Like many series that go on for an extended period of time, the Assassin’s Creed franchise has gone through something of a radical change. Starting with Origins, the games have taken a more action RPG approach, which is continued with the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. While the new direction has largely been well received and well selling (though still going through some changes), some have noted that the games have de-emphasized stealth pretty significantly compared to older titles. Well, Valhalla may not be all stealth, but it will see the return of social stealth.
In an interview with VG24/7, Assistant Level Design Director Laurence Letalien talked about the return of social stealth. This aspect was pretty much completely absent from Origins and Odyssey, and it returns here, though it’s not quite like the older games, either. When in crowded areas, Eivor can don their hood and walk slowly through the crowds, which will make it easier not to be detected. He does mention there will be other stealth tools at your disposal to help with this but doesn’t get into what those are.
“So, what we’re bringing that’s new- so, yes, we are bringing social stealth back. I don’t know if you had the chance, but we have this new mechanic called disguise. So, what that consists of is that Eivor can put his hood on, and in certain areas where they have civilians, and areas that are guarded, you can put your disguise on, and you are detected less easily. You have a chance to walk around. And we do have some new gameplay stealth ingredients at your disposal that will help you navigate and reach through stealth in civilian zones.”
Interestingly, when asked if that meant there was no actual blending into crowds, he said, “We do have that also.” So, it’s possible you may be able to play with social stealth in a similar ways to older titles as well. Letalien also teased some new and old stealth mechanics that could be coming in some vague terms, saying, “I can’t really talk about it in too much detail, but maybe the monks from the old Assassin’s Creed game are back.”
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will release on November 17th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Stadia. PS5 and Xbox Series X versions are also slated to come but no dates have been attached to them yet. For an extended look at the title’s gameplay including exploration and bosses, take a look through here.
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