been interesting to play them and not just talk about them.
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