The Assassin’s Creed Shadows preview event took place almost a week ago, and I was privileged to be one of the chosen journalists to participate. I had the opportunity to play the prologue as well as the Noble questline, which was available in this build. As with all Assassin’s Creed games, the prologue or the game’s introduction took me a little more than half an hour, up to the appearance of the game’s title. Somehow, I have already become accustomed to the fact that this part is always drawn out in Ubisoft games, but I must admit that it is probably somewhat shorter than previous AC games. However, I really liked the introduction because it nicely explained all the questionable things related to Yasuke the samurai as well as the other side of the coin, the introductory story of our heroine Naoe.
Yasuke’s story is pretty well set up. He is a slave to Christian, Portuguese priests who are asking the Japanese rulers for passage through their land as well as the establishment of trade routes. However, Diogo is not just a slave but also the bodyguard of the main priest, with keen senses that grace a true warrior. Without delving too much into everything that happens at the beginning, you must discover and play some things yourself.

The first thing that amazed me in the game, when you step into this world of ancient Japan, is how dynamic it actually is. Everything in front of you somehow seems alive, the trees swaying in the wind as well as the people leading their lives on the streets of the small Japanese town. Graphically speaking, the game impressed me quite a bit, and I think it looks classier than Valhalla, which is still a beautiful title today. At first, I thought it would be difficult for me to re-adjust to a modern Assassin’s Creed title, not realizing that a pleasant surprise awaited me. Although everything looks exactly as I said, modern compared to older games, AC Shadows is a perfect mix of two worlds or rather, two epochs of the franchise—the titles that came out before Assassin’s Creed Origins, as well as those that came out after it, not counting Assassin’s Creed Mirage. But let’s start with the most important thing, which is the gameplay.
The whole concept and idea of the first Assassin’s Creed games never relied on combat, and precisely because of that, it was trivial. Until Origins, enemies could fall just by “touching” them with the hidden blade during combat or after a few hits. Because, you know, the whole combat mechanic was reduced to other enemies waiting while you dealt with one. This has changed in the last few instalments, and the focus has been more on fighting multiple opponents at once. Besides, the main characters in those Assassin’s Creed games had to do everything—be stealthy, and resourceful, but also strong in combat. Starting with Origins, when AC titles began to be more RPG games than anything else, combat was the focus, while Stealth was optional, except in some rare moments. Because of this, all the characters you controlled were just that, heroes in every possible way, jack of all trades as they would say.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is not the first game where we have two main characters, but it is the first where the gameplay mechanics differ drastically between them. Although Yasuke and Naoe are separate characters in the game, they are actually a perfect combination of assassins from other games in the franchise. Or rather, a perfect assassin split into two characters you can play with. Because of this, I will separate them in the next part with explanations.
Yasuke is a great samurai, sometimes clumsy, with slow but very strong movements. Imagine Eivor from Valhalla, but with even greater raw strength and, of course, a rather terrifying appearance. A character who simply craves conflict hand-to-hand. With much higher health and stamina, he is able to cut down many enemies who oppose him at once. The intelligence of the enemies is similar to AC titles after Origins; they do not wait to attack one by one but all go together at once. Yasuke even handles those situations quite easily and calmly. In those moments of fighting a group of enemies, their comments are the best thing, where you can hear their fear and practically disbelief at what they see in front of them—a huge, black samurai with his long katana, naginata, or ultra-fun kanabo weapon. Because of this, playing with him is a unique experience in every way, a way of playing that no Assassin’s Creed game has offered before. Because of this, it is incredibly fun to play with him, watching everyone fear you while you literally trample everything in front of you. However, this does not mean there will be no challenges, because even Yasuke, no matter how big and strong he is, will not be invincible. Because besides ordinary opponents, there will always be someone worthy of your strength. Precisely because of his size and raw strength, Yasuke will not be the best option if you need to chase someone, run across rooftops, and jump over fences. Or rather, Yasuke will not be able to do that, because of his weight plus the weight of his armor. If you try, a humorous comment will follow from him. Even jumping from tall buildings will be hilarious when he says something like “I hope nobody saw that!”

Naoe is small, petite, not very strong, but on the other hand, agile and fast. She is a character who is better at avoiding enemies than confronting them in combat. She is perfect for scouting and tasks where it is necessary to gather as much information as possible without anyone noticing. Shadows are her friends, while combat is her weak point. This weakness in combat is compensated by the gadgets she has, like a true ninja, ronin, who has the task to appear somewhere, perhaps assassinate someone, and simply disappear. In moments when combat starts, Naoe can fall after just a few hits, and then the last checkpoint will load. The stealth mechanics are excellent, but the penalties if you are not careful can be brutal, and because of this, it is important to master this approach when playing with her. This is perhaps the first Assassin’s Creed in many years where the stealth approach is really difficult, but incredibly rewarding when you execute everything you planned. Missions where you need to be quiet and invisible often take place in large areas with many enemies who will notice even your slightest movement on the roof or in the bushes while hiding. Combat with her is much more tactical than with Yasuke. Personally, it reminded me of the combat in Rise of the Ronin because, as in that game, a few mistakes mean loading the last checkpoint. In combat, Naoe must rely on dodge, roll, and parry almost at every possible moment. The good thing is that the parry window is quite generous towards players, so even when you think you are late to parry, you will actually execute it. However, even with all that practice and perfect parrying, fights can last long because Naoe hits her opponents quite weakly, even with certain “super hits” that you can unlock through the skill tree. I must note that these can be used by both Yasuke and Naoe, depending on what is unlocked.

In quests, you will be able to choose who to play with, but as far as I understand, there is always one important rule. In missions where it is necessary to extract some information or kill someone quietly and silently, the right choice is Naoe. Whereas where some chaos needs to be created, Yasuke will be the right person for the task. This does not mean that the game will not allow you to approach the problem differently, but it will subtly tell you what is better for you by having one of these two characters comment on what they would prefer to do during the mission. I thought this was a cool option. On one hand, the game allows you to have your choice, but somehow subtly guides you to make the right decision that will somewhat facilitate your progression.
When it comes to progression and missions, the thing that really delighted me is the map and the way you find tasks on it. It is well known that maps in Assassin’s Creed games, or any Ubisoft game, are cluttered in every sense. So many icons and things that will cover the entire map view and give you that overwhelming feeling, that you will not know what to do first. Here, it is changed so drastically that the map will often look completely empty. Side tasks that you take from ordinary people will not be marked on the map, but you will have to listen and figure out where it is necessary to do what. I cannot describe how much I liked this because the game does not hold your hand and mindlessly lead you through it but allows you to immerse yourself in this world the way you want.

A similar thing is with the main missions, where in some of them you will have a clear place to come and do something, while in others you will have only an explanation of where something is located. Right of the square, under the fountain, in this part of the city—and then it is up to you to find your target. I must admit that as soon as you approach the target, your character will pinpoint it, but still, the moment until you get to it is a very nice exploration and tracking of clues. Ghost Recon Breakpoint had this a few years ago, a thing that delighted me back then, and from the latest titles, a similar mission progression mechanic was in Avatar Frontiers of Pandora. This is a great way for players to become players again, explorers, to actively participate in the development of the game and the story, and not just to follow mere signposts as if they were programmed for it. However, if the explanations of where your mission goal is located are quite general and you cannot find out, you will see a large area on the map where it could be located. Even greater help will be using a scout who will search that area and direct you a bit closer to your goal. Besides that, the map seems really huge in every sense and you will have many places to explore yourself, places that hide some secrets and where something interesting is always happening. Interestingly, when you see that vastness that is beautifully done, you will think it is empty, but when you start exploring, you will see how many places are hidden in the forest, on the hills near the quarry, on small farms where seemingly nothing happens. The game simply yearns for exploration, which makes me very happy.
This mechanic not only prevents the map from being cluttered but also includes players in the game, imagine, it makes players play this title, to explore, to feel like playing a title from twenty years ago when the so-called hand-holding or yellow marking mechanics did not exist. The rhythm of progress in this game is excellently done, at least in the prologue and the set of missions that were at our disposal.

In the game, you will have the ability to build your settlement, something like in Valhalla. A place you can call home in this game, which will serve you to develop various techniques, practice in the Dojo hall, and satisfy all those who support your cause in this game.
It is interesting how such a short experience playing this game provides so much to say about the new Assassin’s Creed Shadows title. This only shows how much this game will differ from previous titles in the franchise. I believe I will have a lot to talk about when the game is released this March. I think this is a perfect combination of old and new, classic and modern titles from the franchise. And above all, something that this franchise desperately needed, the refreshment we have all been waiting for. Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be released on March 20 this year for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series consoles, and of course PC.