The new Anvil Engine powering both games can make Resynced feel like a proper, faithful remake of the experience we know and love, while it has helped Shadows stand out with its dual-protagonist approach to combat and stealth, that allow Naoe and Yasuke to stand out as worth additions (sort of) to the Brotherhood’s ranks. To that end, we’ve put these two successive instalments in the franchise’s lineup in a conversation with each other, intending to examine if a return to the franchise’s roots is a good move for Assassin’s Creed right now.

Let’s hop in the Animus and visit two vastly different, but equally captivating takes, on the franchise’s formula.

The Past Versus The Present

There was a time when an Assassin could tear through groups of soldiers with impunity once they could deflect a single attack, punishing a badly timed swipe or stab with an onslaught that could make even the most experienced warriors fall without ever seeing the move coming. Of course, that was often discouraged by the game’s premise and gameplay loop, but it was often an option when those pesky optional challenges were proving to be an annoyance, and you just wanted to cut loose after thinning out the herd and disabling their alarm bells.

That was classic Assassin’s Creed and it’s a time when the franchise was riding high on the novelty of its premise, and its ability to recreate eras of history with passionately written stories for each new Assassin we’ve had the privilege of meeting. Well, those stories are definitely still a part of the franchise’s overall narrative, but its recent titles have placed them squarely in an RPG-esque structure that does bring a bit of grinding before you can seamlessly experience the story into the mix.

Shadow’s take on Japan is so massive that this problem becomes glaringly evident, irrespective of how engaging the world was to explore and dig into. It worked against story progression diluting the impact of the budding guild of Assassin’s against the larger world that seemed to always have a threat that was beyond Naoe and Yasuke’s current abilities, requiring engaging, yet unwelcomed diversions for those of us who wanted to know where the story was going.

The Caribbean’s more focused in comparison, and while setting off on your own without a care in the world is very much part of the pirate fantasy, you could always choose to chase Edward’s time with the Assassin’s at your own pace, with the game’s balancing giving you a fair bit of control over your chosen direction. We see no reasons for that to change in Resynced, and this is probably a good place to talk about the different experiences they offer.

Let’s begin with Shadows and the way it has been a great take on ancient Japan with a samurai/shinobi-themed fantasy working very well as its beating heart. It’s that very premise that has helped all the game’s ambitions come to life as satisfyingly as they have. The stealth mechanics made Naoe feel like a literal shadow, while storming enemy strongholds with Yasuke never gets old. It’s a heady mix of Assassins, samurais, and shinobis, all working within a Japan-themed sandbox that lets you decide what you’re going to be at any given moment.

However, there’s something to be said for Edward’s intriguing blend of a lawless pirate and a noble Assassin. He’s got layers and enough charm and charisma to sell each of those layers in ways that have allowed not just him, but his son to become crucial parts of an important chapter of the franchise’s overarching narrative. His impact on the franchise is undeniable, and his very character was the perfect vehicle for Black Flag’s identity as a pirate-themed adventure that would introduce a naval identity to the franchise.

That’s helped Black Flag, and Resynced by extension, differentiate themselves from the more traditional open-world exploration loop in Shadows. But wait, there’s more.

The Fight In An Ancient War

Fighting off the Templars and any unfortunate enough to be in their service is always an important facet of the experience on offer, and the franchise’s combat systems have largely been about stylish takedowns and smooth movement between foes. Edward was probably the peak of that particular formula before more methodical approaches in Unity and Syndicate made way for the modern RPG-like systems that have been a part of the franchise since Odyssey.

Each one has its merits, but Resynced is looking like it could be a solid balance between two varying approaches. With hitbox-based action that requires more skill than the original version that could trigger killstreaks off a single parry, a better movement system, and a less heavy emphasis on RPG-style mechanics that could help it feels like a logical continuation of what was on offer in Shadows. And that, in turn, could point to a better balance between the two approaches in future titles, and this is before we consider stealth.

When things need to be done quietly, you’ve got to admit that there’s no finer Assassin in the Brotherhood’s ranks than Naoe. She’s the perfect huntress in Shadows’ stealth sandboxes, and the sheer number of options she has in her toolkit and skill set are simply unmatched. Pair that with a gear system that’s paved the way for some truly insane stealth builds, and you see why Shadows just takes the prize for a better stealth experience.

But Edward’s time spent prowling among the bushes and grass in the Caribbean does have that old-school charm to it, and Resynced bringing a few logical additions like the ability to crouch at any time and so much more is a good sign that the old approach’s simplicity is being augmented with some modern touches, which once again points to an effective balance between the old and new in the upcoming remake.

That extends to the traversal systems as well, with Edward gaining the Parkour abilities that have made Naoe such an effective asset in missions that required quite infiltrations and for targets to not even realize they’ve just become prey to a warrior as relentless as she is nimble. He was already an agile Assassin to begin with, and his new abilities are sure to work well and make exploring the Caribbean feel fresh yet familiar, a sentiment that Resynced needs to nail down consistently enough for it to work. It’s clear that Shadows has been an inspiration on this front, and a valuable source of lessons learned that could help the new game feel better than the original experience.

Of course, the world designs that these games offer, and how those worlds look do deserve their due consideration.

Sustaining Style and Substance

It’s time to get to the biggest differentiator between the two games: the way their worlds are structured, and the kind of gameplay experiences they bring out of those different approaches. Shadows is a massive take on ancient Japan, full of mystery and intrigue that has you scouring every square inch of a vast land to uncover its secrets. It’s systemic because it has to be, otherwise running the risk of feeling rudderless and opaque to its players.

But that very structure becomes a trap that encourages a more framing-focused approach to natural discovery, a facet that even its Exploration Mode can’t fully diminish. You feel like you’re chasing down endless lists of objectives, never mind the fact that they’re excuses to try out either the combat or stealth mechanics that made the game so awesome. It’s good then, that Resynced is coming along to take us back to a time where the story and exploration were better woven into a cleaner, more condensed, but no less ambitious experience.

Of course, visual improvements to that experience are definitely welcome, with ray tracing, a new approach to rendering water, dynamic weather, and PS5 Pro-focused enhancements that are quite beefy making a great case for Resynced being a beacon for the franchise’s future. It helps that it shares the Anvil Engine with Shadows, while making it apply to a structure that might make the most of it while needing less from it. The result? A very polished experience, which would indeed be very welcome.

Shadows might offer more systems to exploit and design things to suit your playstyle, and that’s an approach that could appeal to those among you who like min/maxing your builds, and pushing them to their absolute limits. Of course, exploring the world is a great way to do that, but your ability to do so being tied to a number kind of defeats that purpose. You can’t put a number on having fun, after all.

And that’s where we’d argue Resynced has a distinct edge. It’s got the potential to have you spending hours on land and at sea, never feeling the fatigue of RPG systems that limit where you can go. Instead, it’s going to be a cleaner, more memorable return to an adventure that often encouraged you to chase what was on the horizon more than the objectives it laid in front of you. And that, perhaps, is what the Assassin’s Creed franchise needs to go back to, all things considered.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

“We acknowledge some story elements from the main game that the community didn’t resonate with as much as we hoped, so we’re taking those elements and that feedback and trying to put them to good use and address them in this final chapter,” wrote Lemay-Comtois. “I hope the community is satisfied with where we leave our two protagonists – and hopefully get even more excited for Black Flag Resynced in the process.”

To deal with this, the story will have more Templar involvement as well, with Yasuke and Naoe taking on a duo known as the Black Cross. Lemay-Comtois has noted that community feedback like, “give us more Templar stuff” or “give us more reasons to craft equipment builds” guided the update’s direction.

“Black Tides, which is our final story mission for Naoe and Yasuke, is how we kick that door wide open and add more Templar-focused story content to wrap things up,” he wrote. “If you are craving Templar content and deep lore connections, you won’t want to skip this one.”

Lemay-Comtois also called the challenge of creating a satisfying ending for Assassin’s Creed Shadows while also getting the franchise ready for its next entry “a fun problem to solve.” Interestingly, he also mentioned Black Flag protagonist Edward Kenway, whose presence in the update was teased by Ubisoft earlier this month.

“There are connections to other entries in the franchise, and bringing all of that together and adding those little cryptic nods to past and future was really challenging, but fun to work on,” he explained. “Like connecting Edward’s story, for example; he lived in a different time period, so we can’t just have him show up in Shadows as it wouldn’t make sense. We had to find a way to create that link that fits into both worlds. It was also an interesting challenge to bring the threads from Shadows’ story and post-game content together while also trying to meet player feedback on everything we’ve released so far.”

The Black Tides update for Assassin’s Creed Shadows is also going to bring in a new endgame activity – Domains. Lemay-Comtois has described it as “a new Animus-bending activity that remixes some parts of Shadows and puts them into a very different, more fantastical context.” Its difficulty has seemingly been tuned to give players a “final exam” for the skills they have honed during their time with Shadows.

The game mode will feature five maps with unique modifiers. While objectives themselves will remain simple, the modifiers will make matters more complex, giving players more obstacles to deal with as they go up in difficulty. Players will also have access to Animus Exploits to deal with them.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is available on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2.

A new post on BlueSky has hinted at a potential crossover with Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, scheduled for a July release that has us quite eager to return to Edward Kenway’s journey and witness his transformation from a scallywag into one of the Brotherhood’s finest Assassins.

The hint comes from none other than Simon Lemay-Comtois, the assistant game director of Shadows, whose tongue-in-cheek glance towards the camera when telling us about a “Black Tide” coming to Japan makes it a logical assumption that the new update will feature some connection to the upcoming remake. If we were to speculate, it could probably give us a peek into the discovery of The Sage’s mysterious artifacts.

Of course, all of this isn’t confirmed yet, and we’re probably going to have to wait until the update drops to see if we’re right, or merrily chomping down on some humble pie. Either way, it’s a definitive end to what ended up being a successful new Assassin’s Creed.

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Throughout the video, we get a look at the original combat system, which revolved around counter-attacks, and how it evolved and got refined with 2009’s Assassin’s Creed 2, 2010’s Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, and 2011’s Assassin’s Creed Revelations. 2012 would bring a major change in the system with the release of Assassin’s Creed 3, which gave protagonist Connor more weapon variety to fight with, as well as a bow. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag would bring in another shift in 2013 with the inclusion of guns as part of Edward’s arsenal.

While much of the same combat system would be seen in 2014’s Assassin’s Creed Rogue, the year also saw another shake-up with Assassin’s Creed Unity, which made combat slower-paced and raised the difficulty. In 2015, the same system would be further refined in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, which placed quite a bit of emphasis on brawling with its two protagonists—Jacob and Evie Frye.

While the series would see a bit of a break after Syndicate, just a couple of years later, it would see its biggest shift in combat mechanics with the release of Assassin’s Creed Origins. The 2017 title introduced deeper RPG-styled mechanics, with weapons and armors having their own distinct stats and special effects, which could be used by Bayek in his quest to hunt down the Order of the Ancients. The same system would get expanded with the release of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey in 2018, which brought in even more weapon types as well as deeper RPG mechanics. The last game where we would see this system, at least for now, would be 2020’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which introduced a posture system for its enemies.

In 2023, the series would go back to some of its older styles of combat with Assassin’s Creed Mirage, with players taking on the role of Basim and fighting foes in the streets of Baghdad. Most recently, the franchise introduced further refinements to its combat systems with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which provided two distinct styles of play thanks to its deuteragonists—the action-oriented Yasuke and the stealth-focused Naoe.

While Ubisoft hasn’t recently made any major new announcements for the Assassin’s Creed franchise, rumors have been flying around of a remake for Black Flag, which is believed to be titled Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. The overall themes of synchronization in the video would indicate that there might be a deeper connection between it and the much-awaited announcement. The company had confirmed that such a remake was in the works last month.

In the meantime, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has continued to get updates a year after its release, with the most recent one bringing in support for PSSR 2 on PS5 Pro, and mouse and keyboard controls on Nintendo Switch 2. Check out our review of Assassin’s Creed Shadows and its Claws of Awaji expansion for more details.

A non-legendary Bo weapon can be found by exploring the main landmass of the game. However, to find more Bos from enemies and chests, a player would need to have found at least one Unique Bo.

PS5 Pro players also got a massive upgrade, with Assassin’s Creed Shadows getting support for PSSR 2. Ubisoft has said that this will lead to improved image quality and performance. Nintendo Switch 2 players can now change up their control scheme thanks to the ability to use a mouse and keyboard for added precision.

The update weighs in at 17.46 GB on Xbox Series X/S, 3.45 GB on PS5, 5.4 GB on Nintendo Switch 2, 14.66 GB on PC through Ubisoft Connect, and 4.4 GB on Steam. The macOS version of the update comes in at 9 GB. For a full list of all the changes made to the game, check out the patch notes below.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows was released on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S last year before eventually also coming to the Nintendo Switch 2. For more details, take a look at our review for the base game, and its Claws of Awaji expansion.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Title Update 1.1.10 patch notes:

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Gameplay

• Fixed an issue with fast travel points being unavailable.
• Enemies can now suffer up to 5 afflictions at the same time.
• Fixed an issue with extra Rations being obtained from Claws of Awaji not being visible under maximum Rations in stats sheet.
• Fixed an issue with damage increases not applying while unarmed.
• Fixed an issue with various stat sources capping at +100%.

UI

• Fixed crashing issue when checking add-on content.
• Resolved an issue where total progression remained at 97.89% after all content was completed.
• The Detailed Stat Sheet now shows Combo Ender damage and correctly reflects any damage issues.
• Detailed Stat Sheet adjusted to now display capped and uncapped stats more clearly.
• Fixed an issue after updating, encountering a ‘Missing Content’ error causing the player to lose all gear earned from the expansion Claws of Awaji.

Weapons & Perks

• Corrected an issue for Yasuke’s Samurai passive ability “Defensive Break Level 3” showing +50 instead of 150% damage on enemy collisions.
• Fixed an issue with the “Critical Insight” heighten senses upgrade being nonfunctional.
• Fixed an issue with the “Hidden Onslaught” hidden hand upgrade being nonfunctional.
• Fixed an issue with “Extended Duration” Tenzutsu Burst upgrade, from Claws of Awaji being nonfunctional.
• Fixed an issue where the “Defensive Breach” upgrade would not show +50% damage on enemy collisions once upgraded to rank 3.
• The “Oni’s Rage” Kanabo’s perk now specifies it spreads 25% bleed buildup on kill.
• Fixed an issue with some trinket perks requiring the inventory to be closed before visible in Detailed Stat Sheet.
• Fixed an issue with “Underworld Emissary Horns” helmet perk’s bonus damage not vanishing after entering a smoke bomb’s radius.
• Fixed an issue with “Claws of the Tides” long Katana perk sometimes failing to make the next attack postured.
• Fixed an issue with affliction conversion perks being nonfunctional.

Localization

• The “Hurricane Stance” Naginata ability from Claws of Awaji now specifies how much ability damage is dealt.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Quests

• “Brothers In Arms”: Fixed an issue where players are unable to loot corpses to progress in the mission.
• “Lost and Found”: Fixed an issue after defeating Sentinel Boss while remaining in the arena.
• “The Winter Raiders”: Players can now complete the mission after defeating all the Winter Raiders.

With 334,384,499 hours spent cumulatively in the game’s take on the Sengoku period, and more than four billion targets falling to all of our hidden blades, it’s quite clear that Shadows has given the franchise a much-needed shot in the arm. It’s certainly the beginning of a fresh new start for the ones who strike from the, ahem, shadows. The fun hasn’t stopped there, as the Brotherhood’s Japanese chapter has seen 26 million cats receive their dues from Assassins who happen to be prowling in their territories.

If you didn’t get the chance to visit the game’s high-octane take on one of Japan’s most tumultuous periods, Naoe and Yasuke’s efforts to reclaim their homeland for its people were the basis for a very impressive title, leading to five million players within about three months. It’s going to be a guiding force for future projects in the franchise. It’s quite an exciting time to be an Assassin with multiple titles in the works and a new Netflix series on the way.

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Speaking to IGN, Dansereau commented on how new additions to the game are going to be a major factor in future releases, with a special focus on the new Atmos weather system and the addition of ray-traced global illumination. Both of these brought the franchise’s take on ancient Japan to life in very impressive ways.

“I’m proud that we shipped the game! It’s quite a challenge, and with Assassin’s Creed, there are a lot of people involved, so it’s a collective challenge. I was at DICE not so long ago, and shipping any game is a small miracle, according to all developers. It’s quite a challenge, and with Assassin’s Creed there are a lot of people involved, so it’s a collective challenge.

“The legacy, I think, is we’ve pushed quite a lot of things: we’ve improved parkour, stealth. Fighting, we’ve pushed certain elements of it. In all the systems, we’ve guided a lot of technology in the game that I think will become legacy for future ACs. There are quite a few things that will make their way through (to upcoming games).”

Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe is probably going to be the most obvious beneficiary of the lessons Ubisoft has learned from Shadows (with creative director Jean Guesdon describing it as “unique, darker, and narrative-driven”). However, it’s far from the only addition to the franchise’s pipeline, with the much-anticipated remake of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag expected to be revealed later this year with a potential launch in 2027.

We’re hoping that the Brotherhood manages to sustain the momentum it has created from its Japanese chapter and bring us more sneaky stabbing sooner rather than later. In the meantime, check out our review of Assassin’s Creed Shadows here for more details. You can also learn more about its last major update here.

If you’ll recall, CD Projekt RED said there were no plans to support PS5 Pro back in November 2024 (which it further reiterated regarding patch 2.2). To see it change course is quite interesting. Of course, how the development team plans to utilize it remains to be seen.

Thus far, other developers have praised Upgraded PSSR for providing higher-quality and more stable image quality. In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Silent Hill f, it’s helped reduce flickering to a significant degree compared to the older PSSR. Ninja Theory even praised it for improving the quality of particles in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2.

If PS5 Pro support is on the horizon, then you have to wonder about that other long-requested feature, New Game Plus. Is this a sign that CD Projekt RED is finally going to give in to fans? One certainly hopes, so stay tuned for updates in the meantime.

“We’re winding things down with smaller, less frequent updates… but still a few surprises! At the same time, our teams will begin shifting more focus toward what’s next for Assassin’s Creed,” wrote Vantage Studios’ head of content Jean Guesdon in a post.

As for what Assassin’s Creed fans can look forward to, Ubisoft has announced a mix of things, both new and old, that will keep players sated as it works on the next major entry in the franchise. 2014’s Assassin’s Creed Unity—originally released on PC, PS4 and Xbox One—will be getting a current-gen update for consoles, bringing in 60 FPS.

Another older title coming back in a major way is the finally-confirmed remake of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. The company made the announcement with a piece of concept art, along with the brand new logo for Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. Guesdon hasn’t announced any official release date, however. Instead, he said that fans should “keep your spyglass on the horizon.”

Looking to the future, Guesdon provided a small update on the development of Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe. “While we know we haven’t shared much about this one yet, it’s being built with great care by our veteran team here at Ubisoft Montreal,” he wrote about the title before reaffirming that it will offer “a unique, darker, narrative-driven Assassin’s Creed experience, set during a pivotal moment in history.”

Assassin’s Creed Invictus also got a shout-out from Guesdon, who called it a “new approach to multiplayer” for the Assassin’s Creed franchise. However, he didn’t go into much detail, only noting that “it isn’t quite what the rumors have suggested.” Currently, the development team is still “exploring ways” to get the community involved, since player feedback is “at the heart of our approach.”

Work on Assassin’s Creed Shadows is winding down after the game got several updates, with an entire year’s worth of post-launch support. The most recent of these was released back in February, which brought in the new Manual jumping feature. Once enabled, it allows players to jump whenever they might want. While this might sound fairly mundane, the extensive parkour capabilities that Naoe is already equipped with can pair up with the ability to jump whenever she wants to give her access to new areas, and a lot more freedom in how she moves around.

Along with this, the update also brought in detailed stats on just about every aspect of Assassin’s Creed Shadows you might want, be it how much damage you deal, to how cooldown reduction items might affect your abilities.

For more details on Assassin’s Creed Shadows, check out our review of its launch version. Also take a look at our review of its expansion—Claws of Awaji. The title is available on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2.

As per the studio’s Q3 FY2025 financial report, which you can peruse here, Shadows’ Switch 2 debut has been a boost to its active player counts, as has the release of an insightful look into Basim’s past in Valley of Memories. With Shadows taking the franchise back to feudal Japan for some good, old-fashioned parkour and stealth, and with Naoe and Yasuke blending their distinct playstyles into the gameplay loop, it’s safe to say that the long wait for the Assassin’s Japanese story was well worth it.

CEO Yves Guillemot expressed satisfaction with the company’s performance last quarter, doubling down on the restructuring plans that have been at the center of a lot of discussion recently. “We delivered a solid third-quarter performance, with net bookings growing at a double-digit rate year-on-year, exceeding our expectations. This performance reflects the strength of our portfolio and the breadth of player engagement across our core franchises, supported by recent releases and live content updates that continue to resonate with players.”

Although Assassin’s Creed was named explicitly, the Switch 2 version of Shadows has been mentioned as a factor in the last quarter’s success. With the title being rather make-or-break for the studio after a string of mediocre releases, it’s indeed heartening to know that The Brotherhood has been able to bring it some much-needed good news.