Seasons change throughout the campaign, creating (and removing) opportunities to sneak around in late Sengoku era Japan.
Naoe can use shadows to render herself invisible, destroy lamps and other light sources, and knock out enemies non-lethally.
Though it's around the "same size as Origins," Ubisoft wanted to have a "much closer to real-life scale ratio" with Shadows.
Players can also switch between Naoe and Yasuke, who each have unique skills, gear and progression, and recruit other allies.
Gold and Ultimate Edition owners get three days of early access, while the Season Pass offers access to two expansions and a bonus quest.
Players control Naoe, a shinobi, and Yasuke, a samurai, who cooperate as "shadows that serve the light" in late Sengoku era Japan.
As rumored since last year, Ubisoft's open-world action RPG features two protagonists - a male samurai and female shinobi.
Premium currency allegedly includes Helix, also reportedly used to purchase cosmetics in the upcoming Assassin's Creed Infinity.
Insider shinobi602 also refutes recent Ubisoft Store data that indicated a PS4 version alongside a release on current-gen platforms.