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A Shift in Focus: Assassin’s Creed Shadows
I realized quite late in Assassin’s Creed Shadows that being this version of a shinobi is hard — but it was precisely the precision the game demanded that made it all the more rewarding.
Stealth and Assassination in Shadows
With Shadows, the Assassin’s Creed franchise has achieved both its most impressive stealth and assassination mechanics. At its best, Shadows evokes games like Arkane’s Dishonored series, mixing emergent action with an artful blend of skills and scenarios. While not nearly at the level of sophistication as those games, I nevertheless had moments that left me breathless from what I could achieve. These put me more in the space of immersive simulated assassination games than the most recent, chest-thumping Assassin’s Creed games.
An Example of Strategic Play
Here’s an example. In Ubisoft’s open-world third-person action game, I was faced with a group of about 10 men in a dark cave, all of whom turned out to be targets I’d been hunting for ages. They were all part of one group, who I’d been carefully taking down individually — one leading me to the next. Now, after tracking one, it turned out he and his remaining colleagues had decided to hold a meeting. Together. With their guards. I hadn’t planned this, but now I either had to leave or use this opportunity to finish the job in one lethal swoop.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Mechanics
Importantly, my character, the shinobi Naoe, was not without her own tricks to balance the overwhelming odds. First, she wasn’t alone. In Shadows, you organically recruit allies throughout your massive revenge quest. You can summon them at a moment’s notice to assist you in any scenario: from a barefisted fighter monk to a giggling, creepy teenage poisoner. Having "upgraded" my poisoner, her poison bomb put three enemies to sleep immediately. Her upgrades also meant anyone who came to investigate fell under the same spell. I began by summoning said poisoner to take out several of the targets and guards.
Second, Naoe herself has skills that verge on magical, such as slowing down time while moving at normal speed — again, reminiscent of Dishonored or Arkane’s other big hitter, Deathloop. Using this skill immediately after my poisoner allowed me to throw several deadly kunai at guards’ heads and move closer to the actual targets for a slick close-up double assassination.
The Size of the Problem
All of this happened within less than 20 seconds. And voila! All the targets and their guards were down.
A Murdery Puzzle
The size of these places turns this into a murdery puzzle. If I take Guard A out, I have access to Guards B and C. However, Guard D is watching Guard A, etc. Without realizing it, you have to create an assassination Rube Goldberg machine, taking one out, then another, timing it and using different abilities, recruits, and so on. It takes some time to get through these giant castles, but you’re rewarded with some of the best weapons and armor in the game. And if you’re caught, you are hunted for a while, making traversal a hazard.
Yasuke’s Style of Murder
Similarly, the other playable character, the samurai Yasuke, requires careful consideration, despite being a moving mountain. He doesn’t have eagle vision. He is made for loud lethality; even his instant assassinations sever heads and limbs. This creates its own thoughtful play since you need to carefully move and work your way through these large set pieces, ideally without drawing attention.
Yasuke’s advantage is that he can use a huge bow to take enemies out instantly from a distance — unlike Naoe, who has to be close. This speaks to the give-and-take theme central to the game’s mechanics. But Yasuke can more easily and quickly end alerts, making his style of murder puzzle less clean but easier to recover from should things go awry.
Conclusion
I did not expect Shadows to place so much work and thought into its assassinations, which is obviously amusing given the name of the franchise. Having played this series since its inception, I was struck by the emphasis on clean, thoughtful assassinations — not only within scripted contexts, but in the open world itself.
FAQs
Q: What is Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
A: Assassin’s Creed Shadows is an open-world third-person action game that focuses on stealth and assassination mechanics.
Q: What is the gameplay like in Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
A: Gameplay in Assassin’s Creed Shadows involves strategic planning, using different abilities and recruits to take out targets and guards, and creating a "murderous puzzle" to solve.
Q: Are there multiple playable characters in Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
A: Yes, there are two playable characters in Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Naoe, a shinobi, and Yasuke, a samurai.
Q: Is Assassin’s Creed Shadows a departure from the typical Assassin’s Creed gameplay?
A: Yes, Assassin’s Creed Shadows marks a departure from the typical Assassin’s Creed gameplay, focusing more on stealth and assassination mechanics rather than action and combat.
