The next Assassin’s Creed game is called Assassin’s Creed Shadows. It is set in ancient Japan during the Sengoku period.
Here are the key things to know:
- You play as two main characters – a male samurai named Yuki and a female ninja called Na
- The game world shows the four seasons, so areas will look different when you revisit them
- Stealth and combat are both critical, mixing the styles of previous Assassin’s Creed games
- You can explore the open world freely without being guided by markers everywhere
Will this new adventure in feudal Japan make Assassin’s Creed feel fresh and exciting? Read on to learn more details!
Bringing the Samurai and Ninja Fantasy to Life
Ubisoft decided ancient Japan was the perfect setting for the new Assassin’s Creed. Game director Shรขโฌโน Benoรฎt explains:
The samurai represent the combat side, while the ninja embody the stealth experience. This allowed us to blend the gameplay from recent Assassin’s Creed titles focused on RPG combat with the series’ roots in stealth.
To make Japan feel authentic, the developers:
- Had historians and experts from Japan advising them
- Visited the country to study the environment and architecture
- Are using Japanese voice actors and checked translations
Small details were carefully recreated, like fog hanging in the air and villages built near dense mountain forests.
A Living, Breathing Open World
In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the game world changes with each season. Frozen lakes, rainwater dispersing footprints, and other realistic effects occur dynamically.
“We’re creating a living world that evolves,” says Benoรฎt. “When you return somewhere, it looks completely different based on the time of year.”
Players have more freedom, too. There are fewer objective markers, encouraging exploration. A “Spy Network” helps uncover points of interest organically.
Side quests and stories are woven worldwide, not just fed through the critical path. The goal is to give players autonomy to discover content themselves.
Evolution of the Assassin’s Creed Fundamentals
While paying respect to the series’ roots, Assassin’s Creed Shadows aims to modernize the core experience in several ways:
Stealth has been enhanced with new mechanics like:
- Crawling while prone to stay hidden
- Using light and shadows for concealment
- Extinguishing visibility-removing light sources
Open combat feels more refined as well. Dynamic events like rain could mask sounds and help stay undetected.
“We looked at what worked incredibly well for stealth in Assassin’s Creed Mirage,” says Benoรฎt, “And combined it with the excellent combat from the recent RPG titles.”
What’s Next for the Animus?
With its ambitious open world and grounded, real-world setting, where could the Assassin’s Creed franchise go after Japan?
“There are so many fascinating periods and locations in Japanese history; I’d love to continue exploring them,” muses Benoรฎt. But I’ll leave that up to the fans to decide where we go next!”
Ubisoft has more reveals planned leading up to Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ release in about six months. Gameplay trailers and other updates should keep building excitement.
Only time will tell if this fresh take on feudal Japan rejuvenates the long-running series. One thing’s for sure – it looks like an epic ninja adventure awaits!
