Ubisoft finally debuted some extensive gameplay for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, highlighting the different gameplay approaches of its protagonists, Yasuke and Naoe. It starts with Yasuke riding through a forest on horseback and arriving in Fukuchiyama, with villagers tending to the fields. People notice and pay respect to him, but it’s not long before he learns of the local government mercilessly taxing people.
It leads to an encounter with Fujioka after some scant clues. Yasuke wields a club and batters his opponents, breaking their guard and armor. Environmental destruction is extensive, right down to the apples scattering on the ground, and there’s also extensive gore. After a one-on-one battle with Fujioka, Yasuke executes him, the animation taking on a monotone color shift.
Afterwards, players must locate the daimyo sitting at the head of the corruption. They can either bust in through the front gate with Yasuke or stealth with Naoe. The latter grapples in at night, sneaking through the grass, knocking out braziers to create darkness (with an indicator that tells you how much she’s concealed) and using cover to peek.
While her kusarigama is ideal for handling multiple foes at once, it can also pull her towards a target for assassination. The rain and thunder is also great for covering up your noise, though they won’t be present during all seasons.
After an assassination through a sliding door and grappling to hide on the ceiling of a room to avoid detection, Naoe discovers Lord Hayashi, the daimyo. After crawling through the pond nearby, using a breathing apparatus to stay underwater, she finally assassinates him. Check out the post-show deep dive for more details.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches on November 15th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.
